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Scratched: Scott and Parros |
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Updated 6:59pm:
John Scott and George Parros are getting coal in their hockey bags tonight.
Both heavyweights are scratched out for tonight's tilt in Montreal.
Scott and Flynn took the skate with Foligno-McCormick.
Nolan has said repeatedly since he took over for Ron Rolston on 11/20 that he is not a fan of staged fights where two guys beat the crap out of each other for no reason at all.
Watch how many liberties that Subban and the Leafs take with the Sabres tonight with Big John in the cooler.
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Talk about a statement game. This is the epitome of a statement game for the Buffalo Sabres.
If ever they wanted to send a message to the rest of the league that they are an opponent that is worthy of respect, do it against the hottest team in the NHL in their own barn.
Dateline: Montreal. Saturday night. Hockey Night in Canada.
The Canadiens are 8-0-1 in their last nine games. Carey Price and his troops have collected 17 of a possible 18 points.
The Habs are looking for their fifth straight win when they host the Sabres, who have one win in their last eight games.
The last time these two teams met in Buffalo on 11/27, the Sabres fell apart in a 1-1 game late in the third period. Tyler Myers and Tylers Ennis took stupid penalties that proved to be the fatal blows to the Sabres that night. Montreal won 3-1. The game was mush closer than the final score indicated. Tonight, the Sabres have to right the wrongs and play a clean, crisp, physical 60-65 minute game. They need to keep their heads and stay out of the box. There may be some carry over, unfinished knuckles business as a result of this beat down that John Scott laid on Douglas Murray.
The Habs will be dressing heavyweight George Parros. I expect Nolan to play Big John Scott to keep his lineup protected from hacks, slashes and intimidation inside the hostile Bell Centre.
Carey Price will start in goal for the Canadiens and Jhonas Enroth will get the Sabres' net.
Enroth will be ready for battle, like he was in Newark last Saturday night. Buffalo cannot score goals right now and the forwards and D haven't been providing any goal support to their tenders.
In their past 10 games, the Sabres have been anemic offensively speaking. They've scored just 13 goals and have allowed 25 goals against. When a team averages 1.3 goals for per game while yielding 2.5 goals per game against, its easy to see where their fatal flaw is.
Ted Nolan is demanding more from his goal scorers and his power-less PP units.
Thanks, sabres.com
“For us, our main focus is the way we play, and there is still room to improve,” Habs bench boss Michel Therrien said Saturday morning . “There are still things I believe we can work on with our team and we want to get better. It’s not about the Buffalo Sabres; it’s about us and making sure we’re a good team.”
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Brian Flynn will return for Buffalo after being a healthy scratch last game.
No word yet on which forward will sit in his stead.
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Here are the trios and pairings that the Habs will send out to battle vs. Sabres tonight:
Pacioretty-Desharnais-Gallagher
Galchenyuk-Eller-Briere
Bournival-Plekanec-Gionta
Moen-Prust-Parros/White
Emelin-Markov
Bouillon-Subban
Gorges-Diaz/Murray
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