Fri, 28 Nov 2014 Canadiens @ Sabres 7:00 PM RDS SNE MSG Buffalo TSN 690

[habs_93]

CANADIENS (16-6-1) AT SABRES (6-14-2)

TV: RDS, SNE, MSG-B, BELL TV
Radio: TSN 690 CKGM, WGR 550 SportsRadio

Season series: On Nov. 5, the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 in a shootout. PA Parenteau scored in the third period, and then ended the game with a goal in the third round of the tiebreaker. Sabres goalie Jonas Enroth and Canadiens goalie Dustin Tokarski each made 31 saves in regulation and overtime. Montreal and Buffalo will play the back end of their home-and-home Saturday at Bell Centre.

Canadiens team scope: Montreal has not played since a 5-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. With four days between games, coach Michel Therrien gave his players two days away from the rink before reconvening Wednesday for practice. The Canadiens sit atop the Eastern Conference standings with 33 points, tied with the Anaheim Ducks for most in the NHL. “We’re first in the League, so that’s really positive,” center David Desharnais said. “And the fun part about it is we can go another step higher. We’ve played some good games and some that weren’t as good, then there were games where (goalie) Carey (Price) was incredible and he went and got us a win. So I think we can be better, and that’s the beauty of it.” Price is 13-4-1 with a 2.35 goals-against average and .922 save percentage. Tokarski played in New York on Sunday, meaning Price, who blanked the Boston Bruins in a 2-0 win Saturday, will have had five days off between starts if Therrien goes with him against the Sabres.

Sabres team scope: Buffalo had its three-game winning streak snapped Wednesday in a 2-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. Defenseman Tyler Myers did not play because of a lower-body injury. He was replaced in the lineup by Andre Benoit, who committed a turnover that led to Michael Frolik’s shorthanded, game-winning goal in the second period. The Sabres pulled to within a goal at 5:30 of the third period on Chris Stewart’s second goal of the season, but they could not beat Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec with any of their six shots the rest of the way. Buffalo had 10 shots after two periods, then doubled that total in the third. "That first period and a half or so, I thought our hands were handling that puck like a grenade," coach Ted Nolan said. "It just kept bouncing and bouncing. That third period we played the way we have to in order to be successful." After this game, the Sabres will play three of four on the road.

[Manatee-X]

This is one of those dangerous games where we have to really make an effort not to play down to the opposition's record. They may only have six wins on the year, but three have been in the last four games and our last game wasn't anything to be too proud of.

Here's hoping that our long rest will let us come out hard to start the game.

[kinot-1]

Thanks for the GDT, 93,

Hopefully the boys don't come out flat in the 1st, and the PP picks it up.

At practice yesterday, they practiced the PP.

1st wave:

Max Pacioretty, David Desharnais, Lars Eller and Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau, along with defenseman P.K. Subban

2nd wave:

Alex Galchenyuk, Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher, along with defensemen Andrei Markov and Sergei Gonchar.

[kinot-1]

Carey gets the start.

[ColRouleBleu]

gilbert in the pressbox

Here's hoping that our long rest will let us come out hard to start the game.

sometimes long rest has the opposite effect on starts. where it will certainly help though is for tomorrow night's game

[jennifer_rocket]

Gilbert in the press box, eh? Okay. That means we have Markov, Gonchar, Subban, Weaver, Allen, and Emelin in. I suppose we might see Gilbert back in tomorrow and perhaps Allen taking a seat in the press box...?

Anything short of back-to-back wins will be a rather big disappointment, IMO. If Montreal wants to maintain its positioning near the top of the league it needs to win these games. Playing down to our opponent's level this weekend will be a huge disaster.

[Guest]

Won't be checking into this thread until i see the taped version of the game. Hope it's not a waste of time.

[kinot-1]

Won't be checking into this thread until i see the taped version of the game. Hope it's not a waste of time.

you get the blame if we lose.

[Guest archey]

As we all know playing Buffalo is something akin to your parents forcing you to cut your grandmother's toenails when it happens after Thanksgiving but I'll be around to give us a shot.

[Marathon.Man]

GO HABS GO!!!

[kinot-1]

Enroth in net for the Sabres

[HabsRuleForever]

Enroth in net for the Sabres

He's early!

[kinot-1]

He's early!

Groan, face-palm,,, roll eyes,,,

[kinot-1]

Projected line up:

Max Pacioretty – David Desharnais – PA Parenteau

Alex Galchenyuk – Tomas Plekanec – Brendan Gallagher

Brandon Prust – Lars Eller – Jiri Sekac

Eric Tangradi – Manny Malhotra – Dale Weise

Andrei Markov – P.K. Subban

Sergei Gonchar – Alexei Emelin

Bryan Allen – Mike Weaver

Carey Price

Dustin Tokarski

Scratched: Tom Gilbert

Injured: Michael Bournival

[habs_93]

Evening, everybody.

[kinot-1]

Evening, everybody.

Hey GDT maker

A tux,,, I'm impressed.

[roy_133]

Man that's an ugly D

[jennifer_rocket]

Game on!

[roy_133]

Heather Engel ‏@engelheather 7m7 minutes ago

First periods haven't been kind to either #Habs or #Sabres. Both have scored just seven goals. Habs have allowed 19, Sabres 17.

[habs_93]

Man that's an ugly D

Completely by choice, too.

[kinot-1]

I got the Buff feed,,, should be interesting.

[jennifer_rocket]

Well, good opening shift from the Desharnais line.

I got the Buff feed,,, should be interesting.

Me too!

[habs_93]

This is alarming already. Tendency for slow starts or not, we're playing BUFFALO.

[jennifer_rocket]

What number is Tangradi?

[habs_93]

What number is Tangradi?

17.

Absolutely inexcusable.