Dalton Thrower has been suspended for the rest of the Memorial Cup tournament after delivering a check to the head on Portland Winterhawks forward Taylor Leier.
Leier, who was a fourth-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2012, lay motionless on the ice before being helped off and there was no penalty called on the play. He is suffering from concussion-like symptoms. Thrower was chosen in the second round of 2012 draft by the Montreal Canadiens.

Sebastian Collberg signed a three-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.
In 35 games with Frolunda of the Swedish Elite League this past season, he notched six goals and nine points. He also appeared in 15 games with Orebro HK in Sweden's second division (HockeyAllsvenskan), where he had eight points. Collberg concluded the year with two games in Hamilton of the AHL. He was taken with the 33rd overall pick in the 2012 draft by Montreal.

Alexei Emelin will be sidelined for the next six months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left knee Tuesday.
Emelin suffered the season-ending injury on April 6 but waited until just today to have it repaired. Given the timeline, it's likely Emelin won't be able to return to the lineup until at least the end of November and possibly early December. While the injury won't affect your fantasy draft, the Canadiens clearly missed his physical presence on the blue line.

Montreal Canadiens sign Magnus Nygren to two-year, entry-level contract.
Nygren spent the 2012-13 season with Farjestads BK Karlstad of the Swedish Elite League, racking up 13 goals and 32 points in 51 games. The 13 goals were a league high for defensemen and the 32 point put him fourth among blueliners. The Canadiens drafted Nygren in the fourth round in 2011.

Michel Therrien was surprisingly omitted as a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, which goes to the NHL coach "adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success."
Therrien helped guide the Canadiens to the Northeast Division title after the club finished dead last in the Eastern Conference a year ago. However, he didn't make the cut with Anaheim's Bruce Boudreau, Ottawa's Paul MacLean and Chicago's Joel Quenneville getting the nod as finalists instead.

Alex Galchenyuk scored two shootout goals to help the United States win the bronze medal game against Finland at the 2013 IIHF World Championships.
John Gibson made 36 saves in the victory while Craig Smith wrapped up an impressive tournament with a goal in the bronze medal game.

Look for the Canadiens to draft and/or acquire some bigger players this off-season.
The belief amongst Montreal management is that the team is fast enough to be compettive but lacks the size to defeat the bigger and more aggressive teams in the NHL. We expect the Habs will focus their attention on a number of the more physcial free agents in the market and perhaps make a deal or two to bring in a power forward who can play on one of the team's top three lines and a rugged top six defenseman

Raphael Diaz will close out the year in the World Hockey Championship with Switzerland.
The Swiss will play the Czech Republic in Thursday's quarter-final round. "I learned a lot of things again this year," said Diaz prior to leaving for the tournament. "I want to go and show my best hockey and support my teammates from Switzerland." He played in Switzerland's top league during the lockout, where he starred for EV Zug. Diaz had 14 points in 23 games during the regular season for Montreal.

Montreal GM Marc Bergevin still believes that Louis Leblanc can be part of the team's future.
"He knows he has to be better and he knows it's a big summer for him," Bergevin said. "It's going to be up to him. But he's a good young player that we hope one day will play here." Leblanc regressed in 2012-13 while playing in the AHL with 10 goals and eight assists, with a minus-18 rating, in 62 games with the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Alexei Emelin (knee) is projected to miss the start of the 2013-14 season.
He suffered a torn ligament on April 6, which ended his season, and he still hasn't had surgery to repair the damage. The Canadiens missed his physical presence on the back end during the latter part of the year and in the playoffs.

The Canadiens' Marc Bergevin was one of the finalists for NHL's general manager of the year.
The Canadiens were the NHL's most-improved team, going from 28th to the second seed in the East. "I'm flattered to be a finalist because I have a lot of respect for Bob Murray (Ducks) and Ray Shero (Penguins)," Bergevin said. "They're both great hockey men."

Tomas Plekanec doesn't think the Canadiens need to become a bigger team.
"I think our team identity is quickness and speed," Plekanec said. "When we play that game, we are successful. I don't think it has anything to do with size. We have guys with size, who play like it. Plekanec thinks it was timing -- everyone playing their best together -- more than talent. "You don't need to score a lot of goals, but you need to score at the right time, Plekanec said. "It seems like we didn't have that. . We've had injuries the last couple years (so) it's easy to kind of pinpoint that we need size and toughness. But I think we have that. Maybe we actually need more scoring."

Montreal's front office expects a bounce-back season from David Desharnais.
General manager Marc Bergevin locked the forward up to a four-year, $14 million deal prior to the season only to see him slip to 28 points after putting up 60 the year before. "He's still a young player and I expect him to rebound," the GM said.

Habs general manager Marc Bergevin fully supports Carey Price, but wants him to be better next year.
Price has all the talent in the world, but the 25-year-old remains very inconsistent. He had a 2.59 goals-against average and .905 save percentage in the regular season, while posting a 3.26 goals-against average and .894 sve percentage in the playoffs. "Can Carey be better? He'll be the first one to admit he can be better and he said he will be better," Bergevin said. "I have faith in him that he will be better. He had some good stretches and he had some so-so stretches. And that's part of being a young goaltender and we're going to move forward with him and I'm 100 percent behind him."

Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin seeks a team that is bigger, faster and younger.
The Habs were on the smallish side this season, and Bergevin wants a blend. "You don't change the makeup of a team overnight," Bergevin said as he answered questions at his end-of-the-season news conference Monday in Brossard. "It takes a long time to change the makeup of a team. Obviously, there's 29 other teams that want to be big, fast and strong, but that's easier said than done. But I believe balance is very important. You can't win with all big guys and you can't win with all small guys." The GM has six picks in the draft and said he will take size into consideration.

P.K. Subban will join Team Canada for the remainder of the World Hockey Championship.
He is slated to join the team in time for Thursday's quarterfinal game. Subban, who concluded the NHL season as a finalist for the Norris Trophy, will be a big addition to Canada's back end at the tournament.

Marc Bergevin has been announced as a finalist for the NHL's General Manager of the Year Award.
In his first season with the Canadiens, he helped lift the team from the bottom of the Eastern Conference to the Northeast Division champions. He hired Michel Therrien as his new head coach and brought in some toughness with the signings of Brandon Prust, and Colby Armstrong. Bergevin also was on board when the team drafted Alex Galchenyuk, who played in every game with the team this year, with the third overall pick in the 2012 NHL draft. Even though it took a little extra time, he also managed to sign restricted free agent P.K. Subban to a team-friendly two-year deal.

Brandon Prust missed Montreal's final playoff game with a broken rib.
He was injured on a fall in the corner when he tried to pursue Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson for a loose puck. Prust is projected to require three to four weeks of rest.

Team doctor Vincent Lacroix told Carey Price that his injured knee wouldn't require surgery.
According to Lacroix, Price should be full recovered in about six weeks. "Right now, I've just got to wait it out," Price said. "I was fairly healthy for the course of the season. Toward the end, I was a little bit more sore and I had a few things going on from the previous year. Hopefully, over the course of the summer, everything will be back to normal." Price wouldn't rule out having a procedure of some kind during the off-season, but he expects to be fully healthy in time for training camp. He will work hard to get ready for the opportunity to possibly represent Canada at the Winter Olympics.

Lars Eller has no recollection of the crushing hit he received from Ottawa's Eric Gryba that gave him a concussion and a broken nose.
"It happened so fast. I don't remember anything of it happening on the ice" he said. "I don't remember getting carried off the ice, trying to get up, all that stuff." He lost consciousness but he is making positive strides in his recovery now. He skated twice last week with Pierre Allard, who serves as Montreal's strength and conditioning coach. Eller said he's "been feeling really good for the last three or four days," which has allowed him to ramp up his training. Concussions can be tricky to predict, but it looks like he will OK for next season. We'll keep you posted on his status if updates emerge over the summer.

When Carey Price spoke to the media Saturday, it didn't sound like he was enjoying himself very much these days playing in Montreal.
"That's one thing I miss, just being anonymous," he said. "It's tough to do that here. It's impossible. I don't even go to the grocery store anymore. I hardly do anything anymore. I'm like a hobbit in a hole." His struggles in April and his shaky play in the postseason probably added more fuel to the fire. There's a great deal of pressure to play in goal and playing in Montreal certainly adds to that. Jack Todd of the Montreal Gazette believes the Canadiens should talk to their number one keeper to make sure that he is committed to the organization for the long haul.

Max Pacioretty told the Montreal Gazette's Dave Stubbs that he wants the Habs to retain Colby Armstrong, calling him a "hero" for his leadership and presence this season.
Though he has displayed some decent scoring ability in his career, Armstrong has turned into a into a bottom-six role player whose contributions aren't often seen in the score sheet; he had only two goals and three assists this season. He was bought out by the Leafs prior to this season with a $3 million deal and inked a $1 million contract with the Habs.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Francis Bouillon admitted that he played with a fractured finger for almost a month.
Bouillon reportedly injured his hand fighting Steve Ott on April 11. Clearly Bouillon wanted to show that he'd fight through pain, even after signing a one-year contract extension through 2013-14.

Montreal Canadiens forward Jeff Halpern hopes to be back with the team in 2013-14.
Of course, the feeling might not necessarily be mutual. He managed one point in three playoff games after producing just three in 46 regular season contests, so his defense would need to be stellar to draw any interest in a return. It's reasonable to wonder if he'll catch on with any team next season, let alone the Habs.

Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price confirmed his knee injury, saying it would've been of the 4-6 week variety if the Habs' postseason continued.
Considering the drop-off from Price and every other option include Peter Budaj, it's not very surprising that the Canadiens didn't see more than a week of playoff action without Price. This serves as a highly disappointing finish to the 2013 campaign for Price - the regular season ended poorly, too - but he remains a top fantasy option in net nonetheless.

In case any of you were wondering, Carey Price's lower-body injury was to his knee.
We are not sure if it is just a sprain or something more serious that may involve some off-season surgery. We will keep you advised.

Ryan White's upper body injury was a punctured lung.
White understandably missed Games 4 and 5 for that reason. Fortunately the issue has been dealt with and he might have even been able to return during the Canadiens' postseason run had they managed to avoid elimination.

Alexei Emelin's absence from the lineup may have been a turning point in the season for the Montreal Canadiens.
Montreal went 5-10 without Emelin in the lineup. He missed the final 10 games of the regular season and all five of the team's playoff contests after he suffered a torn left knee ligament on April 6. The Canadiens gave up 55 goals in 15 games without Emelin for a goals-against average of 3.66 and when he did play the club had a much more respectable goals-against average of 2.39. He led the team with 110 hits and his physical presence was sorely missed on the blueline.

Michael Ryder is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Bottom-six forwards Colby Armstrong and Jeff Halpern can also become UFAs if the Canadiens don't offer them extensions. Ryder is the most valuable from an offensive point of view and he played much more regularly than his potential free agent teammates, so Montreal may want to get him back in the fold. He registered 10 goals and 11 assists in 27 games with the Canadiens after being acquired from Dallas and he had two points in five contests during the team's first-round playoff exit.

Max Pacioretty suffered a dislocated shoulder in Game 1 that may have bothered him throughout Montreal's first-round series against Ottawa.
He wasn't able to play in Game 2 because of the ailment and didn't look the same when he returned to the lineup for the next three contests. Pacioretty didn't record a single point in the playoffs after he led the Canadiens in scoring with 15 goals and 39 points during the regular season.

Andrei Markov was obviously upset after Montreal's playoff exit Thursday night, but he also attempted to look on the bright side.
"It doesn't matter where you place in the regular season," said Markov. "When you don't get through the first round, everybody's disappointed. It's not easy, but at the same time, we have a good young group of guys who will improve next year, so we have a good future." The Canadiens won the Northeast Division this season after finishing with the worst record in the Eastern Conference a year ago. It wasn't a pretty end to the 2013 campaign, as they were quickly eliminated in five games by Ottawa, but Montreal still has plenty to proud of going into next season. Markov should also be pleased that he managed to appear in all 48 games during the regular season and all five matches in the playoffs after struggling with injuries the past three years.

P.K. Subban was the lone goal scorer for Montreal in an embarrassing 6-1 loss to Ottawa Thursday night.
Subban's goal late in the first period cut the Senators lead to 2-1 and should have given the Habs some life, but the team was unable to get any other pucks behind Craig Anderson. With two goals and two assists in the five-game series, Subban is one of the few Habs players who can rightfully hold his head high.

Peter Budaj was beaten six times on 29 shots Thursday as the Canadiens dropped a 6-1 decision to the Senators.
Budaj was forced into action due to the injury suffered by Carey Price and he was the victim of a woeful performance by the team around him. He'll enter next season as the primary backup to Price once again.

Robert Mayer will serve as Peter Budaj's backup Thursday night in Game 5.
Number one goaltender Carey Price has been ruled out for the rest of the series due to a lower-body injury. Mayer has never played in an NHL game.

Michael Blunden will make his NHL playoff debut Thursday night.
He skated in five games with the Canadiens during the regular season. Blunden probably won't see much ice time in Game 5.

Carey Price had an MRI on his lower-body issue Wednesday and the results clearly weren't good, as he has been ruled out for the remainder of Montreal's first-round series against Ottawa.
He was hurt late in Game 4 Tuesday night and now the Canadiens will turn to backup Peter Budaj with their season on the line. Price hadn't been playing at his best in the series, with an .894 save percentage and a 3.26 GAA, but this is obviously a significant blow to Montreal.

Peter Budaj will start for Montreal in Game 5 Thursday night.
The Canadiens trail Ottawa 3-1 in their quarterfinal series and number one goalie Carey Price has been ruled out for the remainder of the series because of a lower-body injury. Budaj made his 2013 playoff debut in overtime Tuesday night and he allowed the winning goal to Kyle Turris.

To no one's surprise, P.K. Subban won't be throwing in the towel when Montreal meets Ottawa with their playoff lives on the line Thursday night in Game 5.
"We still have a pulse right now, we're still alive and [Thursday's] game is the biggest game of the season. We need to be ready to play," Subban said. "Quite frankly, I want to beat these guys. We have another opportunity [Thursday] to play and we can beat these guys. We're better." His quote about being better than Ottawa could end up as bulletin board material, but the Canadiens are dealing with some key injuries heading into Game 5 and could use all the motivation they can get. The highly competitive defenseman and Norris Trophy finalist has three points in four games against the Senators in the series.

Lars Eller (concussion) skated on Wednesday.
Given the nature of his injuries, there probably wouldn't be a timetable for Eller's return even if this wasn't the playoffs. That being said, it would be surprising if he was able to play in the near future. He suffered a concussion and facial fractures when he was leveled by Eric Gryba.

Carey Price (lower body) is day-to-day.
The Montreal Canadiens won't say if he'll be available for Game 5 on Thursday. They're already in a dire situation after falling 3-1 in their first-round series. At the same time, Price struggled mightily towards the end of the 2013 campaign and has a 3.26 GAA and .894 save percentage in the playoffs, so he hasn't exactly been Montreal's greatest strength lately.

Ryan White (upper body) will not return on Thursday.
White also missed Game 4 due to the ailment. He has a goal and 23 penalty minutes in three postseason contests.

Brandon Prust (upper body) will not be available for Game 5.
Prust was hurt during Game 4 on Tuesday. He has an assist, 14 penalty minutes, and 19 hits in four playoff games.

Brian Gionta has a torn left bicep that requires surgery.
Gionta will not be able to return before the end of Montreal's playoff run. He played in Games 1 and 3, but wasn't available for Montreal's 3-2 overtime loss on Tuesday. The Canadiens are just one loss away from elimination heading into Game 5 on Thursday.

The Montreal Canadiens were visibly upset and baffled by some of the calls made in Tuesday's overtime loss to Ottawa, but Josh Georges isn't blaming the officials for the defeat.
Most notably the Habs didn't like the questionable icing calls that went against them late in the contest that eventually led to the Senators tying the score in the final minute of regulation. "I just want everything to be called the same way," Gorges said. "I don't care if they wave them off, but in the first period they put one behind me and I stopped to let (Raphael Diaz) get it and the linesman waved it off. His explanation was that, as soon as I stopped moving my feet, it was no longer icing. I asked the same thing (in the third period). But that's not why we lost. The (officials) make the calls and we live by it."

Brandon Prust sustained an upper-body injury in Game 4 on Tuesday.
He was in the dressing room when Ottawa's Kyle Turris scored the game-winning goal in overtime, so his status for Thursday night is cloudy at this time. The Canadiens will be facing elimination in Game 5 and having to play without Prust would be another significant loss.

Gabriel Dumont made his second appearance of the postseason Tuesday night in Game 4.
He played in Game 2 as well and both times he dressed because of injuries. Ryan White and Brian Gionta were unable to suit up on Tuesday because of upper-body injuries. He received just 7:30 of ice time.

Jeff Halpern earned an assist in his return to the lineup Tuesday night.
He got the chance to play due to injuries up front to Brian Gionta and Ryan White. Halpern's previous appearance against Ottawa in Montreal's quarterfinal series came in Game 2.

P.K. Subban scored his first goal of the playoffs in Tuesday's Game 4 loss to Ottawa.
The Norris Trophy finalist has three points in four games against Ottawa. He was much more composed Tuesday after racking up 25 minutes in penalties in Sunday's defeat. Montreal will need him to stay out of the penalty box and to continue producing if they want to avoid being eliminated from the postseason on Thursday night on home ice.

The status of Carey Price for Thursday night's crucial Game 5 will be a closely monitored topic for the next couple of days.
Price suffered a lower-body injury, possibly to his hamstring or groin, very close to the end of the third period Tuesday night and he wasn't able to play in overtime. The Canadiens ended up losing the contest and now they trail Ottawa in the series 3-1. If Price can't play Thursday then Peter Budaj may be forced to start with Montreal's season on the line.

Carey Price didn't come out of the locker room for the start of overtime because of an undisclosed injury.
He made 30 saves on 32 shots in regulation before leaving with what is being speculated as a lower-body issue. Peter Budaj faced two shots in relief and he was beaten for the game winner just 2:32 into the extra frame. Stay tuned for updates on the condition of Montreal's starter. The Canadiens will need him to help them overcome their 3-1 series deficit.

Alex Galchenyuk recorded his first NHL playoff goal in Montreal's 3-2 overtime loss to Ottawa Tuesday night in Game 4.
The rookie forward had two assists in his previous three postseason appearances. P.K. Subban had the Canadiens' other goal in the loss. Both of them gave the Habs a 2-0 lead in the second period, but they couldn't hold off the Senators in the third and eventually fell in overtime. Tomas Plekanec, Michael Ryder, Jeff Halpern and Jarred Tinordi had an assist each in the loss.

Ryan White has an upper-body injury and won't play in Tuesday's Game 4.
White appeared to suffer an injury Sunday but continued to play through the ailment. White's biggest impact on the series so far has been a slash to the back of Zack Smith's legs that sparked a line brawl Sunday night. White has one goal and 23 penalty minutes in three playoff games this year.

Brian Gionta and Ryan White will not play in Tuesday's Game 4 due to upper-body injuries.
Gionta has been nursing the ailment all postseason while White appeared to suffer his injury Sunday night. Gionta has one assist in two postseason games while White has a goal and 23 penalty minutes in three contests. They'll be replaced by Jeff Halpern and Gabriel Dumont.

P.K. Subban, Ryan Suter and Kris Letang were voted as finalists for the Norris Trophy annually given to the league's best defenseman.
Subban had a career year after holding out for training camp and the start of the regular season. He scored 11 goals and tied with Letang for the league lead in points by a defenseman with 38. Suter was only six points behind them, which is pretty amazing when you consider he was playing with an entirely new team in a shortened season without a real preseason to get adjusted. All three players are finalists for the first time. The winner will be announced at the NHL awards show during the Stanley Cup final.

Carey Price knows he hasn't been his best in the first-round series.
The Canadiens goaltender has allowed 11 goals, 10 of which have come in the team's two losses. A 3.69 goals-against average and .879 save percentage isn't going to cut it. "I think there's obviously room for improvement," Price said. "If we're down in the series, I'm not doing enough. So obviously I want to play better."

Michel Therrien is looking for the Candiens to get "back to basics" on Wednesday night.
"We have to make sure we play a solid game," said Therrien. "We've proved it in the past that we're capable of bouncing back. "In the first two games we played really well five-on-five and (Sunday) we didn't play well five-on-five. So we've got to make sure we go back to basics." The Habs bench boss wants to see his troops get off to a fast start and sustain it for 60 minutes.

Canadiens coach Michel Therrien doesn't like how much Brendan Gallagher is getting "abused."
Gallagher, a Calder Trophy finalist, has two goals in the series. In the penalty-fest that was Game 3, he also wound up fighting, which is something his coach doesn't really want to see. "He's a kid who comes to the rink with such a great attitude and great work ethic. He's a small guy who plays a big game, but the thing I don't like is he's getting abused. "You never want to see your young players get abused," Therrien said. "Yesterday, he ended up fighting. That's not his game. He's never done that before, maybe one time. Hopefully, those things are going to stop. He drew two penalties, but that doesn't make the other five times he was hit okay. It's not okay. He's a good player. The NHL needs good kids like that to sell the game."

There is no rift between P.K. Subban and Max Pacioretty.
The two were shown arguing on the bench in Sunday's loss. Chalk it up to a heat-of-the-game incident as the two don't see what all the fuss is. "We talk all the time, it's high emotion," said Subban. "I spoke to Max. We're fine and ready for the game (Tuesday). It's (the media's) focus to focus on all the little things but for us it's the big things. . Sometimes the game gets emotional and that's fine. Max and I came into the league at the same time, into the organization at the same time. We're great friends so we want to win."

The NHL announced Monday that Brendan Gallagher is a finalist for the Calder Trophy.
The Montreal forward turned 21 years of age Monday, so the news must have been a good birthday gift. Gallagher may not have been in a very celebratory mood though after his playoff goal streak came to an end in Game 3 Sunday night and he finished with a minus-3 rating in the Canadiens' 6-1 loss to Ottawa. He registered 15 goals and 28 points in 44 contests during the regular season and has accounted for two markers and 17 shots in three postseason matches so far.

In case you wondering, there won't be any changes to Montreal's crease for Game 4 on Tuesday night.
Carey Price will start again in goal after giving up six goals on 30 shots in Game 3 Sunday night. The Canadiens number one goalie has gotten off to a rough start in the postseason, while sporting a 1-2 record with a 3.69 goals-against average and an .879 save percentage.

Brian Gionta got back into Montreal's lineup Sunday night.
He missed Game 2 because of an upper-body injury. Gionta assisted on the Canadiens' lone goal in Sunday's 6-1 loss to Ottawa and he recorded three shots.

David Desharnais hasn't registered a shot on goal in Montreal's first-round series versus Ottawa after three games.
He contributed an assist in Game 1 and owns a plus-2 rating, but his lack of shots is concerning. Desharnais was practically invisible in Game 3 Sunday night, with four hits and a 41 percent efficiency rating on faceoffs. Look for him to try to step up in Game 4 on Tuesday.

Max Pacioretty returned to Montreal's lineup Sunday night after missing Game 2 with an upper-body injury.
He didn't have a point despite five shots in the Canadiens' 6-1 loss to Ottawa. "We got embarrassed," Pacioretty said. "It's time for everyone to look in the mirror and say we have to be better." His quick return has led to some speculation that he's playing a little banged up, but he's seemingly well enough to play and the Canadiens will need him to get back into the series, which they trail now 2-1.

Ryan White, who was fine to continue playing Sunday after it looked like he may have suffered an injury, helped begin a chippy third period against Ottawa.
His slash to the back of Zack Smith's legs kicked off a line brawl at center ice after the Senators had taken a 4-1 lead in the contest. White, who scored in Game 2, picked up 17 minutes in penalties in Game 3 and he trails teammate by four P.K. Subban (27) for the most PIMs in the NHL playoffs going into Monday's matches.

The Montreal Canadiens took 30 penalties for 129 minutes in Sunday's 6-1 loss to Ottawa.
P.K. Subban led all skaters with 25 minutes in the sin bin and his emotion boiled over long before he was given a game misconduct prior to the midway point of the third period. Subban was involved in a vocal and public disagreement with teammate Max Pacioretty over a bit of suicide pass, which resulted in the Montreal defenseman getting his bell rung a bit. It wasn't a good night for the dynamic rearguard, but if your fantasy playoff pool benefits from penalty minutes then Subban, Colby Armstron (15), Rene Bourque (10), Travis Moen (15), Jarred Tinordi (15), Ryan White (17) and Francis Bouillon (15) gave owners plenty of production Sunday night.

Michel Therrien was livid with Ottawa coach Paul MacLean at the end of Sunday's loss to the Senators.
MacLean used his timeout with 18 seconds remaining in a game where Ottawa had a 6-1 lead. "I've never seen that before," said Therrien. "It was 6-1. He was trying to humiliate us." MacLean used the timeout to try to settle his players and to protect them from any additional chippy plays, which dominated the third period after the Senators had taken a 4-1 lead. That much was made clear when four of his players didn't even line up alongside the Canadiens on the ensuing faceoff. "It was already dumb enough as it was . (I did what I did) In order to protect my players from actions instigated by the Montreal Canadiens," said MacLean. "I'm going to do that every time." The war of words between Therrien and MacLean has escalated since Eric Gryba's devastating hit on Lars Eller and last night's game added more fuel to the fire in what is quickly becoming a personal and nasty series.

Rene Bourque scored the only Montreal goal in a 6-1 loss at the hands of the Senators in Game Three of their Eastern Conference playoff series on Sunday.
The power play marker was the second tally of the postseason for Bourque, who added four shots on goal and 10 penalty minutes in the process. Brian Gionta and Tomas Plekanec picked up the assists on the lone Montreal goal in a brutal loss.

Carey Price was beaten six times on 30 shots Sunday as the Canadens were beaten by Ottawa by a score of 6-1 in Game Three of their opening round playoff series.
The final score is not indicative of the way Price played, as he held the Canadiens in a close game before the result got away from them. That won't stop the local media from pinning the blame on the young netminder, but their should be plenty to go around the locker room.

Canadiens forward Ryan White left Sunday's game against the Senators after suffering an apparent injury on a bodycheck.
White went straight to the Habs dressing room after taking the impact of the hit and has yet to return to the ice. We'll pass along more information as it becomes available.

To the delight of his teammates, Lars Eller visited his Montreal Canadiens teammates on Sunday.
While the word is that he's making progress, there's no real window for his return. It seems reasonable to say that he won't be back any time in the first round - maybe the playoffs overall - but you never know with hockey players in the postseason. Pretty safe to drop him, though.

The Montreal Canadiens announced that Max Pacioretty and Brian Gionta are game-time decisions in Game 3 on Sunday.
It's been a highly physical series against the Ottawa Senators, so Michel Therrien would be wise to be cautious about this situation. Then again, Pacioretty and Gionta are key fixtures so they'd likely love to have them in a crucial road game.

Rookie defenseman Jarred Tinordi is proving himself to be playoff-ready with his performance through two games.
Tinordi has yet to contribute offensively, but he's playing to his strength as he registered four hits and three blocked shots in Friday's win over the Senators. "I think the playoffs are good for my style," said Tinordi. "I'm not out there to score goals. I'm realizing what kind of defenseman I am and I'm comfortable playing in defensive situations." Like his father, former NHLer Mark, Tinordi adds an element of toughness to the blue line that any team would welcome.

Brian Gionta (upper-body injury) is hoping to take part in the Habs' optional skate Saturday afternoon.
His condition will be updated thereafter.

Max Pacioretty (upper body-injury) will likely participate in the Hab's optioinal skate Saturday afternoon.
The Canadiens have indicated that they will provide an update on injured players Pacioretty and Brian Gionta sometime after the workout Saturday afternoon.

Carey Price kicked away 29 of 30 shots as Montreal evened its first-round series with a 3-1 win against the Senators in Game 2 on Friday night.
Just what the Canadiens needed after Price struggled in Game 1 when he gave up four goals. It was the first time Price gave up fewer than two goals since April 6, a span of 10 games. Price has the talent to take the Habs far in the playoffs but he's still runs into spurts when he's very inconsistent. Now the series shifts to Ottawa at an arena where Price has a 1.91 goals-against average and .935 save percentage in.

Brendan Gallagher scored what proved to be the game-winner for the Canadiens in their 3-1 win over the Senators in Game 2 of their first-round series Friday night.
The little guy continues to be quite the menace, as he's now scored in his first two career playoff games and has goals in four straight tilts, dating back to the regular season. Even more impressive is that Gallagher keeps doing his damage without a ton of ice time, as he had 12:09 on Friday, still managing eight shots, four of which went on goal. Michael Ryder and Ryan White recorded the other goals for the Habs, who brought the series even after an emotional Game 1 that saw Lars Eller leave on a stretcher, bloodied and concussed. Brandon Prust, Rene Bourque, Alex Galchenyuk and P.K. Subban had the helpers.

Lars Eller (concussion) has been released from the hospital.
Eller had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher after Eric Gryba leveled him. Gryba has received a two-game suspension for his actions. In addition to a concussion, Eller temporarily lost consciousness and suffered facial fractures.

Ryan White is slated to remain in Montreal's lineup Thursday night when the Canadiens open the postseason against Ottawa.
He will center the fourth line between Brandon Prust and Travis Moen. The trio will obviously be counted on to bring some physical play to the table and to help keep Senators forward Chris Neil from running wild. White will play instead of Jeff Halpern.

Nathan Beaulieu and his father, OHL coach Jacques Beaulieu, are facing assault charges from an altercation Saturday at a house party.
Strathroy-Caradoc police say the father and son have each been charged with two counts of assault for an altercation following a charity golf tournament. They will have their case heard in court on June 11.

Max Pacioretty believes the Canadiens match-up well against the Ottawa Senators.
"They have a great system and they're all on board with playing the same way," Pacioretty said Tuesday. "I think we play very similar to them. We grind teams out for 60 minutes and that's the only way we have success. We know it's going to be a lot of close games, a lot of low-scoring games, hopefully, and it's not going to be easy." Three of the four meetings the two teams played during the regular season were decided by one goal with both clubs earning a win in the shootout.

Montreal coach Michel Therrien has full confidence in Carey Price heading into the playoffs.
"He's our best player and I believe he's going to be our best player when we get to the playoffs Thursday night," Therrien said Monday. "I really like the way he played his last two games. I saw the Carey Price that we know is capable of playing well. His confidence is there, the work ethic is there. The concentration is there. I have no doubt about Carey Price." Price played well in his last start of the regular season against Winnipeg, but before that he had one win in seven outings and didn't look very dependable in any of his losing efforts. It will be interesting to see which Price shows up in the playoffs and he is looking forward to getting a clean slate.

Lars Eller will enter the postseason on a high note.
He enjoyed an excellent game against Toronto in Saturday's regular season finale by posting one goal, two assists and a team-leading six hits. The three-point effort stretched his point streak to three games to close out the year. Eller has played well between rookies Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk down the stretch.

Jarred Tinordi has added some physicality to Montreal's lineup that has been absent since Alexei Emelin got injured.
"His physical presence is tough to match. At 6-6, he's a big, physical guy," said teammate Josh Georges after Saturday's win over Toronto. "I think after being sent down and coming back, he has a little more bite in this game. He wants to be a guy who has an impact and tonight he stepped up on the PK and had some big hits." He registered four hits and a plus-2 rating against the Leafs and had an assist, with a plus-1 rating, versus Winnipeg last Thursday. He will probably get the nod to start the playoffs on Montreal's blueline.

Andrei Markov had a goal and an assist on Saturday.
Markov had been limited to just 20 games in his previous two seasons and 65 contests in his previous three campaigns coming into 2013. However, he managed in play in all 48 of Montreal's games this season and was among the league's top defensemen with 10 goals and 30 points.

Ryan White played on Saturday after completing his five-game suspension.
White was being punished for his illegal hit to the head of Philadelphia's Kent Huskins. White finished the season with a goal and 67 penalty minutes in 26 games.

Ryan White was reinstated from his suspension on Saturday April 27.

Peter Budaj sticked away 16 shots in Montreal's 4-1 triumph over the Leafs on Saturday night.
Carey Price got the night off with Habs already in playoff position. Budaj likely won't be needed the rest of the way, but this was certainly a good confidence boost, regardless. The backup finishes with a 2.29 goals-against average and .908 save percentage.

Brendan Gallagher registered a goal and an assist in the Canadiens' 4-1 win over the Leafs on Saturday night.
Gallagher's rookie (regular) season ends on a high note. The 20-year-old was fantastic this season, ending with a rookie-high 15 goals and 28 points, which is second among rookies. Lars Eller had a goal and two helpers, while Andrei Markov also had a goal and an assist. Tomas Plekanec potted the other goal.

Updating an earlier item Peter Budaj will get the start against Toronto Saturday night.
Well that is a big surprise. The Canadiens must be concerned about Price's confidence given he let in four goals in five shots agsainst Toronto April 13th. The Habs better win and hope the Bruins lose at least one of their games in regulation time because otherwise they will play Toronto in the first round of the playoffs and Price will have to face his demons without any buffer game to build his ego.

If the game between the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs meant nothing, the Habs would likely have given veteran reargaurd Andrei Markov the night off.
However, that is not the case. The Habs still have a chance to win the Northeast Divsion and finish second in the Eastern Conference. Look for Markov to dress Saturday.

Look for Carey Price to get a chance to redeemn himself against the Maple Leafs Saturday night.
The Buds chased Price out of the net on April 13th with four goals on their first five shots. The Habs are hoping Price will rebound as it is likley the Leafs and Canadiens will sqaure off in the first round of the playoffs and they don't want to be worrying about their starting goalies' confidence level.

Brendan Gallagher has enjoyed a fine rookie season.
His 26 points rank second among rookies, while his 14 goals are tied for the most among them. "Nothing's really surprised me too much," Gallagher said of his rookie season. "I knew the NHL was going to be faster, against bigger guys. That was expected. My game's kind of been able to stay the same so that's something I've appreciated. Every night, you try to play the same way." It will be interesting to see how he performs in the playoffs. Regardless, he should be a very solid cog in fantasy lineups for years to come.

The Canadiens clinched home-ice advantage in the first round with their win Thursday.
Montreal is currently in fourth place with one game left to play -- and could wind up with the second seed if it wins and Boston gains no more than a point in its next two games.

David Desharnais scored a goal for the Canadiens in a 4-2 win over Winnipeg Thursday.
Desharnais has 10 goals on the season, but only 28 points in 47 contests. Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher and Rene Bourque also tallied for the Habs in the victory.

Carey Price blocked 23 of 25 shots Thursday as the Canadiens defeated Winnipeg by a score of 4-2.
Price has actually had a substandard season given how well the Canadiens have fared, but he's one of the safer bets in the fantasy game.

Jarred Tinordi was recalled to the Canadiens and will play immediately.
There's only two games left, but this is significant news. Tinordi only has six NHL games under his belt, but it's clear the Canadiens want to look at him before the playoffs start. That will come against the Jets on Thursday and Saturday at the Leafs. The team's 22nd-overall pick from the 2010 draft has a very real chance to carve out a postseason role if he impresses. No word yet on who will be removed from the lineup on Thursday. "I definitely didn't expect this, but it's definitely a good surprise," Tinordi said. Tinordi had 13 points in 67 AHL games this year, to go with one in the NHL.

Lars Eller potted his seventh goal of the season in Tuesday's loss to New Jersey.
He has tallied 25 points in 44 games for the Canadiens this season, which is close to his previous high of 28 points that he set last year.

Max Pacioretty scored for Montreal in the team's 3-2 loss to New Jersey Tuesday night.
His 14th marker of the year came on a Canadiens' power play from Raphael Diaz and David Desharnais. Pacioretty has earned a point in five straight games for the struggling Canadiens. Lars Eller had the team's other tally in the match with assists going to Rene Bourque and Alex Galchenyuk.

Carey Price allowed three goals on 24 shots in a 3-2 loss to New Jersey Tuesday.
Price has been hit with some hard times down the final stretch of the regular season and he's won only one of his past seven appearances. His recent slump has seen his save percentage dip to .904 and his goals-against average balloon to 2.60, but it's still hard to recommend benching him in the team's final two games.

Colby Armstrong (knee) will be back in the lineup Tuesday night.
Armstrong hasn't played since April 1 but declared himself fit to return after practice Monday. Travis Moen will be a healthy scratch Tuesday night to make room for Armstrong. Armstrong has two goals and five points in 35 games this season.