Max Pacioretty Suspensed for 3 Games

The NHL announced this evening that Habs forward Max Pacioretty has been suspended for 3 games for his hit to the head of Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang. The hit allegedly broke Letang's nose, though he returned to the game minutes later.

Here is Brendan Shanahan's explanation of the suspension:

Three games seems a little stiff for that hit. I had predicted 1-2, because while it was a hit to the head, I would disagree with Shanahan and his team about Letang's head. To me, it does move significantly as he shoots, after Pacioretty has committed to the hit. A 3 game suspension seems inconsistent with other recent non-suspensions by the league, including to Zack Bogosian and Milan Lucic.

It will be interesting to see how Martin fills the gap caused by Pacioretty's absence on this road trip. Smart money may be on the return of Andrei Markov for Thursday night's game to avoid starting him in a back-to-back. If that's the case, it'll likely be that Frederic St. Denis plays at forward Wednesday night, and is then pushed from the line-up to make room for Markov, with Yannick Weber shifting from defense to forward.

Your Canadiens for November 28, 2011

- The Canadiens take off for Anaheim at 1:00 PM this afternoon to begin a 3 game road trip through California. Wednesday night's game against Saku Koivu and his struggling Ducks begins at 10:00 PM Eastern.

- Good news in the injury department this morning. Chris Campoli joined his teammates for practice today, albeit wearing a non-contact jersey. Still another step forward. Also, Ryan White was seen back on skates for the first time this season, skating on his own on a separate rink in Brossard. White is recovering from sports hernia surgery and is still weeks away. Andreas Engqvist and Jaroslav Spacek joined White for the skate. This means everyone was on the ice except for Scott Gomez, who, thus, should not be expected to join the team on the Cali trip.

But perhaps the best news? Andrei Markov practiced on a regular pairing today, skating with Alexei Emelin! It sounds like his return is near! Yannick Weber found himself outside the top 6, skating with extra Frederic St. Denis. Great news that Jacques Martin is finally appreciating Emelin's play, and the Markov - Emelin pairing has very high potential. However, Markov later skipped out on a drill involving taking contact in the corners, which raises some doubt about his return date.

More fuel to the Markov / Emelin fire: Here were the powerplay lines from practice this morning:

Cammalleri - Desharnais - Cole

Markov - Subban

Pacioretty - Plekanec - Kostitsyn

Weber - Diaz

Lots to digest there! Again, Markov practicing in a "healthy" position. Tomas Plekanec no longer on the point on the powerplay! Finally! With the shift, the Lars Eller on the powerplay experiment seems to be over, at least for now. And Brian Gionta has also seen his spot cut, after being a -9 with no points in the last 3 games. But perhaps more interesting is that Yannick Weber, who appeared to be on the 4th defensive duo (meaning out of the line-up), practiced in a regular powerplay position. It is likely, then, that the Canadiens will dress 7 d-men for Markov's return, either holding Markov out for just limited minutes and the man advantage, or playing Weber at forward.

- Before the team leaves, Max Pacioretty will have a hearing by telephone with NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan. Pacioretty will have to explain himself for the hit that broke Kris Letang's nose on Saturday.

Will he be suspended? It's a tough call. Yes, it is a shot to Letang's head, so for that alone, we could see Pacioretty should get 2-3 games. However, given some of Shanahan's other decisions this season, there could also be an argument that Letang was leaning into a shot with his head down, and by the time he leans in, it is too late for Pacioretty to change the trajectory of his hit. As such, Shanny may rule no intent, and let Max escape unscathed this time around. My call would be a 2-game suspension, though the fact that Letang was back a couple of minutes later could work in Pacioretty's favour in lessening the punishment. Hoping he gets a break, though, as Saturday night he awoke from a couple game slump with a strong effort which he could build on in the coming week.

- The Washington Capitals have fired coach Bruce Boudreau and replaced him with Dale Hunter. How does this relate to the Habs other than the fact that they haven't fired Jacques Martin yet? Well, Dale Hunter was head coach of the London Knights and a big influence on prospect Jarred Tinordi. Fortunately, Dale's brother Mark, who worked with him, will take over as coach, so it shouldn't be a drastic change.

- Speaking of coaching changes, in a move that is sure to draw the ire of Habs fans towards Pierre Gauthier, the Carolina Hurricanes today fired coach Paul Maurice and hired former Habs Captain and assistant coach Kirk Muller to replace him. Many saw Muller as an eventual replacement for Jacques Martin in Montreal, so this move is somewhat frustrating.

- Per phenomenal French rumour site Dans Les Coulisses (http://www.danslescoulisses.com/site/sources/dlc-canadiens/2025-aujourdhui-chez-le-canadien--dale-hunter-dans-la-lnh--en-vrac.html), when the Habs charter takes off for Anaheim this afternoon, general manager Pierre Gauthier will be on board. It's not at all uncommon for a GM to travel to road games with his team, but one must also consider that given the performances of the Habs and Ducks up till now, both clubs could stand to make a move. Gauthier, who previously worked for the Ducks, has transacted with general manager Bob Murray quite frequently, so another deal is not out of the question.

- Prospect winger Danny Kristo had a big weekend for the University of North Dakota. His club was off to a tough start to the season but posted big wins on Friday and Saturday, with Kristo totaling 3 goals and 2 assists, now giving him 17 points in 14 games.

Also in the NCAA, Steve Quailer had a 3 point night, now at 11 points in 11 games, while Mac Bennett picked up 3 assists in 2 games, now with 13 points in 16 contests, besting last year's season total of 12 points.

- Hockey Canada unveiled today a list of 41 players who will take part in a selection camp in preparation for this December/January's World Junior Championship. Included on this list are Canadiens prospects Brendan Gallagher, Michael Bournival, and Nathan Beaulieu. The two forwards should be near-locks to make the squad, while Beaulieu will face tough competition to lock down a job on defense.

http://www.hockeycanada.ca/index.php/ci_id/181443/la_id/1.htm

Your Canadiens for October 3, 2011 (Updates from Collingwood)

While the Canadiens enjoy their secluded retreat in the Blue Mountain resort area of Collingwood, just outside of Toronto, we bring you minor updates prior to the opening of the NHL season. (for those wondering, having been there myself, Blue Mountain is to Toronto much like Mont Tremblant is to Montreal)

- Both Lars Eller and Chris Campoli skated with their teammates today. It is not impossible that one or both be in the line-up on Thursday against the Leafs. Campoli is the more likely of the two given that, contrary to earlier reports, Eller has not yet been cleared for full contact. He is expected to meet with doctors in Toronto last this week. Jacques Martin revealed, meanwhile, that Campoli did not suffer a concussion from the Ryan Malone hit, and did not experience any symptoms of post-concussion syndrome. All practice sessions during the retreat, held at Eddie Bush Arena, are closed to the public.

- As per Nick Kypreos, Brendan Shanahan and the National Hockey League have decided not to suspend Ryan Malone for his hit that knocked Chris Campoli out of Saturday night's game between the Habs and Lightning. Cue outrage and protest in Montreal. It was pretty borderline to say the least, especially when you consider how aggressive Malone had been all night long, plus the score of the game. With the harshness with which Shanahan has ruled up till now, one must wonder if this is the first sign of inconsistency in his rulings, that for which his predecessor Colin Campbell was most frequently criticized.

Here's Shanahan's official explanation, which makes little sense if you ask me:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=590940

So, no suspension because the player being hit DIDN'T have control of the puck? Shouldn't that make it worse?

(Yes, I realize this looks at only one side of Shanahan's explanation, omitting his actual rationale; this is simply my own opinion and disagreement with his conclusions)

- Michael Bournival is absolutely shredding the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League right now. He added 2 goals and an assist to his stat line last night in a 4-3 Shawinigan shootout win (though he was stopped on his shootout attempt). Bournival now has 9 goals and 2 assists in just 4 (yes, FOUR!) games played. The QMJHL leader, undrafted Anton Zlobin, currently has 11 goals, but has played 10 games, with all of the other top scorers also in the 8-11 game range (see the leader board HERE).

- Little discussed Habs 2011 draftee Magnus Nygren is off to a good start to his season in the Swedish Elite League. The 21-year old defenseman already has 4 goals and 1 assist in 7 games, while he had only 4 goals in 22 SEL games a year ago.

- Prospect Steve Qualier, hoping to rebound after injury derailed his development at Northeastern University last season, will miss the season opener due a team-imposed suspension. Allegedly it has something to do with off-ice issues from last year, but in either case it shouldn't cause him to miss many games. This comes after Michigan suspended one of their top blueliners in prospect John Merill for 11 games for violating team policies. The Merill suspension will open a door for Habs prospects Mac Bennett and Greg Pateryn to take on greater responsibility.

- Not Habs related, but first round pick Mark Scheifele appears to be sticking with the Winnipeg Jets (at least for a 9 game tryout), having signed a contract today. Canadiens fans will likely get to see him firsthand when the Jets host Montreal for their home opener next Sunday afternoon. Those who have read this site for a while know that Scheifele is one of the players I really hoped would fall to Montreal's pick, as many had projected was possible, but Winnipeg snatched him up far earlier than prognosticators had ranked him.

UPDATE: - Jacques Martin refused to let reporters in on any of the off-ice activities planned for the retreat in Collingwood, but based on a Tweet by P.K. Subban, it looks like paintball is one of them:

Risky activity for a team with as many injuries as the Habs? Either way, great to see Andrei Kostitsyn hanging with the leadership core of the team. Last week, Mike Cammalleri Tweeted a shopping pick that included Kostitsyn laughing alongside Scott Gomez. Fitting in with the team's leaders can only help Andrei have a good season.

For more info and photos from the retreat, see this story put up on Canadiens.com this afternoon:

http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=590931

- On the waiver wire today, a number of former members of the Montreal Canadiens organization including Alexandre Picard, Ryan Russell, Jay Leach, and Doug Janik. In the case of Russell, the fact that he is on waivers while (at least for now) Mike Blunden remains in Montreal shows good asset management on Pierre Gauthier's part from this summer's swap.

- A minor update on the health of Andrei Markov. Doctors continue to insist that his knee is gradually improving, and while Jacques Martin won't commit to a timeline for him to resume practicing with his teammates, he says a return to action during the month of October is not out of the question. Based on after-the-fact comments by Pierre Gauthier, saying that he knew all along Markov wouldn't be ready for day 1, and the fact that the Habs gave significant money over significant term to the defenseman, Canadiens fans hope and feel that Markov had certainly better be back in action before too long.