Lines, defense pairings and updates - April 1
Jordan Harris will make his NHL debut on Saturday night against the Lightning
SHOP: Cole Caufield\ Blue Socks
Here are the lines and defense pairings featured by interim head coach Martin St-Louis:
Quick hits
Brendan Gallagher joined the team in Tampa and practiced with the rest of the group. He hasn't played since March 17 when he suffered a lower-body injury against the Stars.
Tweet from @CanadiensMTL: GA!LLA!GHER!WEE!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/qZwszjKPvg
During his press conference, St-Louis confirmed that Jordan Harris will make his NHL debut on Saturday night against the Lightning at Amalie Arena. Chris Wideman will be a healthy scratch.
St-Louis also confirmed that Ryan Poehling will return to the lineup after recovering from an upper-body injury. It will mark his first game since March 13 versus the Flyers.
Harris: "Talk about getting thrown into the fire"
Harris was all smiles after Friday's workout - and with good reason.
The 21-year-old defenseman hoped to play his first game for the Canadiens on the current road trip, and everything has fallen into place.
"I'm very excited. It's a dream come true," said Harris, shortly after St-Louis revealed the news. "It's all just going by quickly. I'll try to take it all in. I've been talking to my parents and my brother, figuring out accommodations and everything like that."
Video: Jordan Harris on making his NHL debut
The fact that he'll be facing the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions definitely isn't lost on the Northeastern University product, who recently completed his senior campaign before signing a two-year, entry-level contract with Montreal.
He relishes the challenge of going head-to-head with some of the League's top stars.
"Talk about getting thrown into the fire, but I'm very excited about that," mentioned Harris. "They're a very talented team. I'm just going to try to do my best out there to help."
Tweet from @CanadiensMTL: Faits saillants de l'entra��nement d'aujourd'hui!Practice highlights!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/GEwI7cMS7X
The key differences between the NCAA and NHL game have quickly become apparent to the former third-round selection with just a few on-ice sessions under his belt.
"Definitely the speed and the strength and intensity of the battles in the corners, it's a step up from college, along with the skill level and the ability of guys to make plays. Just everything has to pick up a little bit quicker," explained Harris. "I've been fortunate enough to watch a couple of games and get a couple of practices. That's helped a lot, and I'm very grateful for that."
The Haverhill, MA native credits his new teammates for easing the transition along.
Harris says constant communication has been a huge plus.
"We were doing a drill and Mike Hoffman came up to me and started talking about switches in the D zone and just what to look for. Wideman has come over and been like "Hey, how's everything going? How are you picking it all up?" That meant a lot, honestly," shared Harris. "Any questions I've had, they've been answered right away. They've been great with that."
St-Louis didn't confirm Harris' defense partner versus Jon Cooper's squad, but indicated that it would be a veteran.
Caufield: "It feels good to get that recognition"
Cole Caufield was named the NHL's "Rookie of the Month" for March on Friday.
The 21-year-old winger led all rookies with seven goals and 15 points in 15 games.
It's the most points by a Habs rookie in a single calendar month since Michael Ryder amassed 16 points (7 goals, 9 assists) in 14 appearances in January 2004.
"It means a lot. Obviously with the year we've had, it hasn't been the greatest at times, but to find positives in this long season is kind of the way to go and kind of how I'm looking at it," said Caufield. "It feels good to get that recognition."
Video: Cole Caufield on winning NHL Rookie of the Month
To say that the University of Wisconsin product has thrived under St-Louis would be an understatement.
But the Hall of Famer isn't taking full credit for the youngster's turnaround.
"He's been his own evolution, so to speak. He cleared his mind and just realized that he hadn't forgotten how to play hockey. He's playing with a lot of jump. I wouldn't say that it's me that got Cole going, I think Cole got Cole going," said St-Louis. "My job now is - "How do I get Cole to the next level?" I didn't get Cole to where he is right now. I'm going to try to get Cole to the next level. Cole got to where he is the last month-and-a-half, not me."
Tweet from @CanadiensMTL: Goal Caufield 😌#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/NnlHGbsx4u
Caufield and Nick Suzuki will have a new linemate against Tampa Bay in Rem Pitlick.
And Pitlick certainly has a fan in Caufield.
"He's been unbelievable for us ever since he got here," praised Caufield. "To have a playmaker like that, he sees the ice really well and kind of sees things before they happen, so it'll be really nice to play with him and hopefully we can find each other."
Pitlick has 20 points (7 goals, 13 assists) in 32 games since being claimed off waivers from Minnesota in January.
