The Montreal Canadiens are just two losses from seeing their season end, and there might be changes on the way as the Eastern Conference finals shift to New York.
The Habs trail the Rangers 2-0 in the conference finals, and they’ll look to get their first win of the series on Thursday night in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden. Montreal may feature a different look with their lineup when that game begins.
Winger Thomas Vanek, who has struggled mightily this postseason, skated with the fourth line at practice Wednesday, according to Sportsnet.ca. Joining Vanek on that line were Brandon Prust on the other wing and Daniel Briere in the middle. Vanek has been under fire lately after going missing in the series’ first two games.
Vanek has yet to register a point in the series and is a minus-3 through the first two games. He took a penalty in Game 2, and he’s registered just one shot on goal against the Rangers. Vanek has already seen fourth-line time in these playoffs, as he was demoted mid-game in Game 2 against the Boston Bruins last series.
The Canadiens won’t be making any changes between the pipes, though. Head coach Michel Therrien revealed Tuesday that Dustin Tokarski will start Game 3 for the Habs. The 24-year-old rookie made his Stanley Cup playoffs debut in Game 2. He was far from Montreal’s biggest problem, as he stopped 27 of the 30Â shots he faced in the loss to New York.
Photo via Twitter/@NHL
