If you’re wondering about the wackiness of the NHL schedule-maker, consider the good hockey fans in Winnipeg. They got to see their beloved Jets play Washington on Thursday night, then again on Friday. And the Caps won both games.

If action flags at the Bell Centre, fans can focus on the out-of-town scoreboard – specifically Toronto, where another Northeast tilt has the Leafs playing host to Boston. The Canadiens are two points ahead of the Bruins in division standings.

Ryan White is injured and Michael Blunden has been recalled from Hamilton for fourth-line duty.

During the Friday edition of L’Antichambre, Mathieu Darche suggested the Canadiens might be well-advised to consider a waiver bid for his old teammate, Jeff Halpern, whom the Rangers cut this week. And sure enough, the Canadiens claimed Halpern, who is a faceoff/penalty-kill specialist – two areas in which the Canadiens could use improvement.

The PK is 17th in the league with an 80.4 per cent efficiency rate. The Canadiens are 22nd in faceoffs, winning 48.6 per cent. Halpern won 56.7 per cent of his faceoffs with the Rangers this season.

Speaking of draws, the puck drops 7:10ish. Check back later for live game blogging.

• Can someone explain how Rick Nash avoided discipline for that hit on Tomas Kopecky? Joffrey Lupul wonders where the line is drawn.

• I posted this video earlier in the week, but it’s worth a rerun:

In his post-game interview Thursday, Subban was uncharacteristically moody and he faced the microphones again after practice Friday in Brossard as the Canadiens prepared to face the Buffalo Sabres Saturday at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., CBC, RDS, TSN Radio 690).

Michael Blunden has been recalled from the Hamilton Bulldogs to take White’s place.

Friday’s practice in Brossard was optional, with only nine players skating: Travis Moen, Gabriel Dumont, P.K. Subban, Alex Galchenyuk, Tomas Kaberle, Brendan Gallagher, Yannick Weber, Jarred Tinordi and Peter Budaj.

Rene Bourque, still recovering from a concussion, isn’t expected to play Saturday, while Carey Price will start again in net.

(Photo by John Mahoney/The Gazette)

Habs finally solve Islanders, by Pat Hickey

Benchings light fire under Subban, Desharnais

Canadiens vs. Islanders photo gallery

Former Hab Ribeiro on fire with Capitals, by The Associated Press

Don Cherry pays tribute to Frank Selke Jr., by Stu Cowan

Subban scored twice against the Islanders. His five shots on goal tied Michael Ryder for the team high on the game.

P.K. has nine goals. That’s tops among NHL defencemen. His six on the power-play – which went 2-for-4 on Long Island – tie Subban with Brian Campbell for the league lead.

Despite an overtime mistake against Buffalo that drew the ire of his coach and had everyone buzzing midweek in hockey-obsessed Montreal, P.K. has played himself into Norris Trophy consideration this season.

It’s a distinguished field: Kris Letang, Ryan Suter, François Beauchemin, that guy in Boston. But P.K. is definitely part of the conversation.

And there will be another conversation in about 12 months … or maybe less. The interlocutors will be Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin and Subban’s agent, Don Meehan.

Guy Carbonneau was on the postgame edition of L’Antichambre. Carbo rarely misses an opportunity to subtly slam the Canadiens management – notably his former friend, Bob Gainey – who fired him.

In this instance, Carbo blasted the Canadiens’ policy, under Gainey, of not negotiating contracts during the season. It had cost them Mark Streit, who liked Montreal and would have signed for less than he ended up getting from the Islanders as a UFA after the 2007-’08 season.

Other defencemen who were allowed to walk: Sheldon Souray, Mike Komisarek, Francis Bouillon.

P.K. is better – and younger – than all of them. And if Bergevin is as smart as I think he is, Subban will be signed long-term before his current two-year contract expires next season.

The joint brain fart with Emelin notwithstanding, Subban was brilliant on the Island. And he had a company, as the Canadiens showed some heart and cojones in a win that wasn’t as easy as the score suggests.

Carey Price probably won’t get enough Vezina Trophy votes to match P.K.’s Norris total.

Price has neither a dazzling GAA or save percentage. What he has is Ws – 16 of them, to tie Marc-André Fleury for the league lead.

And if Price isn’t brilliant during an Islanders power-play in the second period, maybe those third-period heroics never come to pass.

There may be more pressure-packed jobs than playing goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens. The Jeremy Renner character in The Hurt Locker worked up quite a sweat defusing IEDs. But no one went on Iraqi all-sports radio to crap on his glove-side technique.

Criticized for what looks like nonchalance, Price may have the perfect temperament so survive all the BS a Canadiens’ goalie has to endure. On L’Antichambre, Mathieu Darche praised his former teammate’s “mellow” personality.

Price has not let that mellow be harshed by all the grandstand goaltenders who pick over his technique, but the critics will not be silenced until he wins a playoff series … or four.

The Thursday night game did not offer much to indicate how your Montreal Canadiens will perform in May. For 40 minutes, they struggled under the relentless forecheck of a team that is not a Stanley Cup contender.

For a few shifts in the second period, Therrien dropped David Desharnais off his customary line, moving Lars Eller up between Brendan Gallagher and Max Pacioretty. DD – whom Bergevin signed to a new contract this week – came back strong in the third period, set up Brian Gionta’s winner and ended the game with two assists and a plus-3.

It’s interesting, however, that Eller’s 18:41 of ice time exceeded Desharnais’ and Tomas Plekanec’s. So who’s the number-one centre on this team?

And do the Canadiens need one, or can the Pleks-DD-Eller troika carry the team through a postseason run?

We may get an early answer next week, when the Canadiens play that bellwether back-to-back in Pittsburgh and Boston.

Rene Bourque should be back by then. Anyone up for some line-shuffling?

I liked the lines floated on L’Antichambre: Bourque-Plekanec-Gionta, Max-DD-Ryder (back on his natural RW), Galchenyuk-Eller-Gallagher. Brandon Prust, when he comes back, would play on the fourth line and perhaps be spotted on the Top Three when the Canadiens need a spark.

Maybe I’m overthinking and compulsively tinkering here.

The Canadiens have won 20 of their 30 starts (a level it took 53 games to reach last season) and are 11-2-2 on the road. Since that 6-0 loss to the Leafs on Feb. 9, the Canadiens have lost once in regulation time, taking points in 18 of 19 games.

Consistency.

This with a lineup that’s too small, a goaltender who never steals games, no scorers among the NHL’s Top 40 … and four rookies in the lineup on Long Island.

They must be doing something right.

Unlike some teams …

Carey Price made 25 saves in his 16th win of the season.

Price was particularly outstanding during an Islanders power play in the second period.

Tomas Plekanec, David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty had two assists each.

P.K. Subban had two goals (nine, to lead NHL Dmen and a sixth on the PP) and an assist.

The Saskatoon Blades are the host team for the junior championship and veteran coach Lorne Molleken’s roster includes two Montreal defence prospects —Darren Dietz and Dalton Thrower (photo above).

The 37-year old has played in all 28 games this season, posting 1-6-7 totals to go along with a plus-5 and 30 blocked shots. He also ranks third on the team with 48 hits while averaging 18:01 of ice time.

The Canadiens signed Bouillon as a free agent on July 2, 2012.

“That’s a good vote of confidence from the organization,” Bouillon said after practice about his contract extension. “When my agent called me two weeks to tell me that they wanted to sign me for next year I was really happy about it.”

“It’s a well-deserved contract,” coach Michel Therrien said, adding he was happy for Bouillon and his family.

Therrien called Bouillon, who has been paired with rookie Jarred Tinordi in the past two games, a bit of a mentor for young defenceman on the team.

“I know young guys rely a lot on older veterans who have been in the league for a long time,” Therrien said. “And I know Francis communicates really well with the young kids.”

Rene Bourque, recovering from a concussion, practised with his teammates Wednesday after wearing a no-contact jersey at Tuesday’s morning skate. He’s been cleared for contact, but it’s not clear yet when he’ll return to play. The Canadiens play the New York Islanders on Thursday (7 p.m., RDS, TSN Radio 690) and are back home at the Bell Centre on Saturday to face off against the Buffalo Sabres.

The good news is that he’s joined the team for practices, “so it’s an important progression,” Therrien said.  

“I can’t tell you exactly if he’ll be there on the weekend,” the coach added. “The medical team will certainly re-evaluate him on Friday and will make a decision.”

The lines at Wednesday’s practice were Ryder-Plekanec-Gionta; Pacioretty-Desharnais-Gallagher; Galchenyuk-Eller-Armstrong; Moen-Dumont-White; with Bourque as the extra man.

Defence pairings were Markov-Emelin; Gorges-Subban; Bouillon-Tinordi; with Kaberle the extra man.

(Photo by Dave Sidaway/The Gazette)

Sabres drop Canadiens in overtime, by Pat Hickey

Therrien won’t let P.K. off the hook, by Pat Hickey

Sabres storm has passed, by Dave Stubbs

Canadiens vs. Sabres photo gallery

Carbonneau likes the new-look Habs, by Stu Cowan

Happy 65th birthday to Bobby Orr, by Stu Cowan

The Canadiens needed the point they earned.

It kept them atop the Northeast Division ahead of Boston, which lost 3-1 in Winnipeg. The Bruins still hold a game in hand, but they are two points behind the Canadiens.

Both teams play on Thursday: Boston at Ottawa, the Canadiens on Long Island. Until then – and perhaps beyond – Montreal has a first-place hockey team … albeit one that didn’t look it for long stretches of the game on Tuesday night.

Postgame attention was focused on Subban and the penalty that wasn’t really a penalty. But should the Canadiens’ most valuable skater have been going for a kill shot on an inoffensive Sabre (Pysyk had a shot on goal during the first period and was invisible thereafter) in an OT situation?

Of course not. But that’s what you get with P.K.: occasional, though increasingly rare, examples of the youthful and not entirely prudent exuberance that made the flamboyant defenceman a darling of the Bell Centre through his first two seasons.

P.K. was not the reason Buffalo won the game. The Sabres got two points because Jhonas Enroth made some big saves – particularly on a Brian Gionta shot that would have won it for the Canadiens in regulation – and because the home team played a sloppy game.

Woeful defensive zone coverage by the David Desharnais-Max Pacioretty-Brendan Gallagher line gave the Sabres their early two-goal lead. And the Canadiens’ attack couldn’t get into gear until the furious third-period rally that included 15 shots and goals by Pacioretty and Colby Armstrong.

The Canadiens had 34 shots on Enroth through 60 minutes (they had none in OT). But the significant numbers, for me, were the 23 shots the Sabres blocked (Mike Weber had six) and the 24 times Canadiens’ shots missed the net.

That’s a season high, and the number of misses indicates lack of patience and poor execution among Canadiens shooters.

Gionta, Alex Galchenyuk and Andrei Markov each missed the net four times. The general air of ineptitude in the offensive zone was frustrating to watch in a game that drew murmurs of discontent from the usual sellout crowd … although the sound might have been snoring, because long stretches of the game were dull.

Excitement, when it finally came, was generated by the DD line – seeking and nearly achieving redemption for its defensive errors – and by the new Lars Eller-Galchenyuk-Armstrong trio.

Gallagher was brilliant in beating Cody Hodgson and Tyler Myers behind the Buffalo net to set up the Pacioretty goal and nearly won it with his own unlikely shot off the crossbar.

Eller continues to use his size effectively in the offensive zone, and Galchenyuk picked up his first point in six games with a nifty pass to that sniper Armstrong.

The imminent return of Rene Bourque and, let us hope, Brandon Prust will confront Therrien with some interesting personnel choices. Although he did not juggle his lines in-game against Buffalo, the coach must have been tempted to do something to bring the Canadiens’ attack to life. Bourque and Prust would have helped.

The player whose return would be of greatest benefit has not been cleared to start skating. The Canadiens’ power play went 0-for-2 against the Sabres, and Raphael Diaz would really help. As it was, Josh Gorges was used on the second wave, and he’s just not enough of a point presence to be useful.

Jarred Tinordi played 11:13 in his Bell Centre debut. The rookie took a penalty for firing the puck over the glass but looked generally competent, as did his confrères on the Canadiens defence corps.

Markov topped the ToI list with 26:10. Markov is averaging 24:39 a game – almost two minutes more than P.K., who is 11 years younger (and whose knees are healthier). This is a concern as the playoffs approach.

But by then Diaz should be back.

And the snow that buried Montreal on the last day of winter will have given way to crocuses and Cup dreams.

Colby Armstrong celebrated his promotion to the third line with the tying goal Tuesday night against the Buffalo Sabres.

But the Canadiens only managed to walk away with a point, losing to the Sabres 3-2 in overtime.

“Any team can win any night if you’re not ready. And obviously we weren’t ready from the start,” Armstrong said after the game.

“We dug ourselves a hole, had to battle like heck to get out of it. They ended up getting the better of us at the end,” he said.

“That’s hockey. We know that. We know every team is good. The parity is crazy in this league. It doesn’t matter where you are in the standings or what’s going on, if you’re not ready to go you could be in trouble.”

Armstrong played alongside Lars Eller and rookie Alex Galchenyuk. The goal was his second of the season, his first coming last Saturday against the New Jersey Devils.

“That was a good feeling. It was a big goal. It was a good play by my line mates to get me the puck in front,” Armstrong said.

“It got us a point. Too bad we didn’t finish it off,” he said.

Armstrong also had praise for Eller.

“Lars made a lot happen. He’s playing great hockey.”

Sabres forward Steve Ott scored the winning goal in overtime when P.K. Subban was off for high-sticking. It was a bad penalty on Subban’s part, according to coach Michel Therrien.

“It’s a bad penalty, especially with the effort that the guys made in the second and third (periods). We’re going to take care of that and we want to make sure that it won’t happen again,” Therrien said.

While he liked how the team played in the second and third periods, Therrien said they went through the motions in the first.

“We were not at our best that’s for sure. But we never quit. Thought the guys worked really hard to make a comeback and (Sabres goaltender Jhonas) Enroth played really well for them, gave them a chance to win. We did mention to the guys between the first and second period that we were missing the net way too much. We’re a team that likes to put the puck at the net but we’ve got to make sure that we’re hitting the net.”

“But you know what, the effort was there,” Therrien added. “For me as long as the effort is there I’m going to be satisfied.”

You can hear what Armstrong had to say after the game below:

You can hear what P.K. Subban had to say below:

You can hear what Brendan Gallagher had to say below:

And you can hear what Max Pacioretty had to say here:

Consensus was the refs blew the call, but what does it matter?
With one second remaining in the Subban penalty, Steve Ott buried the rebound of a Jordan Leopold shot.

Jhonas Enroth was spectacular in nets for Buffalo as the Canadiens outshot the Sabres 26-8 through the last 40 minutes of regulation time. He made 32 saves on the night.

Carey Price was beaten three times on 21 shots.

Buffalo, with the power play, scored on their third shot of  OT.

The Canadiens retain their hold on first place in the Northeast Division as Boston lost 3-1 in Winnipeg.

The Bruins still hold a game in hand but are two points behind the Canadiens.

Former Canadiens executive and Hockey Night in Canada intermission host Frank Selke Jr. died Monday at age 83.

Those wishing to honour Selke’s memory are asked by his family to make a donation to Special Olympics Canada.

From icehockey.wikia.com:

Selke Jr., the son of legendary Canadiens general manager Frank Selke Sr. during the club’s glorious era from the late 1940s into the 1960s, was a noted executive for the Canadiens from 1951-65. He was part of six Stanley Cup winning photos in 1953 and 1956–60. However, his name does not appear on the Stanley Cup. He was the intermission host on Habs broadcasts for much of the 1960s and was also in charge of the team’s publicity.

Selke Jr. became president of the Oakland Seals (later known as the California Golden Seals) in 1967 and then became the team’s general manager. Selke resigned in 1971 in dispute with the new team owner Charlie Finley. He later became vice-president of the Canadian Sports Network, producers of Hockey Night in Canada.

From Special Olympics Canada:

We at Special Olympics Canada are saddened by the passing of our dear friend, beloved colleague, and tireless champion, Frank D. Selke.

While best known as a celebrated hockey executive and sports broadcaster, Frank became involved with Special Olympics in 1969 as a hockey executive working for the California Golden Seals. Frank stayed involved with the Special Olympics movement for the rest of his life.

In the 1980s, Harry “Red” Foster, Special Olympics Canada’s founder, encouraged Frank to take on a bigger role.  As chair of the Board of Directors of Special Olympics Ontario, Frank established greater financial stability for the organization by attracting community support. He heightened national awareness by persuading his colleagues at the Canadian Sport Network to include segments about Special Olympics on Hockey Night in Canada.

Frank went on to contribute at the national level, serving on the Special Olympics Canada Board of Directors for eleven years. After retiring from the Canadian Sport Network in 1992, he joined the Special Olympics Canada National Office as Executive Vice President where he helped to establish our national partnership program, and was instrumental in the success of this undertaking and the growth of the Special Olympics movement in Canada.

While Frank was a master at selling the benefits of our organization to corporate sponsors, he was also a tremendous friend to our athletes, and well known to their family and friends. He was an ardent ambassador of – and advocate for – Special Olympics athletes and individuals with intellectual disabilities. Frank loved the movement; he understood the power of sport to transform lives and, in his work with our athletes, he contributed to the transformation of many.  In his kind and encouraging way, he was a leader, with outstanding personal integrity and generosity, who led with his heart.

The death of Frank Selke is a tremendous loss to our organization and to our country. Our thoughts today are with Frank’s family: his wife Red; his children Gary, Greg and Lisa; and his many grandchildren.

Frank Selke was Special Olympics Canada’s greatest ambassador for 44 years. He was the heart and soul of our movement, and the face of Special Olympics in our country’s boardrooms and locker rooms alike. We are grateful for all that he gave our movement and our athletes, and we know his gifts will continue to strengthen Special Olympics Canada for many years to come.

Video upon Selke Jr.’s induction into the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame in 2004:

Below: Frank Selke Jr. (left) and Danny Gallivan in the broadcast booth.
Courtesy Hockey Night In Canada 60 Seasons

There was good news elsewhere on the injury front. Yannick Weber (lower body), Rene Bourque (concussion) and Brandon Prust all skated under the watchful eye of strength and conditioning coach Pierre Allard. Therrien said he wasn’t sure when any of the injured players would be cleared for action but he said they were all “making progress.”

Defenceman Raphael Diaz (concussion) is also making progress although not as quickly as the others. He has been working out in the gym but hasn’t been cleared to skate.

Diaz’s spot has been filled by rookie Jarred Tinordi, who had an impressive debut in New Jersey where he assisted on the game-winning goal by Tomas Plekanec and was plus-2 in a 2-1 victory.

(Photo by John Mahoney/The Gazette)

Former Hab Chris Nilan was the guest on the first show, which you can watch at hockeyinsideout.com/show.

Before the start of the lockout-shorted NHL season, Demers told Gazette sports editor Stu Cowan that he never thought the Canadiens would go 20 years without a Stanley Cup.

“Because it’s the Montreal Canadiens … the tradition and all the Stanley Cups they won … never in my wildest dreams would I think the Montreal Canadiens would go 20 years without winning a Cup,” Demers said. “In ’86 and then ’93, seven years, which is certainly not bad, but 20 years without winning the Cup with the prestigious tradition of that franchise. … I never would have thought that.”

If you have a question you would like Demers to answer on the HIO show, email Cowan at scowan@montrealgazette.com and if your question is used you will have a chance to win a HIO gift bag. Please include your full name and hometown with your email.

The Canadiens practised Monday in Brossard as they prepare to face the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday night at the Bell Centre (7:30 p.m., TSN, RDS, TSN Radio 690). Coach Michel Therrien confirmed that Michael Ryder should be back in the lineup after missing one game with a lower-body injury.

Other injured players, Rene Bourque (concussion), Brandon Prust (shoulder) and Yannick Weber (knee), skated on the second rink in Brossard Monday with strength and conditioning coach Pierre Allard. There was no update on when they might return to the lineup.

(Gazette file photo)

Sidney Crosby, with his 13th goal of the season, and Joe Vitale scored for the Penguins and Tomas Vokoun stopped 31 shots as Pittsburgh won its ninth straight game to improve to 22-8-0 and move two points ahead of the Canadiens (19-5-4). Boston trails the Canadiens by one point with a 19-5-3 record.

Evgeni Malkin missed his fifth straight game for the Penguins with an upper-body injury.

“It seems like it’s always different guys, so that’s what you need in order to have success consistently,” Crosby told reporters after the game. “We’ve been getting that lately. Our depth is a big part of our success. We need to continue to show that.”

The Penguins played the final two periods without defenceman Kris Letang following a collision with the Bruins’ Brad Marchand.

Crosby leads the NHL scoring race with 13-35-48 totals in 30 games and is eight points ahead of teammate Chris Kunitz, who was in second place following Sunday’s game with 18-22-40 totals.

The Canadiens were given the day off Sunday following their 2-1 win over the Devils Saturday night in New Jersey and will return to the ice at 11 a.m. Monday in Brossard as they prepare for Tuesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres at the Bell Centre (7:30 p.m., TSN, RDS, TSN Radio 690). The Canadiens then travel to Long Island to face the Islanders on Thursday, before the Sabres visit the Bell Centre again on Saturday.

Next week the Canadiens are in Pittsburgh on Tuesday and Boston on Wednesday.

Buckle up the chinstraps.

 The Canadiens announced Sunday that they have signed defenceman Darren Dietz to a three-year entry-level contract. The Canadiens selected Dietz in the fifth round (138th overall) of the 2011 NHL entry draft. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder has 24 goals and 34 assists in 72 games this season with the Saskatoon Blades. He also has 100 penalty minutes and is a plus-9.

(Photo by Vincent Pugliese/ Getty Images

Jarred Tinordi’s hard work pays off with first NHL point, by Pat Hickey

Canadiens vs. Devils photo gallery

A St. Patrick’s Day hangover for Montreal sports fans, by Jack Todd

Penguins top Bruins 2-1 for ninth straight win, by The Associated Press

Crosby or Stamkos? by Stu Cowan

Some interesting facts about Sidney Crosby, by Stu Cowan 

The latest example is Jarred Tinordi.

The defenceman is recalled from Hamilton and makes his NHL debut against the Devils in New Jersey. Partnered with Francis Bouillon, Tinordi plays almost 15 minutes. He does nothing egregiously wrong on D, picks up an assist on Tomas Plekanec’s winning goal and ends his first game in the bigs at plus-2.

On the eve of St. Patrick’s Day, the Canadiens skated out on the ice of the Prudential Center as a fourth-place Eastern Conference team. Saturday afternoon wins by Boston and Pittsburgh knocked them out of the lofty perch the Canadiens had occupied since a 3-1 win over the Rangers lifted the Canadiens into first place on Feb. 19.

But by 10 p.m. – after a typically hermetic New Jersey defensive effort in which the Canadiens had to scratch and claw for each inch of the ice – they were back on top of the conference with a 19th win in 28 games.

It didn’t last. The Penguins edged the Bruins 2-1 Sunday afternoon; and by the time the last Celtic celebrant is poured out of the pub on Sunday evening, the Canadiens find themselves in second place in the conference, two points behind Pittsburgh with two games in hand.

The Canadiens remain atop the Northeast Division. They’re a point ahead of Boston, which has played one game fewer.

The Sunday afternoon game was costly for both teams. Kris Letang and David Krejci left with injuries..

Canadiens fans should congratulate themselves for staying awake through the 2-1 Saturday win. Until its last few frantic minutes, the game at the Pru was stultifyingly boring.

You want excitement in New Jersey? Watch the Sopranos or read Philip Roth. Devils hockey is about as exciting as watching Tony wash his car or Portnoy pleasure himself.

The Devils gave the Canadiens nothing. The home team had a 33-22 shot advantage, outhit the Canadiens 26-18 and set up a wall of sticks and bodies in front of goaltender Johan Hedberg. New Jersey effectively stifled the Canadiens’ speed and skill.

Playing against his old team, Brian Gionta was held without a shot on goal. His futility was matched by Alex Galchenyuk and Andrei Markov.

Heck, Colby Armstrong had a shot. And it went in, Armstrong’s first of the season.

In his postgame remarks, Michel Therrien praised Armstrong for contributions that escape the scrutiny of many fans. The coach made an in-game adjustment, moving Armstrong to the Lars Eller-Alex Galchenyuk line in the third period and dropping Gabriel Dumont down to play with little-used Ryan White and Michael Blunden.

And for a late defensive-zone faceoff, Therrien used David Desharnais, who won 13 of 24 draws on the night (Plekanec won 19 of 29).

P.K. Subban led the Canadiens’ modest shot parade with five. Lars Eller had four, Brendan Gallagher and Max Pacioretty three each. Four players accounted for 15 of the team’s 22 shots.

The Canadiens power play went 0-for-3. The PK allowed New Jersey’s only goal, by Peter Harrold.

Fans have been waiting for Carey Price to steal a game. This might have been it. With the game in the balance, Price made 18 saves in the third period.

Some stats:

• The win lifted the Canadiens’ road record to 10-2-2. Last season they were 15-20-6.

• The Canadiens have scored first in 21 of their 28 games. This speaks to the team’s level of preparedness.

• The Canadiens have one regulation-time loss in their last 17 games. They have not lost consecutive games in regulation this season.

• On L’Antichambre, Stéphane Leroux talked about the eight-game segments of the Canadiens’ season. They have gone 6-2-0, 52-1, 4-1-3 and, to date, 4-0-0.

The latter should get a boost this week, when the Canadiens play Buffalo twice at the Bell Centre, sandwiched around a visit to Long Island.

Perhaps Brandon Prust, Michael Ryder or Rene Bourque will be cleared to rejoin the roster.

Recovery will take longer for Raphael Diaz. But Tinordi’s play in New Jersey merits another start Tuesday against the Sabres. And maybe the big galoot, for whom the Canadiens traded up in the 2010 draft – will be around for a while.

Once everyone is healthy, Bergevin will have some personnel decisions to make.

May the road rise up to meet the Canadiens GM. May the wind be at Bergevin’s back.

And a happy St. Paddy’s to all HIO readers.

Hickey is buying.

It was their fifth win in a row, matching the team’s season high.

The Canadiens have 19 wins in 28 games. They are 10-2-2 on the road.
New Jersey had 18 shots in the third period, but Carey Price was spectacular.
In winning his 15th game, Price made 32 saves.
The win lifted the Canadiens past Pittsburgh and Boston into first place in the Eastern Conference.
The lofty status won’t last: the Bruins and Penguins play Sunday afternoon.

Tinordi played 14:48, picked up his first NHL point and ended the game plus-2.

Colby Armstrong’s first goal of the season gave the Canadiens an early lead – the 21st time they’ve scored first in 28 games.

But Peter Harrold’s first, on a second-period power play, tied the game.

In 27 games this season, the 5-foot-7, 177-pound Desharnais has 8-8-16 totals and is minus-2.

“David Desharnais is a talented young player and his contribution is essential to the success of our team,” general manager Marc Bergevin said in a news release. “David has shown perseverance and determination which enabled him to reach the NHL and succeed. He has earned this contract extension and the Canadiens organization is pleased to have secured his services for many years to come.” 

Said coach Michel Therrien: “David deserves everything that’s happening to him. We’re pleased to have a good guy like that on our team.”

Tweeted teammate Brandon Prust (@BrandonPrust8): “Congrats to Davey Desharnais on his new deal. Habs future is looking great!.. Good thing I’m not gm I woulda gave the guy 20 mill!”

Tweeted Josh Gorges (@jgorges26): “Congrats to #DD on signing with the #Canadiens for 4 more years!!! Great day for both #Habs and Davy #wheresdinner”

In other moves Friday, the Canadiens assigned forward Petteri Nokelainen to the Hamilton Bulldogs after he cleared NHL waivers and called up Michael Blunden, who had 10-12-22 totals in 54 games with the Bulldogs. Blunden will replace Michael Ryder, who is sidelined with a lower-body injury.

Desharnais, a native of Laurier-Station, was never drafted and joined the Canadiens as  a free agent in November 2008. In 157 career NHL games, he has 32-67-99 totals and is plus-4.

Desharnais was on the ice for practice Friday morning in Brossard as the Canadiens prepared for Saturday’s game in New Jersey against the Devils (7 p.m., CBC, RDS, TSN Radio 690).

Also on the ice was defenceman Jarred Tinordi, the Canadiens’ first-round draft pick in 2010, who was called up from the Hamilton Bulldogs on Thursday and will make his NHL debut Saturday with Francis Bouillon as his partner. Tinordi will wear No. 42.

The other defence pairings at practice were: Markov-Emelin; Gorges-Subban.

Forward lines were: Ryder-Plekanec-Gionta; Pacioretty-Desharnais-Gallagher; Galchenyuk-Eller-Dumont; Moen-White-Armstrong.

Carey Price will start in goal against the Devils.

(Photo by John Mahoney/The Gazette)

Habs GM Bergevin making all the right moves, by Stu Cowan

Owner Geoff Molson proud to watch his new-look Habs, by Stu Cowan

Crosby would like to see NHL team in Quebec City, by Stu Cowan

Tinordi, a 21-year-old who was selected by the Canadiens in the first round (22nd overall) at the 2010 NHL entry draft, played 55 games with the Bulldogs this season, posting 2-9-11 totals to go along with 51 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-6, 218-pounder will add size to the Canadiens’ blue line while wearing No. 42.

After beating the Ottawa Senators 4-3 in a shootout Wednesday night at the Bell Centre, the Canadiens announced that Greg Pateryn was being returned to the Bulldogs. Pateryn played three games with the Canadiens after being recalled from Hamilton on March 7.

The Canadiens were given the day off Thursday and will be back on the ice Friday at 11 a.m. in Brossard as they prepare to visit the New Jersey Devils Saturday night.

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Tinordi’s turn for blue-line audition, by Pat Hickey

Eller salvages shootout win over Senators, by Pat Hickey

Eller is bigger, stronger and faster this season, by Brenda Branswell

One of Eller’s best efforts as a Hab, by Dave Stubbs

In the Room: “Eller was phenomenal”, by Pat Hickey

Whirlwind two weeks has Ryder on fire, by The Canadian Press

Habs vs. Senators photo gallery

Habs odds of winning 25th Stanley Cup much improved, by Stu Cowan

Rookie Pateryn keeps things simple, by Pat Hickey

Canadiens prospect Bennett growing at University of Michigan, by Pat Hickey

New Bulldogs goalie Tokarski has winning history, by Kevin Mio

Geoffrion considering retirement after serious injury, by Brenda Branswell

The shootout move heard ’round the hockey world, by Stu Cowan

The Canadiens face off against the Ottawa Senators for the final time this season tonight at the Bell Centre. The Senators have won two of the three games to date between the division rivals.

After the Canadiens’ morning skate in Brossard Wednesday, Therrien said he really liked how the Habs played against Ottawa in their last match up.

“For us, it’s to continue in the same sense. Sometimes the result isn’t on your side. But we fully deserved to win that game,” Therrien said, referring to the Senators 2-1 shootout victory over the Canadiens at Scotiabank Place on Feb. 25. Senators goaltender Ben Bishop faced 44 shots that night.

Therrien said they’re very aware that the Senators are playing good hockey and aren’t easy to play against. “The quality of their goaltender gives them a chance to win a lot of games.”

You can hear what Canadiens defenceman Greg Pateryn, called up last week from the Hamilton Bulldogs, had to say after the morning skate below:

And you can hear what forward Colby Armstrong had to say below:

Off The Cuff With Chris Nilan will air weekdays from 1-3 p.m., with Nilan also joining host Tony Marinaro on The Intermission from noon until 1 p.m.

“There is no other team I’d rather talk about and no other city I’d rather live in,” Nilan, who was a guest on the first Hockey Inside/Out show, said in a news release. “I’m honoured to join the home of the Montreal Canadiens and work with the same passionate Habs fans that welcomed me with open arms during my hockey career.”

Said Mitch Melnick, host of Melnick In The Afternoon on TSN Radio 690: “When Chris made it clear he wanted to pursue a career in broadcasting we made no promises. What we did do was open a door so he could reconnect to the city he loves and to the many fans who love him. To his credit, Chris has kicked that door down.”

Nilan spent 13 seasons in the NHL, including 10 with the Canadiens. He holds the franchise record for most career penalty minutes (2,670), but also scored in double figures three times in his career, including a 21-goal season in 1984-85 and 19 in 1985-86 when the Habs won the Stanley Cup.

Below is a feature story The Gazette’s Brenda Branswell wrote about Nilan when the documentary The Last Gladiators, focusing on his life, had its Montreal premiere last October. The film was released Tuesday on DVD.

(Photo by Allen McInnis/The Gazette)

Documentary brought Nilan to tears

PUBLISHED IN THE GAZETTE ON OCT. 25, 2012

BRENDA BRANSWELL
THE GAZETTE

In the opening sequence of The Last Gladiators the only things visible on the black screen are Chris Nilan’s hands.

He points out past wounds from hockey fights: Teeth in his hand, a shattered knuckle, the spot where his finger was almost bitten off.

The documentary film about hockey enforcers features interviews with former National Hockey League tough guys about the role. There are clips from Marty McSorley, Tony Twist and the late Bob Probert, among others.

But the main focus is Nilan, who racked up more than 3,500 penalty minutes in his 13 years in the NHL and earned the nickname Knuckles.

Through interviews with Nilan, his family and childhood friends – along with former teammates and hockey writers – the film looks at his career, his slide into drug addiction after he retired and subsequent recovery.

Nilan was in tears when he first saw the documentary at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2011.

“It was tough for me to watch,” he said.

The focus on Nilan was because he was such an interesting character and “so exceedingly honest about himself, the league, everything,” said Alex Gibney, the director.

“And that made him just extraordinarily compelling.”

In the documentary, retired enforcer Todd Ewen, who played for the Habs in the early 1990s, described himself as a “regretful tough guy.”

“I loved the game of hockey and I didn’t like my role,” Ewen said.

Nilan said in an interview this week that he loved to fight, but didn’t grow up longing to be a fighter.

“I grew up with dreams of being Bobby Orr.”

When it became evident that wasn’t going to happen, Nilan said: “The fighting avenue opened up an opportunity to become a hockey player and that to me was key.”

Fighting was easy for Nilan. The hard part was becoming a hockey player, the guy who plays every shift with his line and can be relied on to play in different situations.

“I achieved those goals,” Nilan said. “And that to me, that’s the thing I’m most proud of.”

Nilan spent 10 seasons with the Canadiens and in three consecutive seasons in the mid-’80s scored 16, 21 and 19 goals, respectively.

He feels indebted to the Canadiens for not limiting him to one role.

“They weren’t satisfied with me just being a fighter- and that started from Day 1,” Nilan said. “(Former coach) Claude Ruel worked with me day in and day out. I loved the man. I mean, I absolutely love Claude Ruel.”

Others helped Nilan when he was with the Habs, like former coach Jacques Lemaire who told Nilan he fought too much.

“I almost didn’t trust him when he told me that,” recalled Nilan, because he grew up watching the Bruins in Boston and “once a guy stopped fighting he was out the door.”

“So if anything, like I said in the film, I kicked it up a notch.”

In the film, Nilan, who underwent 26 different surgeries over the years, talks about his struggles after he retired. He ended up taking painkillers, which helped in the short term, “but once I got addicted to them, I was a slave to it.”

He went into treatment for a few months, but began drinking again, and eventually starting taking pills again and shooting heroin.

After a bad car accident in which he narrowly missed an 18-wheeler, “I said I got to try and kick this stuff,” Nilan recounts in the film. He went into treatment again.

The most moving moments occur when Nilan and his father, Henry, a former Green Beret in the U.S. army, get emotional on screen. He was with his dad when the elder Nilan watched the film for the first time and was dying to see his response.

“And afterward he said to me: ‘Geez, I wish I was able to get the questions ahead of time.’”

Nilan believes it bothered his father in a sense that it comes out in the film that he was ashamed of his son. But Nilan sounds like he took it in stride. “If that’s his true feelings and that’s how he felt, then c’mon, that’s what it is,” Nilan said. “And that’s okay.

“It was hard for me to watch, but it’s okay because those were his feelings and he expressed them.

“They’re so happy I’m sober and clean,” he said of his parents. “It was hard on my family.

“My dad didn’t understand a lot of it. Listen, if I had cancer, if I had that disease, I think my father would have been so sympathetic to me.”

But Nilan’s affliction happened to be the disease of addiction, he added, and people look at that as self-induced.

Nilan said he strongly believes he would have had the same problem had he been a lawyer, a mailman or worked on the back of a garbage truck.

When he was approached for the film, Nilan had just come out of drug and alcohol treatment.

He believes many people identify with and like enforcers.

“But I don’t know if they really know what each and every guy goes through to fulfil that role that he has, which I believe is the most difficult role in sports,” he said.

“I hope people see just how tough it is for the guys to have played that role.”

He also believes the film will give people a sense of hope.

“No matter how bad things get in our lives, there’s al-ways something deep down inside us that we can tap into that will allow us to get back on our feet and change our lives.”

There were no changes to the lines at practice with Ryder-Plekanec-Gionta; Pacioretty-Desharnais-Gallagher; Galchenyuk-Eller-Dumont; and Moen-White-Armstrong. The defence pairings were Markov-Emelin; Gorges-Subban; Bouillon-Pateryn; with Kaberle the odd man out again.

 ”I’m satisfied with the progression of our team,” coach Michel Therrien told reporters after practice. “We can put the emphasis on details now. Players are receptive.”

Rene Bourque, who has been sidelined with a concussion, skated for about an hour before practice. Petteri Nokelainen, who has been sidelined all season with a lingering back injury, took part in practice and did all the drills. Injured Brandon Prust, Yannick Weber and Raphael Diaz were not at practice. Diaz has resumed light workouts.

After Wednesday’s game against Ottawa, the Canadiens will have a two-day break before facing the Devils Saturday night in New Jersey.

(Photo by John Mahoney/The Gazette)

Habs’ turnaround a major NHL story, by Dave Stubbs

Habs are No. 4 in The Hockey News Power Rankings, by Stu Cowan

Canadiens.com notebook

Watch how Habs get warmed up, 24CH

Rookies Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher will no doubt be a little lighter in their wallets after picking up the tab. The Canadiens will have the day off Monday to recover before hitting the ice Tuesday at 11 a.m. in Brossard as they prepare to face the Ottawa Senators Wednesday night at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN, RDS, TSN 690 Radio).

As Arpon Basu of NHL.com noted on Twitter, the Canadiens now have 17 wins in 26 games. Last season it took them 45 games to get their 17th win.

(Photo by Joel Auerbach, Getty Images)

Ryder salts away win over Panthers, by Dave Stubbs

In the room: White takes it on the chin, by Dave Stubbs

How far can Habs go? by Jack Todd

Prust lost for 10 days, by Dave Stubbs

Photo gallery: Canadiens vs. Panthers

Bouillon will make blooper videos with own goal, by Stu Cowan

Watch the Habs play some football, 24CH

Hamilton Bulldogs pounded, by The Canadian Press

Prust is expected to be sidelined for at least 10 days.

Therrien also confirmed that Ryan White will be back in the lineup Sunday against the Florida Panthers (6 p.m., RDS, TSN-HABS, TSN 690 Radio).

Peter Budaj will start in goal for the Canadiens against the Panthers.

In our most recent HIO poll question, 50 per cent of more than 4,000 votes went to Prust as the Canadiens’ MVP for the first half of the season.

Game Preview: Canadiens vs. Panthers

(Photo by John Mahoney/The Gazette)

The Canadiens, 15-5-4 and atop the NHL’s Eastern Conference, take on the bottom-feeding Tampa Bay Lightning tonight at 7 p.m. ET to kick off a weekend doubleheader in the Sunshine State.

Lineup changes for the Canadiens: Hamilton Bulldogs callup Greg Pateryn will replace Tomas Kaberle on the blue line, while Gabriel Dumont will sub in on the fourth line, sending Ryan White to the press box. Dumont will play with Travis Moen and Colby Armstrong. Carey Price is in goal for the Habs.

Lightning head coach Guy Boucher announced that Cédrick Desjardins, a former Canadiens farmhand, will be his starting goaltender. Desjardins now will have played two-thirds of his NHL games against the Habs; he beat Montreal 4-1 on Dec. 30, 2010 in his NHL début, then defeated the New York Rangers the following night.

Live updates were via Twitter. Follow me at @Dave_Stubbs for more on the Habs beat, including live stuff during tonight’s game and tomorrow’s 6 p.m. ET start in Sunrise, Fla., vs. the Florida Panthers.

Video below.

Here’s callup Greg Pateryn, a few hours before his NHL début:

Head coach Michel Therrien, en français (apologies for the audio rumble of unknown source):

Crank up your volume on this one:

And a little skate-by action at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on Saturday morning:

Canadiens coach Michel Therrien gave his players a well-deserved day off in Florida Friday as they prepare to face the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday (7 p.m., CBC, RDS, TSN 690 Radio) and the Florida Panthers on Sunday (6 p.m., TSN-HABS, RDS, TSN 690 Radio).

(Photo by Grant Alverson/Getty Images)

For the Canadiens, what a difference a half season makes, by Dave Stubbs

Calm, confident Therrien does impressive job in first half of season, by Pat Hickey

Therrien’s message awakens Canadiens, by Pat Hickey

Price makes 42 saves to calm ‘Canes, by Pat Hickey

Canadiens vs. ‘Canes photo gallery

Lightning has dug tough hole, by Tampa Bay Times

It’s time for NHL to make visors mandatory, by Pat Hickey

Pitter Pat-ter Notebook, by Pat Hickey