Brother versus brother; scoring leader versus scoring leader; captain versus captain.
Tonight, Montreal visits Minnesota to take on the Wild for the first time this season. This game represents the first time in 17 years that two brothers face each other as captains of their respective teams.
Saku always looks forward to playing against his younger brother Mikko, but tonight’s match will be a little extra magical. “We only play each other once a year, so that makes it special,” Saku said. “We’ve only met twice before. It’s going to be an exciting night, but when you’ve been around for a while it’s just one of the (82) games.” Mikko leads his team with 13 points, including a league leading 12 assists. Saku is tied for the Montreal scoring lead with 10 points, tied with teammate Andrei Markov.
In the Habs last game Tuesday night, Roman Hamrlik left in the 3rd period with an injury. While blocking a hard shot, Roman suffered a gash to his leg. He hopes to play tonight, but the decision will ultimately fall on head coach Guy Carbonneau today.
Habs Notes: The Canadiens paid tribute to 3 past head coaches, in a pre-game ceremony before last Tuesday’s game against Carolina. Recognized for their past coaching excellence in Montreal were Dick Irvin Sr., Hector “Toe” Blake and William “Scotty” Bowman….Tonight’s game represents the 2900th road game for Montreal.