Tonight, the Canadiens hope to bounce back against last Saturday night’s loss to Anaheim, with a win against the Carolina Hurricanes at home. The defeat was the first in the teams’ last 5 games. The Hurricanes are on the 5th game of a 6 game road trip, and already have 5 regulars out of their lineup: Joni Pitkanen, rookie forward Brandon Sutter, Scott Walker, Frantisek Kaberle and Justin Williams .
Head coach Guy Carbonneau has the luxury of working with a full & healthy lineup today, as the last member on the injured list, Andrei Kostitsyn, has received clearance from the doctors to resume playing. The early indications indicate that Carbonneau will make Patrice Brisebois, George Laraque and Steve Bégin healthy scratches.
The Hurricanes have had a great deal of success playing against Montreal on the road, with a 9-0-0 record since the 2004-05 lockout. Starting goalie Cam Ward also has a 7-0 record when playing in Montreal.
Habs Notes: Andre Markov has scored at least one assist in each of the Canadiens’ first seven games. This streak established a new team record for defencemen to start an NHL season….AHL Farm hand Mathieu Carle, who has been injured since the early part of the preseason with a concussion, was sent down to Hamilton after getting medical clearance to return to the ice.