The Montreal Canadiens face the Dallas Stars at the Bell Centre tonight in what amounts to be yet another opportunity for the youth to show their skills. A Canadiens loss tonight would put them under .500 for the first time season as their current record stands at 30-30-6, leaving them with 66 points and 9 points out of the last Wild Card spot. The Stars are in a battle with the Chicago Blackhawks for 1st seed in their division and conference with a record of 40-20-7. The Stars will bring their ‘A’ game to the Bell Centre and it will be a formidable challenge for the young Canadiens to hold them off.
"They've got four lines that can put up points. We'll have to be aggressive and solid defensively." - @phildanault pic.twitter.com/n3nu3PEE2a
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 8, 2016
The Canadiens lineup will not be confirmed until game-time. What is known is that Ben Scrivens will get the start in goal and Alex Galchenyuk will play. Brendan Gallagher is confirmed to be out and we await the results and news from his medical tests. Lars Eller will be a game-time decision. Kari Lehtonen gets the start for the Stars while their lineup will be:
.@DallasStars morning skate lines at the Bell Centre, ahead of tonight's game vs #Habs. #TSN690 pic.twitter.com/Mt5E3aiSLU
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) March 8, 2016
Canadiens general manager has said in the past how difficult it is to make trades for top end talent in the NHL. That the best way to acquire a top 6 forward is by drafting and developing them. The problem is that the Canadiens window of winning with their core of Carey Price, P.K. Subban, Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk gets smaller with each passing year, this current one being awash. It can take years to develop a prospect. However, Bergevin can look towards the Stars and their GM Jim Nill for inspiration. Nill acquired through trade Tyler Seguin & Jason Spezza. That combined with the development of the likes of Valeri Nichushkin and John Klineberg amongst other moves have made Dallas into a contender. The Canadiens have a great core, but they need to fill in the missing piecs sooner rather than later.
In honour of today being International Women’s Day, I encourage everyone to either attend or watch the Montreal Canadiennes pay the Calgary Inferno for the CWHL Clarkson Cup this Sunday in Ottawa. This is a fantastic opportunity to cheer on high quality Women’s hockey and see some very skilled players and Olympians. Montreal’s roster includes Olympic hero and probably the best Women’s player in the game Marie-Philip Poulin, not to mention the likes of Caroline Ouellette, Julie Chu, Lauriane Rougeau, Charline Labonte… Hayley Wickenheiser, Rebecca Johnston, Brianne Jenner and new-mom Meaghan Mikkelson are also members of the 2014 Canadian Olympic team that won gold. These women play for the simple love of the game. Almost all work full-time jobs. Their dedication to hockey is incomparable. They are not paid to play but are no less dedicated towards helping to grow Women’s hockey. Look at American Julie Chu, one of the best defencemen in the game as an example. She is an assistant coach with the Concordia Stingers Women’s Hockey team and had to come late to the Canadiennes playoff game vs the Toronto Furies because the Stingers match went into overtime. She missed the first 13 minutes of the Canadiennes game and still managed to score two goals. There’s a reason that Chu was chosen to be the closing flagbearer for the Americans in Sochi despite losing to Canada in the finals. She represents everything good about sports, dedication, respect and love of the game.
Vous êtes prêts pour la Coupe Clarkson? Are you ready for the @ClarksonCup? #Unstoppable https://t.co/0QEPXLVjD4 pic.twitter.com/VBbFl173fr
— Les Canadiennes (@LesCanadiennes) March 7, 2016
Don't miss the bus to the Clarkson Cup! https://t.co/gkOC9RD98K pic.twitter.com/e0gxnrlGcw
— Les Canadiennes (@LesCanadiennes) March 4, 2016
The puck drops at 7pm tonight for the Habs vs Stars.
Cheers & enjoy the game! Follow @Jenbcutler