Game Day - Canadiens @ Blues

ST. LOUIS - The Canadiens skated at the Scottrade Center on Tuesday morning in preparation for their game against the Blues, which will close out their season-long five-game road trip.

• Following the on-ice session, head coach Michel Therrien confirmed that Al Montoya will get the start in goal on Tuesday night. It will mark his first start since November 18 in Carolina. Carey Price made seven consecutive starts before the Canadiens' bench boss elected to give him the night off.
  "It was important for us that Al play at least one game on this trip. Carey's been our starter for seven games in a row. We had a plan in mind, and we're sticking to it," said Therrien, who will see Montoya go up against Blues netminder Jake Allen at the other end of the rink.
  Montoya holds a 3-3-1 record, 3.13 goals-against average, and a .903 save percentage in seven starts so far this season.
  - The loss of Alex Galchenyuk due to injury was a big topic of conversation in the Canadiens' dressing room on Tuesday morning. The players had their first chance to address the news that their top goal-scorer and point-getter was sidelined indefinitely after suffering a lower-body injury on December 4 in Los Angeles.
  "It's a big opportunity for our group. We've had to face adversity before in years past and obviously Chucky is a big part of this team, but I think when a guy like that goes out, it's a big opportunity for other guys to step up and fill the role," said captain Max Pacioretty. "It's important for us to play well tonight and have a little bit more jump in our step to try and show that we have the depth that we feel we have in this organization."

• While the Canadiens didn't feature any forward lines at the morning skate, it's likely that David Desharnais will be the player charged with filling in for Galchenyuk in between Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov up front.
  Based on Desharnais' performance in the Canadiens' most recent outing in Southern California, Pacioretty believes the veteran centerman should be a good fit.
  "Davey's been playing really well as of late. You saw last game, in my opinion, it was probably one of his best in a couple of years. I feel like he was all over the puck, protecting it, had great patience, and that's really encouraging to see," praised Pacioretty. "I know when a guy like Galchenyuk goes down, we need people to step up, especially through the middle."

Like Pacioretty, Therrien is confident Desharnais can handle the assignment.
"He can really feed his wingers well. That's one of his strengths. David's been playing some very inspired hockey lately. He's very fast and good with the puck," mentioned Therrien, before confirming that the three forwards would, in fact, be paired together on the top power play unit.
- With a 7-2-1 record in their last 10 games - and an 11-1-3 record on home turf - there's no denying that the Blues present a formidable challenge on Tuesday night.
"Like the last three teams we faced, the Blues are a really well-structured team. They play a heavy brand of hockey. We'll have to play with a lot of speed. It's important for us to dictate the rhythm of the game quickly," said Therrien, knowing full-well that the Blues have plenty of firepower in their lineup both up front and on the back end, including forwards Vladimir Tarasenko and David Perron, and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, among others.
Phillip Danault expects Ken Hitchcock's club to be on top of their game once again.
"They've got a lot of guys with experience. They have good players who play intense hockey. They have a lot of skill, too. Two really good top lines, or really four excellent lines, and good defensemen," mentioned Danault. "They have a lot of depth. It should be a good, intense game."
- Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on Sportsnet East and RDS, as well as on TSN Radio 690 and 98,5 fm.