Another big-time test on the horizon

PITTSBURGH - Head coach Claude Julien and the rest of the Canadiens' coaching staff witnessed the firepower of the Penguins first-hand on Thursday night.

Mike Sullivan's squad lit the lamp seven times - including twice on the power play - in their season-opening 7-6 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena.
Julien fully expects his group to be put to the test again come Saturday night's tilt against captain Sidney Crosby and company.
"They're a team that does a lot of things offensively. We saw a lot of good movement. We saw a lot of good passes. They're very dangerous on the rush. We're aware of that," said Julien, whose squad is coming off a solid effort against the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier in the week. "We have to keep playing the same way. We definitely have to be good defensively against a team like that."

Following Friday's practice session, Julien wasn't about to reveal if he was planning to feature any lineup changes for the Canadiens' second and final stop on the current road trip.
Veterans Tomas Plekanec and Karl Alzner were both healthy scratches for the game against Toronto, as was youngster Nikita Scherbak.
At 35 years of age, Plekanec took Julien's decision to have him watch from the sidelines in stride.
"As a player going through different stages of your career, this is the one I'm going through right now. Of course, you want to be in the lineup. No question about that. But, I always try to be a pro about it, whatever happened through my career," said Plekanec, who remains two games shy of reaching the 1,000 games played mark for his NHL career. "I'm just going to try to be ready whenever I see my number on the board. When I'm in the lineup, I'll be ready to go."

Alzner is taking a similar approach to having missed his first game after suiting up for 622 straight contests - which was the fourth longest active streak in the NHL.
"That's going to happen at some point. I was kind of ready for it, but after a summer you want to be there to play and be with the guys," mentioned Alzner. "To start that way is tough, but I'm battle-ready for whenever my number is called again."

For his part, Scherbak is staying ready for his opportunity, too, of course.
"It's good [internal] competition. It's much needed. You've got to be ready every time to be in the lineup. You've got to bring your best," said the 22-year-old Russian winger. "All the players here have skill and speed. Everybody brings something to the table. I think it's good that there's competition. You have to bring 100 percent every game, every shift."
An update on Deslauriers
Back on September 18, Nicolas Deslauriers underwent surgery to repair a facial fracture.
According to Julien, there is still no timetable on his return.
"He was unable to eat hard food for a while. All that stuff comes into play [in terms of his return]," explained Julien. "When he's ready to play, we'll give him that opportunity. But, until then, I think we have to be cautious. We know that when he does come back, he'll be playing with a full visor."
Road advantage
While playing on home turf certainly has its advantages, beginning a brand new season on the road has certain perks as well - especially when it comes to building team unity.
"We didn't have that opportunity in the preseason. You often don't have your team together until the end. You often have two groups, so it's good to have everyone together for four solid days," said Julien. "We eat together. The players go out to dinner together. It's a good way to learn to get to know one another and start building chemistry with one another."