The Montreal Canadiens face the daunting task of trying to once again contain the Florida Panthers top line of Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and the incomparable Jaromir Jagr tonight at the Bell Centre. The Canadiens jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead last Saturday night against the Panthers but had no answer for the Panthers # 1 line who would score all 4 of Florida’s goals as they completed the comeback to defeat Montreal 4-3 in regulation. It will not get any easier tonight as the Canadiens have no choice but to dress their 15th defenceman of the season, Ryan Johnston who has been called up from St. John’s on an emergency basis.
For Canadiens fans who have already tuned out this season, they might be tempted to watch the game as John Scott will play most likely his one and only game with the Habs. The circus surrounding Scott has been non-stop since he first received fan votes for the NHL all-star game and all eyes will be on him tonight. In what has been a season that might have destroyed the mental state of another player, Scott has handled his unique situation and circumstances with grace, humility and humour. He has won over the hearts of fans who used to hate him for beating up their own players. After yesterday’s practice, head coach Michel Therrien alluded that the Canadiens wanted to reward Scott for handling his situation like the pro that he is while Scott was thankful for the opportunity:
"I don’t think they owe me anything, I think they’re just doing me a really solid favour,"--John Scott
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) April 4, 2016
"We want to show him some respect because he's been a real pro since he joined us." - Therrien on John Scott
— Ðrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) April 4, 2016
Many in Montreal are wondering if this goodwill gesture is simply a PR stunt. I suppose the best way that will be answered is if there is any John Scott merchandise/memorabilia for sale at the Bell Centre tonight… The crowd, nay the entire NHL will likely be cheering for Scott and a continuation of his Rudy story.
The Canadiens and general manager Marc Bergevin have taken some heat for sending down Michael McCarron after having said that he would end the season in Montreal. As Scott’s time in Montreal is supposedly for one game only, perhaps McCarron will get recalled before the season’s end and thus be truer to their word. Only time will tell…
In the meantime, Mike Condon will start in net tonight and so expect Charlie Lindgren to get the nod in Carolina on Thursday. Mike Brown and Stefan Matteau will be healthy scratches. Expect the lines to be as they had practiced yesterday:
Les trios du #CH ce matin:
— Chantal Machabee (@ChantalMachabee) April 4, 2016
Pacioretty-Galchenyuk-Gallagher;
Eller-Plekanec-Carr;
Danault-Desharnais-Andrighetto;
Byron-Mitchell-Scott.
5 Questions for Tonight’s Game:
1) Can the Canadiens keep the Barkov line off the scoreboard?
2) Will the Canadiens be able to finish a game with all 6 defencemen?
3) Can either Alex Galchenyuk or Max Pacioretty get to 30 goals by season’s end? If yes, which one is more likely to reach the 30 goal plateau?
4) Joel Hanley has 6 assists in 7 games with the Canadiens. In 61 games with St. John’s in the AHL Hanley had 8 assists. Will he equal that number before season’s end in Montreal?
5) What is more likely tonight, a John Scott point or fight?
Puck drops at 7:30pm
Cheers & Enjoy the game! Follow @Jenbcutler