The Montreal Canadiens will play their final road game of the season as they face-off against the Carolina Hurricanes tonight. At stake is simply locker room pride as both teams have been eliminated from the playoffs. Few could have predicted before the season started that the Hurricanes would finish ahead of the Canadiens in the standings, especially without Eric Staal. The fact that they have been competitive and in the wild card race for much of the season is a testament to their hard work and strong efforts.
Goaltender Charlie Lindgren will make his first NHL start for the Canadiens tonight and will be the 5th different goalie to start for the Canadiens this season. A few weeks ago he was playing in the NCAA with St. Cloud State. By signing Lindgren as a free agent, the Canadiens were able to stock up their goaltending depth without having to address it at the NHL draft. Zach Fucale, Lindgren and Michael McNiven are now a trio of very decent prospects. It is extremely rare though for a goaltender of all positions to go from College Hockey to the NHL in one season. The opportunity to burn a year of his contract immediately, play in the NHL and learn from goaltending coach Stephane Waite as well as Carey Price through osmosis was an opportunity that Lindgren was not going to get elsewhere. His numbers certainly impressed in the NCAA with his 30-9-1 record this year. Most impressively Lindgren has shown the ability to improve in each of his season’s:
With the John Scott affair now behind them and the news that neither Carey Price or P.K. Subban will play in either of the Canadiens remaining games, the players will have fewer distractions off of the ice to distract them. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t controversy of some kind in Montreal, as some fans are upset that the players have nominated Max Pacioretty for the King Clancy award over Subban. It is not that Pacioretty is undeserving of the award. However, in a year in which Subban has made the largest single charitable pledge by an athlete in Canada amongst his many other contributions, it does seem somewhat odd… The definition of the award as per the NHL.com isL
The King Clancy Memorial Trophy is an annual award given to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.
The players, in my honest opinion, were likely trying to reward their rookie captain in what has been a trying year. It was a vote of confidence that they believe in Pacioretty’s leadership abilities, and less about the charitable contributions of either player.
While some say that Price should have been shut down for the year when he first sprained his MCL, I believe that this was Price’s call to make and he tried as long as possible to postpone it. Price is a true competitor and he wanted to play this season if he could physically recover 100%. The possibility of still playing can help push the player in his rehab sessions rather than the knowledge that there is no chance of a comeback. Mentally, it likely would have been an easier off-season for Price had he been able to play a game and test the knee.
Please join me and others who are wishing Senator and former Canadiens head coach Jacques Demers a speedy recovery as he has suffered a stroke:
5 Questions for tonight's game:
1) Are people making the King Clancy nomination a bigger deal than it actually is?
2) If Subban recovers in time, should he play in the World Championship for Team Canada in May in Russia?
3) Will Lindgren impress and earn a W in his first NHL start or will he be hung out to dry?
4) Mike Brown replaces John Scott in the lineup tonight. Would you have rathered seen Stefan Matteau or another young player dress instead?
5) Galchenyuk has the inside edge to 30 goals this season with 28 goals. Does he score tonight?
Puck drops at 7pm.
Cheers & enjoy the game!
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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