Game 37: Canadiens at Panthers

#MTLHockey Preview

 

Match Up

The Canadiens (23-11-2) are in Sunrise, Florida Tuesday night to face the Panthers (16-9-8). The puck drops at 7:30 and can be seen on RDS and Sportsnet East.

This is the first of five meetings between the Habs and Panthers this season, the teams will play twice more in Florida and twice in Montreal. The Habs and Cats split their four game series last season with each team picking up a 2-1 win in Montreal and a 4-1 win in Florida.

What to Watch

Carey Price continues to make his case as team MVP posting win number 20 on the season Monday in Carolina, but his 28-save performance the night before likely means it will be Dustin Tokarski between the pipes on Tuesday. Lars Eller and Jiri Sekac looked good on a line together in Carolina, they each scored for the Habs on Monday and finished the night plus-3 and plus-2 respectively.

Last year's top draft pick, Aaron Ekblad, is making a strong case for rookie-of-the-year considerations. He's third in rookie scoring with 19 points on the season and logs an average of 22 minutes per game. Only Nick Bjugstad has more points for the Panthers this year, with 20.

What's at Stake

The Panthers aren't nipping at the Habs' heels just yet, but they are making a strong push to reach the playoffs for just the second time since 2000. The Canadiens have eight more points than the Panthers, but the Cats have three games in hand on Montreal so a loss on Tuesday would mean that suddenly Florida is within striking distance of the Habs.

Former Habs assistant coach, Gerard Gallant, has impressed in his second stint as an NHL head coach, this is his first chance to face his former team this season.

Who's Out

The Canadiens go into their final game of 2014 with a healthy roster.
For the Panthers, off-season addition Shawn Thornton (groin) is the only player missing heading into Tuesday's game.

What Else

Despite a rough stretch at the end of November and carrying into the start of December where the team went 1-5-1, the Canadiens have quickly turned things around winning six of their last seven. The Habs look to end 2014 on a high note with another win and the chance to reclaim top spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Question Mark

What are your New Year's Resolutions for the Habs?

Tonight's Show

Join host Steven Hindle along with Kosta Papoulias and Rob Elbaz for the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show as we go live at 6:30 to preview the Canadiens and the Panthers.

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Habs Roundup: Assistant Coaches and Management Team Finalized

What a busy week in the world of the Montreal Canadiens.

On a nearly daily basis for the last seven days, announcements have followed each other at a seemingly unending rhythm. In the end, the dust settled and the organization's hockey operations underwent a major upheaval.

Clement Jodoin and Gerard Gallant named Assistant Coaches

The question of Michel Therrien's assistants was quickly answered, as a blast from the past and a new face completed the revamped coaching staff. Now, Therrien will also be counting of Clement Jodoin and Gerard Gallant to guide the rebuilding Canadiens.

As you will recall, Clement Jodoin was an Assistant Coach with the Montreal Canadiens between 1997 and 2003, namely working under Michel Therrien during his first tenure in Montreal. He also coached extensively in the QMJHL, compiling a 297-277-20 record over his junior career.

Gerard Gallant also comes with significant QMJHL experience, having most recently coached the Saint John Sea Dogs to back-to-back championships and the 2011 Memorial Cup. Unlike Jodoin, though, Gallant coached almost 150 games and played over 600 at the NHL level.

It should also be noted that, at some point, Gallant was even rumored to be in contention for the Canadiens head coaching position.

One almost has to wonder, should Michel Therrien's return prove to be less than a success, is Gallant in place as a bit of Plan B?

Sylvain Lefebvre named coach of Hamilton Bulldogs

The club also announced that former Habs blueliner Sylvain Lefebvre would be the new head coach of the American Hockey League's Hamilton Bulldogs. With Clement Jodoin's move to Montreal, the position had become available. 

Lefebvre was an assistant for three seasons to head coach Joe Sacco with the Colorado Avalanche after having worked as an assistant in the AHL with Lake Erie.

Patrice Brisebois and Martin Lapointe join organization

After announcing the appointments of Scott Mellanby and Rick Dudley in recent weeks, Marc Bergevin also added Patrice Brisebois and Martin Lapointe to his management team.

Patrice Brisebois, who played all but two seasons of his NHL career in Montreal, was named to the position of Player Development Coach. 

Although he appears to have little experience in the way of coaching or development, Brisebois' sometimes challenging tenure in Montreal could certainly bring welcome perspective to some of the team's younger players.

As for Martin Lapointe, he was slotted as Director of Player Development. In the past, this role was held by top amateur scout Trevor Timmins.

Up until this post, Lapointe had been professional scout with the Chicago Blackhawks since 2009. He also played almost 1000 NHL games, winning two Stanley Cups as part of the Detroit Red Wings.

What do you think of the recent slew of hirings? 

---
Louis is an Associate Editor and Senior Writer at HabsAddict.com. Born in Chicago, Louis grew up in Quebec City where he earned Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Université Laval. He is also an occasional guest on CKCU's Red Zone program.

Find him on twitter @LouisMoustakas


(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)

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Habs Hire Gallant, Qualier Signed, Nash, Pearn and More

Happy lunch time Hab fans!

Marc Bergevin is certainly keeping busy, isn't he?

After hiring three new people yesterday, it now seems that Gerard Gallant will join Michel Therrien as an Assistant Coach. Gallant, who coached the Saint John Sea Dogs, was rumored to be in contention for the head coaching position.

In respect to player movement, prospect Steve Qualier has been signed to a two-year deal. The 22-year old was a third round pick in 2008.

What do you think of Bergevin's latest slew of moves?

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Hockey News

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(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images North America)

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Kings/Devils GM 5, Gallant interview, Fisher retires, Rumours and more

Morning puck addicts!

Game 5 is upon us! Well, almost. In a few short hours the Los Angeles Kings will get another shot at glory. And by glory I mean the Stanley Cup.

With the series shifting back to New Jersey tonight and the Kings holding a 3-1 lead in the series, you get the feeling that perhaps the Devils aren't done yet.

Then again, the Kings have gone up 3-0 in all four series' they've played so far...and two of those series went five games. So clearly, they have been in this position before.

My mind tells me the Kings will wrap it up tonight but, for some reason, I feel that the Devils could take the game tonight.

Bah, so much for prognostication!

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(Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

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