Wednesday Habs Links: Welcome back Tokarski

Montreal Canadiens News

• Several players stayed home to rest ahead of the playoffs instead of joining the team in Chicago, including goaltender Carey Price.
• That means Peter Budaj is likely to get the start versus the Blackhawks. Dustin Tokarski was recalled from the Hamilton Bulldogs and will serve as a back up, unless Michel Therrien feels like starting the young goalie is a worthwhile gamble.
• The Habs practiced yesterday, and the only notable change up front was Briere being demoted to the fourth line, and Bourque promoted to the third.
• The defensive pairings were switched up a little, with the return of Josh Gorges to the fold. How good does our defensive lineup look with Murray out of the picture?
• Stats guru Christopher Boucher evaluated the dump-ins and offensive zone entries by player, since the Olympic break. It's a good indication of which players possess the talent level to gain the zone without risking a loss of possession.
• Assured of a spot in the playoffs, the team is working on a balancing act at the moment, torn between resting it's best players and focusing on the end of the regular season during the final approach.
• Mike Condon continues his stellar play in the ECHL. He took home goalie of the week honours for the third time this season.
• Patrice Brisebois took in the playoff battle between the Gatineau Olympiques and the Halifax Mooseheads. All eyes were on Reway and Fucale.
• TSN 690 spent two minutes with trade deadline acquisition Mike Weaver. Here's the clip.
• A little bit of inanity: Jarred Tinordi takes on Brendan Gallagher in the weekly Canadiens duel.
• A fan made a highlight video that doesn't include pop rock or dance music! Celebrate! It's really well edited and worth a look.
• This isn't exactly Habs news, but it pertains to them in a big way as Ben Bishop left the game yesterday with an apparent shoulder/wrist injury.

News and Notes from Around the League

• Vancouver fired their GM Mike Gillis yesterday. We don't know who his replacement will be, but rumour has it that Trevor Linden has the inside track on the opening.
• The central scouting service released their final rankings of prospects for the upcoming draft. Sam Bennett atop the NA forward rankings, whereas Thatcher Demko is the top North American goalie available. Kasperi Kapanen leads the charge for European skaters. Ville Husso ended up in the top spot among European goalies.
• Almost half the cover pictures you see on this site were taken by one excellent photographer, Bruce Bennett . He took in his 5000th hockey game recently, and Getty Images compiled the best of his hockey photography.
• Cara over at Arctic Ice Hockey took an in-depth look at the situation surrounding young star Evander Kane & the city of Winnipeg.
• Bolland Watch 2014 continues!
• The Toronto Maple Leafs are officially eliminated from the playoffs. They'll go down in history as one of the most out-shot teams ever.
• Raw Charge thinks the Bolts are in possession trouble right now, and they may not be wrong.
• Should the Caps trade Alex Ovechkin? No, but here's why they shouldn't just in case anyone thinks otherwise.
• Fear the Fin made an interesting Jeremy Roenick/Patrick Marleau infographic. It seems like they've had enough of Roenick's constant whining.
• Alex Ovechkin may not be able to pick out his goalie from a police lineup, but he scored his 50th goal of the year last night.