Tomas Plekanec won't be the only TP on his line; Tom Pyatt will join him and Andrei Kostitsyn vs. the Kings.
(Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
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After a loss in the northern part of the state two days ago, the Canadiens – and their playoff position – have headed south ahead of tonight’s matchup with the Kings in Los Angeles.
The team held its own for much of their contest against the Sharks before a third-period letdown saw its slim 2-1 lead turn into a 3-2 deficit. That saw Jacques Martin’s squad slip to 10th in the East, albeit in a three-way tie for eighth heading into Saturday's NHL action.
Jaroslav Halak will get his first start since his return from the Olympics. He was in goal the last time Montreal visited the City of Angels, scoring a 5-2 victory in 2007-08.
That won't be the only tweak to the Habs’ lineup. Maxim Lapierre’s hit on Scott Nichol on Thursday has earned the feisty forward a four-game suspension. Ben Maxwell has been called up in his place.
The other change will be a swap between the top and bottom six. Tom Pyatt moves up to join Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn while Sergei Kostitsyn drops down.
“I’ve got to use my speed and work ethic and get the loose pucks and just create space for them, because they’re talented players and they can do their thing,” said Pyatt after Friday’s practice. “I just want to play a hard game and hopefully we can get a couple.”
Unlike San Jose, Los Angeles has been more hospitable to the Canadiens in recent visits. The team is 3-2-0-0 against the Kings in its last five trips, with both losses coming by a single goal. Overall, Montreal owns a four-game winning streak against the troop from Tinseltown.
Scoreboard watch: Still three hours behind their nearest rivals for the next 48 hours, the Habs will be keeping a close eye on the early action on Saturday. Four games on tap could affect the team’s standing even before hitting the ice at 10 PM ET: Bruins-Islanders, Rangers-Capitals, Thrashers-Lightning and Hurricanes-Panthers. The latter is especially intriguing, as a win by the surging ‘Canes would move them within five points of Montreal.
Faceoff (semi-)futility: It’s a lot harder to dictate the play if you don’t have the puck, and often that starts in the faceoff circle. Much like the season, the Canadiens have been up-and-down in that respect, sitting in the middle of the NHL’s pack at 49.2%. The team struggled mightily against the Sharks, winning just 19 of the 42 draws (31%).
A look at the Kings
That the Kings are playoff-bound for the first time since 2002 isn’t much of a surprise. But, likely few would have expected the club to be battling for home-ice advantage this late in the season. At the helm since April 2006, GM Dean Lombardi has been carefully rebuilding his team into a squad that looks to contend for years to come.
He’s found a solid complement of veterans to help bring his young core along, adding Ryan Smyth last summer, and Jeff Halpern and Fredrik Modin at this year’s trade deadline.
After winning a franchise-record nine straight from mid-January through early February, the Kings are 2-2-1 in their last five outings. A loss to the Predators on Thursday has prompted head coach Terry Murray to switch up his lines ahead of tonight’s tilt, according to the team’s official website.
One of those modifications will see natural left-winger Alexander Frolov move to the right side, skating with Jarrett Stoll and Brad Richardson. Frolov has four points in the two post-Olympic games thus far and nine in his last seven overall.
Doughty delivers: Playing on the west coast left many hockey fans in the dark as to what defenceman Drew Doughty could do. That’s no longer the case after the 20-year-old shone as one of Canada’s top blue-liners at the Olympics. He recorded a plus-6 rating in nearly 127 minutes of action, his ice total ice time trailing only Duncan Keith and Shea Weber.
He’s also been a big part of his team’s success this season. Doughty has suited up for every Kings game in 2009-10, recording 49 points and a plus-17 differential (last year, he was minus-17).
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