Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin said there has never been any doubt about forward Sergei Kostitsyn’s skill level.

There was no question about his work ethic Wednesday night as he assisted on three goals, including the overtime winner in the Canadiens’ 6-5 win over the Washington Capitals.

Kostitsyn controlled the puck along the boards and then found Tomas Plekanec in front to set up the deciding goal with 7.5 seconds remaining in overtime.

“It wasn’t too hard to put it in,” Plekanec said.

“I think the other night against Vancouver he played a strong game. We all know he’s a great player and when his work ethic is there, we’re going to win a lot of games.”

The word character was tossed around a lot and Martin said he wasn’t going to dwell on the fact the Canadiens lost a 5-2 lead in the third period.

Click here to read the full article – By Pat Hickey of Montreal Gazette

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Here’s an example of what kind of season the Canadiens have been experiencing: Matt D’Agostini was recalled from a conditioning assignment in Hamilton but, when he reported to the Canadiens on Monday, he was in no condition to practise.

D’Agostini, who was recalled ahead of schedule because of the knee injury to Michael Cammalleri, is expected to play Tuesday night against the Vancouver Canucks (7:30 p.m., RDS, CJAD Radio-800), but general manager Bob Gainey has the Bulldogs on speed dial in case another player is needed.

The only update on Cammalleri’s condition was a confirmation that he suffered an injury to his right knee when he was checked by Ottawa defenceman Anton Volchenkov Saturday. He has undergone an MRI examination and met with a doctor on Monday.

TSN reported that he has damage to the medial collateral ligament and will be out for six to eight weeks. The most optimistic outlook has him on the sidelines until after the Olympic break. Coach Jacques Martin was hard-pressed to remember a season in his long coaching experience when a team missed so many key players. Cammalleri joins an injured list which includes forward Andrei Kostitsyn and defencemen Paul Mara and Jaroslav Spacek.

“We had a stretch in November when we were missing Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta and Andrei Markov and we did okay because we played well defensively and we played as a team,” said Martin, referring to a 4-1-1 stretch in mid-November.

Click here to read the full article – By of Montreal Gazette

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To the pantheon of great Montreal Canadiens please welcome … Tom D’Agostini, Jay Leach and Tom Pyatt?

Hey, you work with what you have, and the Habs are trying to stay afloat near .500 with a patchwork roster that has leaned on a number of callups for injured starters.

That will put them at something of a disadvantage again tonight when they play the near-healthy Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre.

Names such as Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez, Andrei Markov and Andre Kostitsyn have been shelved in recent days.

“We’ve taken a beating lately,” said ex-Leaf defenceman Hal Gill, who himself is trying to make it back from a hairline foot fracture by tonight.

Click here to read the full article – By Montreal Gazette

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The notion among most hockey people is this: Stop a guy named Alexander Ovechkin, and you’ll stop the Washington Capitals.

So here’s a bulletin for you: the Canadiens didn’t stop Ovechkin last night. Not by a longshot in this 4-3 shootout win by the Capitals. However, Carey Price did with a couple of splendid stops in the second period – after Ovechkin scored in the first period. And he stopped him again in the shootout when the Capitals sent the game into overtime with only 11.4 seconds remaining in regulation,

Ovechkin’s industry last night (eight shots on the net, eight of his shots blocked and two missed the net) normally would have been enough for the Capitals to leave the Bell winners in regulation.

Washington, after all, had scored the game’s first two goals on their second and third shots, but the game-saver (well, almost) on this night was when Ovechkin swept in alone on Price in the second minute of the second period – and was stopped. What I’m really saying is that a Canadiens team which didn’t play well in the first period and down three goals before the second period was two minutes old, likely would not have been able to come back even against a Capitals bunch which could have used a stimulus package last night.

Click here to read the full article – By Montreal Gazette

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When the Habs’ training camp was drawing to a close, Yannick Weber knew he was starting the season with the Hamilton Bulldogs.

He also knew that he would be rejoining the Canadiens at some point this season.

“There are always injuries,” he said. “I just have to go to Hamilton, play hard and wait for the call.”

It’s safe to say that he didn’t expect the call to come so soon.

The Canadiens recalled Weber yesterday as they scrambled to cope with the loss of defencemen Andrei Markov and Ryan O’Byrne.

Click here to read the full article – By Pat Hickey of Montreal Gazette

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The hits just kept on coming for the Maple Leafs last night at the Air Canada Centre. Unfortunately, so did the penalties.

The much trumpeted feistiness attached to an off-season bulk up came with a price in a 4-3 overtime loss to their arch-rival Montreal Canadiens.

The Habs scored a pair of power-play goals, including Glen Metropolit’s clever tip-in with 4:10 left in regulation. That allowed Josh Gorges to stun the opening-night crowd of 19,617 just 13 seconds before the game would have gone to a shootout.

While the pummelling and the standing up for each other was admirable, the costly Leafs penalties were the loudest thud on this much-anticipated curtain-raiser to the season.

Click here to read the full article – By Rob Longley of Toronto Sun

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Canadiens defenceman Andrei Markov will be sidelined for four months after undergoing surgery Thursday night in Toronto to repair a lacerated tendon in his left ankle suffered during the team’s National Hockey League season opener in Toronto.

Markov was cut on the ankle by Carey Price’s skate as the goaltender scrambled to get back into position seconds before the Maple Leafs scored their third goal of the game in the third period of Thursday night’s 4-3 overtime victory. Markov was released from hospital this morning and is on his way back to Montreal.

Click here to read the full article – By Pat Hickey of Montreal Gazette

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Canadiens face the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre.

Both teams have elected to delay the selection of a captain for the coming season. The Canadiens have spent the past three days northwest of Toronto getting to know each other better, but head coach Jacques Martin said he doesn’t know the players well enough to entrust one of them with a “C”.

“The feeling was, being new to the organization – myself, our coaches, a lot of the players are new to the organization, I felt it was wise to give us some time to evaluate the people we have on hand,” Martin said. “We feel we have several individuals who bring leadership, and we’re very comfortable having several individuals with “A’s” and other people serving in a leadership group.”

The Canadiens announced last night that the three assistant captains will be Andrei Markov, Brian Gionta and Hal Gill.

Click here to read the full article – By Pat Hickey of Montreal Gazette

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The Montreal Canadiens have signed forward Guillaume Latendresse and defenseman Shawn Belle to one-year deals Wednesday.

Latendresse had 26 points (14 goals, 12 assists) and 45 penalty minutes in 56 games with Montreal last season. It will be Latendresse’s fourth season with the Habs. He has 82 points (46 goals, 36 assists) with 133 penalty minutes in 209 regular-season games with Montreal. Belle had 13 points last season with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, where he had a plus-19 rating and 93 penalty minutes in 60 games.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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After spending his entire 13-year career in Montreal, Saku Koivu will be calling Orange County his home as the Anaheim Ducks have signed the free agent centre to a one-year, $3.25 million contract.

Koivu, 34, had been the Canadiens’ second-longest serving captain. His nine seasons with the ‘C’ trailed only the legendary Jean Beliveau, who was captain for 10 seasons.

The move to Anaheim reunites Koivu with fellow countryman Teemu Selanne. The duo helped Finland earn a silver medal at the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.

Click here to read the full article – By TSN.ca