head coach: Alain Vigneault

roster: C - Saku Koivu, Marc Bureau, Vincent Damphousse, Scott Thornton. LW - Shayne Corson, Martin Rucinsky, Benoit Brunet, Terry Ryan, Brian Savage, Patrick Poulin. RW - Mark Recchi, Mick Vukota, Turner Stevenson, Valeri Bure. D - Vladimir Malakhov, Stephane Quintal, Patrice Brisebois, Brett Clark, Peter Popovic, Craig Rivet, Igor Ulanov, Eric Houde. G - Jocelyn Thibault, Andy Moog.

injuries: Valeri Bure, lw (concussion, day-to-day); Igor Ulanov, d (knee injury, out for season); Saku Koivu, c (strained rib cartilage, day-to-day); Shayne Corson, lw (strained groin, day-to-day); Sebastien Bordeleau, c (bruised testicles, day-to-day).

transactions: 01/15 : Stephane Richer, rw, David Wilkie, d, and Darcy Tucker, c, were traded to Tampa Bay in exchange for Mick Vukota, lw, Igor Ulanov, d, and forward Patrick Poulin, lw. 01/21 : Jassen Cullimore joined Richer, Wilkie and Tucker in Tampa Bay after being selected by Tampa off waivers. 01/23: Eric Houde and Brett Clark recalled from Fredericton (AHL). 01/24 : Terry Ryan recalled from Fredericton in the absence of Benoit Brunet who suffered back spasms after the loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

standings:

Eastern Conference - Northeast Division
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
Pittsburgh   50  26  15   9    61  138  114
Montreal     51  26  18   7    59  153  124
Boston       49  21  19   9    51  122  121
Ottawa       50  20  22   8    48  116  121
Buffalo      48  19  21   8    46  117  122
Carolina     51  19  26   6    44  127  144

game results:

01/12 at Tampa        W 6-3
01/14 at Philadelphia T 3-3
01/21 Boston          W 4-2
01/24 Florida       L 4-3
01/25 New Jersey      L 3-1

team news:

by Jacques Robert, Montreal Correspondent

NEW HABS, POULIN AND VUKOTA, ARE VERY IMPRESSIVE

The Montreal Canadiens ought to look into purchasing an.... airline company! Vigneault's boys don't let trades and injuries - which involve a great deal of travels between Montreal, Fredericton and Carolina - get the better of them: they keep winning important games against big shots (Philadelphia, Boston). However, one problem remains: again this season, injuries that affect key offensive Canadiens players (Corson, Koivu) caused two bad defeats. And, add to that a lack of discipline (versus Carolina) and an obvious inability to control the puck in the neutral zone (against New Jersey).

However, a great system is definitely being played by Damphousse's teammates. It made it easy for new addition Patrick Poulin, 24, to adjust to the Habs as he scored his first goal in the Canadiens jersey against Boston and the second, the next day, in matinee, when entertaining Carolina. He! Not bad for this Quebec native forward who only had two goals and seven assists in 44 games this season! That success can be attributed to the fact that Les Canadiens show a great deal of team spirit. Thanks to that, Ulanov, Vukota and Poulin have an easy time adjusting to Vigneault's system as the season is in full swing.

GM Reggie Houle Made a Great Deal

All that said, let's talk about the trades that sent Richer, Tucker and Wilkie in Carolina. Undoubtedly, Les Canadiens got the upper hand in this trade. Even though Ulanov joined the team clinic earlier than expected, Poulin's performances are very encouraging for the future. As for Ulanov and Vukota - who won his first fight against Carolina's Stu Grimson - no doubt they will bring along the toughness that Wilkie and Tucker failed to deliver.

As a matter of fact, Poulin's short-handed goal against Boston turned out to be the winner. The down side of this game: Ulanov was severely injured after colliding with teammate Popovic at center ice.

To make things look even worse, Boston opened the score on that play... Well, it was written in the sky that Montreal would have to pay the price if it wanted to get away with the victory: Bordeleau, Corson and Bure left the game in the second period. But, what matters most is that Montreal outshot Boston (33-19), a tough Eastern conference squad and, above all, they won at home which is a rare event this season.

Too Many Injured, Undisciplined Players Caused Defeats

Prior to entertaining the Carolina Hurricanes, Alain Vigneault, whose team was running a four-game unbeaten string at that time, scratched his head wondering if he could find 21 healthy players for the next two games scheduled in matinees (Valeri Bure, Igor Ulanov, Saku Koivu, Shayne Corson, Sebastien Bordeleau were out). As a result, Damphousse's teammates lost at the hands of Carolina after leading by two goals (3-1). Furthermore, key Canadien players (Malakhov, Rucinsky, Damphousse, Manson, Quintal) spent too much time in the penalty box. And three dumb penalties allowed the opponents to score two power-play goals. What a mess! It was the first time this season Montreal lost at home with a two-goal lead going into the third period...

Recchi: 100th goal in Montreal

For Alain Vigneault, playing New Jersey was a good opportunity to prove that Sunday's defeat was just accidental. But Recchi - still left without Corson and Koivu on the first line - could not turn things around even though he scored his 100th goal for Les Canadiens. Now, New Jersey holds a 3-0-0 edge against Montreal. Needless to say that without Koivu, Corson and Bure, Montreal cannot compete against the favorites like the Devils who took advantage of turnovers.

As far as players' performances are concerned, Damphousse is on a good momentum since he has the longest point-scoring streak this season with four goals and eleven assists over seven games. In some ways, along with Rucinsky (4 goals, 5 assists) and Brian Savage (6 goals, 5 assists) Captain Vinnie makes up for the first line inefficiency: before entertaining Carolina, Koivu and Corson produced only two goals in five games.

Good news: Koivu, Bure and Corson are set to come back this week... before heading to Nagano for the Olympics... No rest for the Stars, he!

ON MY NOTE PAD

Habs Are... American Free
With David Wilkie gone, the Montreal Canadiens roster no longer includes an American born player. Only European and Canadian players make up the 97-98 roster.

Pat Burns: a Man with a Big Heart
Pat Burns is definitely a true Montrealer! In a gesture of generosity, he showed his affection for Montrealers - those who are still out of power after the ice storm - by bringing two generators from the Boston area. Nice gesture Pat, after one of the worst natural disaster ever suffered by the province of Quebec!

Patrick Poulin...a Nordiques Fan
Surprisingly, as a young boy living in Quebec city, Poulin was not a Montreal fan dreaming of being "un Glorieux" someday. Ironically, if Poulin continues to play like he did over his first three games in The Canadiens uniform, he might become the attraction of the "keg" in the near future.

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