It's time to get tough! After only one game Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien has decided to bench Lars Eller. Prior to the start of the season Therrien spoke about wanting to see Eller elevate his game to a new level. The head coach was not happy with the lack of intensity the Danish centerman showed on Saturday night against Toronto. Therrien was asked in French why he benched Eller after only one game. His response was a simple "pas temps de niaiser" which translates in English to, "there is no time to fool around". Michael Blunden and Yannick Weber make up the other two healthy scratches for tonight's game against Florida.
This will be a very special game for Brendan Gallagher, who will be playing his first regular season NHL game. Unfortunately his parents won't be able to make it to Montreal to watch his debut. Alex Galchenyuk will be playing at centre with Gallagher and Brandon Prust at left wing. Prust will be playing a special role tonight, as Gallagher and Galchenyuk have named him the babysitter of their line. Therrien realized it was important to have a veteran presence like Prust on that rookie line. He is a player who isn't afraid of making others pay for disrespecting his teammates - especially these two young guns.
Tonight's line-up vs. Florida:
Pacioretty - Desharnais - Cole
Bourque - Plekanec - Gionta
Prust - Galchenyuk - Gallagher
Moen - White - Armstrong
Gorges - Diaz
Markov - Emelin
Kaberle - Bouillon
Power play:
1st unit: Pacioretty - Desharnais - Cole - Markov - Kaberle
2nd unit: Bourque - Plekanec - Gionta - Bouillon/Gorges - Diaz
