Too slow for the new NHL?

Alzner watched Canadiens’ opener from press box

Karl Alzner admits he was upset when he learned he wouldn’t be in the Canadiens’ lineup for the season opener, but “I’m not going to be a baby about it.”

The 30-year-old defenceman was a healthy scratch, along with fellow veteran Tomas Plekanec and youngster Nikita Scherbak. The three also appear to be on the outside looking in as the Canadiens face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night at the PPG Paints Arena (7 p.m., City-TV, TVA Sports, TSN-690 Radio).

For the veterans, it was a new experience.

Alzner had played in 622 consecutive regular-season games, the fourth-longest streak among active players. And you have to go back to Plekanec’s rookie season in 2005-06 to find the last time he missed a game as a healthy scratch.

“I thought about the streak, because in a sense, it’s kind of nice that it wasn’t an injury that ended it,” Alzner said.

He had the 12th-longest streak in NHL history, although he was almost four seasons of perfect attendance away from breaking Doug Jarvis’s record of 964 games.

“I kind of pat myself on the back that I was able to play through whatever injuries I had.”

Alzner, who signed a five-year contract with a cap hit of $4.625 million, might be on thin ice because there’s a perception he’s too slow for the new NHL, a game that places an emphasis on speed.

“I’ve said this before, I don’t think I’m a slow skater,” said the 30-year-old Alzner. “I think it depends on how we play as a team. You can still play a fast game and not be a super-fast skater. You can go down the list of guys who are still playing that aren’t quick guys.

“It seems who ever is going well, the coaches will go with them. We’re in the business of winning games and we want to put the best team out there. Whether I’m in that picture, I’m going to continue to work to get into that picture. I’m not going to set a bad example for the young guys.”

Alzner said he’s “trying to stay relevant” and noted he trained in the off-season with former Canadiens defenceman Josh Gorges, who is unemployed after being dropped by the Buffalo Sabres.

“We’re kind of the same type of player and it’s looking like the same kind of career path and it was fun to talk to him about it,” Alzner said.

Plekanec, who returned to the Canadiens after finishing last season as a rental in Toronto, said he wasn’t surprised to be scratched.

“I know what stage I’m at in my career,” Plekanec said. “I want to be in the lineup, and now I have to stay ready for when my number’s on the board.”

Plekanec has played 998 NHL games and the chances are good he’ll reach 1,000 games later this month at the Bell Centre.

“It’s a great milestone, but I never thought much about milestones,” Plekanec said. “I try to put the team’s success first.”

That’s one of the reasons why he’s been helping Finnish rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi with faceoffs.

“There are so many things that go into winning faceoffs,” Plekanec said. “It’s knowing the other players and their tendencies. And knowing the refs and how they drop the puck. At this stage of my career, I’ll try to help the younger guys.”

This is a make-or-break year for Scherbak and it’s not a good sign that he’s watching from the press box. He’s probably heading back to Laval soon because he needs ice time. There’s no room for him in the current lineup and he’ll slip one notch further down on the depth chart when Nicolas Deslauriers returns to the roster.

Deslauriers, who is out with a facial injury, was on the ice Friday with strength coach Patrick Delisle-Houde.