CANADIENS AT FLYERS
5 things to know about Tuesday’s game at Wells Fargo Arena (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio), writes Pat Hickey.
1.
The matchup
This is the second of three meetings between these teams this season and the first one didn’t go well for the Canadiens, with the Flyers taking a 5-3 decision at home. The Canadiens are mired in a five-game winless streak (04-1) as they wrap up a four-game road trip. The Flyers, who were on the ropes in early December when they went on a 10-game losing streak, are making a strong run for a playoff spot. After beating the Rangers 7-4 Sunday, they are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games and have climbed into third place in the Metropolitan Division.
2.
Season over for Weber? Defenceman Shea Weber hasn’t played since the Dec. 16 loss to the Senators in that outdoor game in the nation’s capital and it’s unlikely he will play again this season. When coach Claude Julien was asked about Weber’s status Monday, he said Weber wasn’t feeling comfortable with his rehab from a foot injury. Julien said the Canadiens wouldn’t put Weber back in the lineup unless he was 100-per-cent. With 23 games remaining and the Canadiens effectively out of the playoff race, there is no sense in rushing Weber into the lineup.
3.
Good news on the health front Look for Phillip Danault to return to the lineup after missing 15 games with a concussion. Danault was still waiting to get medical clearance Monday, but the Canadiens are so sure he’s ready that they sent Nikita Scherbak back to the Laval Rocket. Scherbak has played well in the seven games since he was recalled, but he was sent down because he didn’t have to clear waivers. The Canadiens also welcomed Andrew Shaw, who missed 15 games with a lowerbody injury, back to practice.
4.
Flyers have goalie problems Goaltending hasn’t been one of Philadelphia’s strong points this season, but there is major concern because the Flyers’ top two goaltenders are hurt. Brian Elliott is out five weeks after abdominal surgery. Michal Neuvirth stepped in but he suffered a lower-body injury on Sunday. Alex Lyon, who wrote a thesis on global nuclear warfare in his senior year at Yale, stopped 25 of 26 shots in relief of Neuvirth Sunday and is expected to start against the Canadiens. Neuvirth is listed as day-to-day.
5.
Defence faces a test
After giving up 11 goals in the past two games, the emphasis was on defence in the Canadiens’ practice Monday. They’ll need a strong defence against the Flyers, who have an explosive offence led by Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Sean Couturier. Giroux is tied for fourth in the NHL scoring race with 69 points, including 20 goals. Voracek is four points behind him with 11 goals and a league-leading 54 assists. Couturier leads the team in goals with 29.
PHILADELPHIA The Canadiens have reached the point in their journey to nowhere when they start looking forward to next season.
As they prepare to face the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio), there is a shift in focus. It’s still important to win games, but coach Claude Julien and the people in the front office are also focused on evaluating the players.
With the NHL trading deadline looming, they must decide which players are keepers and which players are expendable. They are looking at signs of progress not only in individuals but also within the team.
One decision was made Monday when the Canadiens handed StAnicet native Nicolas Deslauriers a two-year contract extension worth $1.9 million. It’s a raise from the $775,000 he earned this season.
In one respect, the timing of the extension was strange because it came after Deslauriers spent the past two games as a healthy scratch.
Coach Claude Julien said that decision was based on a slip in Deslauriers’ play and a chance to give an opportunity to another player. The contract is an example of looking at the big picture. After starting the season with the AHL’s Laval Rocket, Deslauriers leads the team in hits and he has been part of the emergence of the fourth line as a source of secondary scoring. There have been many nights when the fourth line has been the Canadiens’ most productive unit and Deslauriers has chipped in with seven goals, three assists and a team-best plus-9 rating.
The decision to return Nikita Scherbak to the Rocket is also part of the big picture. Scherbak has played in the seven games since he was recalled from Laval. He scored his first goal of the season Saturday in Las Vegas and missed a second goal when he rang a shot off the crossbar.
“It was a roster move,” explained Julien. “He doesn’t need to clear waivers and we thought if we put another one of our players on waivers, he would be picked up.”
Julien said there were still some things the 22-year-old Scherbak has to learn, but he said they were things that can be taught. Scherbak’s education will continue next week after Monday’s NHL trade. Teams can go over the 23-man roster limit as long as they remain under the salary cap.
The Canadiens had to send a player down to make room for Phillip Danault, who is expected back after missing 15 games with a concussion. Andrew Shaw, who has missed 15 games with a lower body injury, rejoined team here but he’ll likely sit out until after the roster limit is lifted — unless there’s an opening created by a trade.
The Canadiens figure to be sellers with Shaw, Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty among those seen as potential trade bait.
Pacioretty has spent his entire career in the Canadiens organization and said he hopes to stay. He was obviously not pleased when the media asked for his thoughts about the trade talk swirling around him.
Finally, there was an update on defenceman Shea Weber’s condition and it wasn’t encouraging. The foot injury that has kept him out of the lineup since Dec. 16 isn’t showing improvement and he’s likely finished for this season.