David Desharnais has officially been scratched for the Montreal Canadiens game this evening vs. the Los Angeles Kings at the Bell Centre. While it may come as a surprise to some who feel that head coach Michel Therrien plays favorites and depends on Desharnais for too much, in reality this is not the first time that he has benched the veteran and it likely will not be the last. Phillip Danault will replace Desharnais as the team’s third line center for the game, likely centering Max Pacioretty and Andrew Shaw if the lines from yesterday’s practice hold up.
Desharnais started the season strong playing on the third line along with Shaw and Paul Byron who took Daniel Carr’s spot in the third game of the season. With four points in the first four games of the season, things were looking good for Desharnais as his minutes were being properly managed and he did not have to go up against tough matchups. Unfortunately everything turned for the worse once Desharnais was promoted to the second line. He has since not recorded a point dating back to fourth game of the season, October 20th against the Arizona Coyotes. Part of the reason for the change was due to Tomas Plekanec’s offensively slow start to the season. However, Desharnais could not regain his old chemistry with Max Pacioretty and the line struggled. The Kings are a physical team and Desharnais likely would have struggled against them. Tonight is the right time to sit him out and see what the Canadiens have with Phillip Danault as a third line center.
Forward Sven Andrighetto and defenceman Joel Hanley, both recent call-ups from the St. John’s Ice Caps will make their season debut against the Kings tonight as Greg Pateryn will be a healthy scratch.
Therrien says he thinks Hanley can help #Habs struggling transition game. That's why they're making the switch on D
— Joey Alfieri (@joeyalfieri) November 10, 2016
The defence have certainly been struggling with their transitions and Pateryn is being made the scapegoat by the head coach. Hanley did impress in his limited action with the Canadiens at the end of last season and so Therrien feels comfortable inserting him into the lineup. However, against a physical Western opponent such as the Kings, it is somewhat surprising that Pateryn is sitting.
Andrighetto is being handed a big opportunity if he indeed starts the game on the second line with Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher. After a disappointing training camp Andrighetto was sent down to the minors but it appears that he had the right attitude as he worked hard to earn this call-up. He has little left to prove in the American Hockey League and is running out of time to earn a spot with the Canadiens as others are knocking on the door as well.
While the Canadiens still lead the National Hockey league with 23 points and a 11-1-1 record, the Kings are in fourth place in the Pacific division with 14 points in 13 games. After a slow start to the season, the Kings are 7-3-0 in their last ten game and cannot be taken lightly. Former Hab Peter Budaj gets the start in goal for the Kings and it is great to see him back in the NHL. He was a consummate pro as Carey Price’s backup and was a total team player.
Of note for tonight’s game:
Tonight, the great Rogie Vachon will be honored during our game against the @CanadiensMTL. #tbt #GEICORewind pic.twitter.com/nxgyTdL6xj
— #LAKings (@LAKings) November 10, 2016
Five questions for tonight’s game:
1) Who will have a bigger impact in their season debut, Sven Andrighetto or Joel Hanley?
2) How will Phillip Danault perform as the team’s third line center?
3) Will Paul Byron once again have a strong game on the Canadiens first line or will Max Pacioretty be given a chance to play there and break out of his slump?
4) Which special teams unit will have a better night, the penalty kill or powerplay?
5) Who will win tonight’s game and what will be the final score?
Puck drops at 7:30pm
Cheers and follow along! Follow @Jenbcutler