The Canadiens will get some much needed help on the blue line tonight when Ben Chiarot returns to the line-up at the expense of Brett Kulak. Meanwhile, Matthew Peca will also lose his spot to Jordan Weal. With those changes comes a "new" formation:
Tatar - Danault - Kovalchuk
Lehkonen - Domi - Suzuki
Poehling - Kotkaniemi - Cousins
Weal - Thompson - Weise
Chiarot - Weber
Scandella - Petry
Mete - Fleury
Personally, I'm glad to see Poehling back with Kotkaniemi on the third line rather than see KK being saddled with Peca and Cousins like last game. As for the defence, it definitely looks better with Chiarot in and I do admit that I like this Chiarot-Weber pairing. Tonight's game will not be easy though, the Flames come to town having won 5 games in a row and they are fit as a fiddle, not battling multiple injuries like the Canadiens. Keep an eye on agitator extraordinaire Matthew Tkachuk tonight has he definitely left his mark on the battle of Alberta on Saturday:
Tkachuk loves to get under people's skin and if he can make someone lose their head like Kassian did on Saturday it will be a bonus... With 38 points, he currently leads the Flames tied with Johnny Gaudread and he's no doubt much more than a pest. Speaking of pests, the Habs' own Brendan Gallagher wasn't at practice and Claude Julien only said that he was resting, refusing to confirm if he was still suffering from post concussion symptoms... Let's be honest, it would be quite the coincidence if he wasn't wouldn't it? Considering this season is pretty much dead and buried it makes absolutely no sense to take any risks with Gally's health... not that it would have if they were still in the hunt for a playoffs spot mind you.
The puck drops at 19:00 tonight at the Bell Centre and we'll see if Kovalchuk can manage to add more points to his account, having registered 4 points in 4 games since his signing. If you're going to the Bell Centre tonight, make sure to arrive early as the first 5000 fans will get a Tomas Tatar bobblehead. This might be one of your last chance to get a "Tuna" souvenir because if the Habs do become sellers at the deadline, chances are Tatar will be dispatched to another team...
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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