After a brief tour of Ontario over the weekend, the Montreal Canadiens will return home to the province of Quebec tonight where they once again play host to the rival Boston Bruins — this time at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City.
Coming off a pair of impressive outings by under-manned lineups, the Habs once again trimmed down the roster with a second round of cuts on Monday. As a result, the Habs will tonight ice a unit that will closely resemble the one we will see next Thursday as they open the regular season in Buffalo.
While the opening-night roster is nearly set, there are still a few spots up for grabs, making the remaining two pre-season games of utmost importance for some of the players still present at training camp.
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Most notable, perhaps, is first-round pick Mikhail Sergachev, who is getting an extended look from the Habs as an eighteen-year-old. He may still be considered a long shot to crack the roster, but Sergachev will appear in each of the final two games and could, at the very least, stick around for the early part of the regular season before being sent back to the Windsor Spitfires.
Sergachev is not alone in his quest to make an impression on the Habs coaching staff, of course. Zach Redmond, Mark Barberio, and Greg Pateryn represent the more veteran competitors for what appears to be a single spot on the Habs blue line. Of the three, only Redmond will dress tonight against the Bruins.
There appears to be a three-horse race for just two spots on the Canadiens’ left wing, as well. Artturi Lehkonen, the highly-touted Finnish prospect, has been practising on the second line alongside Tomas Plekanec and Alexander Radulov, which makes it seem like he’s closest to nailing down a place in the lineup.
That leaves Daniel Carr and Sven Andrighetto to try out for a position on the third line with David Desharnais and Andrew Shaw. Carr will get the call tonight as Andrighetto sits one out, but it would not be surprising to see Andrighetto get a look in the Habs’ final pre-season game on Thursday. Of note, Carr would not require waivers to be sent down to the St. John’s Ice Caps, while Andrighetto would need to clear.
Tonight’s game will also be the first of the pre-season for Andrei Markov and Alexei Emelin, who have been practising as a pairing after returning from the World Cup of Hockey. Radulov and Shaw will be competing in just their second games of the pre-season (out with illness and suspension, respectively) and will certainly draw particular interest.
Other notable stories heading into the game include Michael McCarron’s spot on the fourth line, seemingly as a last chance to make an impression after practising on an extra line at practice yesterday. Al Montoya and Mike Condon will dress in goal as they continue to battle to be backup to Carey Price.
The Bruins cut down their own roster on Sunday, and will bring a number of NHL regulars to Quebec City tonight. Habs fans will get their first look at David Backes in a Bruins sweater, while veteran blue-liner Christian Ehrhoff will use the game in hopes of earning a contract in Boston.
Click here to see the Habs lines during practice ahead of their match up with the Bruins.
