Habs in holding pattern on the status of Pacioretty’s injury
The Montreal Canadiens have been fortunate to go through the regular season with few serious injuries, but leading scorer Max Pacioretty will miss the final two games and is a question mark for the playoffs.
While the Canadiens will only say that Pacioretty suffered an upper-body injury in Sunday’s 4-1 win over Florida, there’s a good chance he’s working his way through the league protocol on concussions.
Coach Michel Therrien said there’s a possibility Pacioretty could return for the playoffs, which begin next Wednesday or Thursday at the Bell Centre.
In Pacioretty’s absence, Tomas Plekanec will have youngsters Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher on his wings while Devante Smith-Pelly gets another chance to play on a top line with David Desharnais and P. A. Parenteau. Smith-Pelly and Parenteau each scored a goal after Pacioretty left the Florida game.
Zeroing in on first
The Canadiens are a half-step ahead of Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division and can clinch first place by taking three points in their final two games — they close the season Saturday in Toronto. Montreal has a 3-0 record against the Red Wings this season. The Canadiens won 2-1 in overtime at the Bell Centre on Oct. 21 and had two wins at Joe Louis Arena — 4-1 on Nov. 26 and 2-0 on Feb. 16. The Canadiens would clinch Thursday if they win over Detroit and the Lightning loses to New Jersey.
Wings close in on playoffs
The Red Wings are currently third in the Atlantic Division and need two points in their final two games — they play Carolina on Saturday — to assure themselves of a playoff berth for a 24th consecutive season. The Wings have the second-best power play in the NHL with a success rate of 24.2 per cent and a collection of talented snipers. Henrik Zetterberg leads the offence with 17 goals and 64 points.
Injury roundup
Pacioretty is the lone casualty for the Canadiens, while the Red Wings have a number of injured players including Justin Abdelkader, who is day-to-day with a hand injury. Johan Franzen has been out for a while with a concussion while backup goalie Johan Gustafsson has concussionlike symptoms. Meanwhile, Tomas Jurco is listed as day-to-day with an upperbody injury