Sometime during Jaroslav Halak's earlier-than-anticipated trek to the Montreal Canadiens locker room on Sunday night, I couldn't help but wonder if coach Jacques Martin was wishing he had Georges Laraque on his bench.

Of course, Big Georges,whom Martin decided late in the regular season brought an unnecessary element to the Habs, wouldn't have singled-handedly matched the Flyers offensive output. Nor would he have made the tough saves Halak could not. Nor would he have helped much stalemating the Flyer's power play. In all likelihood, he might have given the Flyers a few more.

But here's what he might have done. He might have drawn out a big body like Pronger, giving the smallish Habs forwards more space and balls to work with in the high-percentage scoring areas, like the slot and circles. Habs won't beat anyone playing on the perimeter.

And if Game 1 is any indication, Pronger and Co. have established ownership in and around Michael Leighton's crease. He would have given Montreal's limp-wristed D some much needed support on the boards and in the corners, which would've come in handy since most of Montreal's forwards weren't into providing it last night. And, most likely, he would have neutralized to some degree the physical superiority players such as Aaron Asham and Scot Hartnell showed last night.

No, George Laraque may not have shown up in the box score in any meaningful way last night, but one thing is certain, he wouldn't have let the Flyers tear the hearts out of the Habs.

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