After a dismal third period in Pittsburgh on Wednesday that saw the Canadiens give up more shots on net and shot attempts than they had in the first two periods combined, it looks as though Michel Therrien is ready to shake things up a little. As a result, Alexander Semin will be back on the second line, moving Devante Smith-Pelly down to the fourth line and Paul Byron out of the lineup.
Another lineup change for the Habs comes as a result of a lower-body injury sustained by Alexei Emelin in Wednesday’s game. Greg Pateryn will draw into the lineup for his first regular season appearance. After spending last week in St. John’s for a conditioning stint, Pateryn will play on the third pairing with Tom Gilbert.
The Habs are in the midst of one of their worst five-game sequences of the season, albeit a stretch of games without a regulation loss (3-0-2). While this is a sign of how good the team has been playing so far, as the season progresses, the adversity this team must face will also increase. How the Canadiens have handled themselves thus far should be an encouraging sign, as Carey Price still sits indefinitely on the shelf nursing a lower-body injury.
The Colorado Avalanche have been trying to dig themselves out of a hole, having begun the season with only four wins in 12 games. This sets them back in the incredibly competitive Central Division, where they sit in last place; four points behind the Chicago Blackhawks. Patrick Roy’s team is in the midst of a seven-game road trip, and, having won the first two games in Philadelphia and Boston, will be looking to collect points as they try to stay in the pack of teams with legitimate playoff aspirations.
The Avalanche will be without Gabriel Landeskog, who will be serving a suspension for a hit on Brad Marchand in Thursday’s win over the Bruins.
The Habs have no regulation losses at home (7-0-1), and will look to keep that record intact tonight.
The puck drops at 7:00 PM EST.
How To Watch:
In Canada (French): TVA Sports
In Canada (English): Sportsnet
In the Avalanche region: Altitude
Elsewhere: NHL GameCenter, NHL Center Ice
| Left Wing |
Center |
Right Wing |
| Max Pacioretty | Tomas Plekanec | Brendan Gallagher |
| Lars Eller | Alex Galchenyuk | Alexander Semin |
| Tomas Fleischmann | David Desharnais | Dale Weise |
| Brian Flynn | Torrey Mitchell | Devante Smith-Pelly |
| Left Defense |
Right Defense |
| Andrei Markov | P.K. Subban |
| Nathan Beaulieu | Jeff Petry |
| Tom Gilbert | Greg Pateryn |
| Goaltenders |
| Mike Condon |
| Dustin Tokarski |
Scratched: Jarred Tinordi, Paul Byron
Injuries: Carey Price (lower body), Alexander Semin (lower body), Michael Bournival (post-concussion syndrome)
| Left Wing |
Center |
Right Wing |
| Mikhail Grigorenko | Nathan Mackinnon | Matt Duchene |
| Blake Comeau | Carl Soderberg | Jarome Iginla |
| Cody McLeod | John Mitchell | Andreas Martinsen |
| Dennis Everberg | Ben Street | Jack Skille |
| Left Defense |
Right Defense |
| Francois Beauchemin | Erik Johnson |
| Nick Holden | Tyson Barrie |
| Brandon Gormley | Nate Guenin |
| Goaltenders |
| Reto Berra |
| Calvin Pickard |
Scratched: None
Injuries: Semyon Varlmov (groin), Brad Stuart (undisclosed), Alex Tanguay (knee) , Jesse Winchester (concussion-like symptoms)
Suspended: Gabriel Landeskog (2 games)
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