Music: {allcanada} OILERS (15-31-9) at CANADIENS (35-15-3)

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

{allcanada} OILERS (15-31-9) at CANADIENS (35-15-3)

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Thursday, February 12, 2015

7:30 PM ET

OILERS (15-31-9) at CANADIENS (35-15-3)

TV: SNW, SNE, RDS

Season series: Ben Scrivens made 29 saves for his seventh career shutout and Benoit Pouliot had a goal and an assist as the Edmonton Oilers won the first game against the Montreal Canadiens at Rexall Place. Nail Yakupov and Taylor Hall scored the other goals.

Oilers team scope: Several key players from that first game against Montreal are battling injuries. Hall (ankle) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday and could miss up to six weeks. Scrivens was unable to dress for a 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders because of a hamstring injury sustained late in a 2-1 win Monday against the New Jersey Devils. Viktor Fasth started and is likely to go again with Richard Bachman backing him up. Pouliot went on IR as well with a foot injury sustained Feb. 2 against the San Jose Sharks, the same night Hall was hurt, but he's eligible to be activated and was hopeful of playing Thursday. Forward Ryan Hamilton, who at 29 played in his 15th NHL game Tuesday, scored his first goal. Forward Iiro Pakarinen picked up his first NHL point with an assist on the power-play goal.

Canadiens team scope: Goaltender Carey Price and forward Tomas Plekanec took maintenance days and didn't practice Wednesday, according to the Montreal Canadiens website. Manny Malhotra centered the line with Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher in Plekanec's absence. Backup goalie Dustin Tokarski will start after Price made 23 saves in a 2-1 overtime win Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers. Price's 2.00 goals-against average and .933 save percentage lead the League. Tokarski started against the Oilers in Edmonton this season and made 16 saves on 18 shots. Forward PA Parenteau is making progress in his recovery from a concussion, coach Michel Therrien said, but he isn't ready to practice yet. The Canadiens have won three in a row to begin a stretch in which they play nine games in 15 days. "We have a busy calendar. I like it. It lets you move on quickly after a bad game," Galchenyuk said in comments tweeted by the team.