Two jobs for Marco Marciano, the Patrik Laine bridge, and the Bell Centre effect

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Two jobs for Marco Marciano, the Patrik Laine bridge, and the Bell Centre effect
Credit: Cook

Marco Marciano was named interim goaltending coach of the Canadiens yesterday morning.

Naturally, we wonder who will take his place in Laval. Names are circulating, but we still don't know who will be coaching Jacob Fowler for the rest of the season.

Craig Button, appearing on Tony Marinaro's Sick Podcast, raised the possibility that Marciano could take on both roles in the very short term… with Montreal taking priority, of course.

The Olympic break will give Marciano a chance to catch his breath.

But no matter who is appointed down below, we can expect Marciano to closely “supervise” what happens in Laval by staying in constant communication with his future replacement to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

After all, the Rocket and habs coaches already talk to each other on a regular basis, and this will be even more important once a new goaltending coach is found.

The transition will keep Marciano very busy between now and the end of the season. I imagine he won't be taking too many days off because he'll have a lot of work to do.

The same absentees

Let's talk about tonight's game.

Ahead of the day game, Martin St-Louis announced that he won't be making any changes. That means Jayden Struble will miss his third straight game.

Since Kaiden Guhle's return, the American defenseman has missed all but three games… including the one Guhle was left out of to catch his breath.

Jakub Dobes will once again be in goal.By the way, when will the two habs goalies and the new goalie coach speak publicly?

On offense, it will be more of the same. Samuel Blais will miss his sixth consecutive game, and Joe Veleno will be out for a third straight game tonight against the Nordiques.

I say the Nordiques because that's the topic of the day in the media.

That completes the list of healthy players who won't be playing. I say that because Alex Newhook, even though he skated again, is not close to returning… and because Patrik Laine is officially still injured.

Martin St. Louis made it very clear this morning. He'll cross that bridge when he comes to it.

Obviously, for the coach, that's the right thing to say. Everyone understands that the Finn's situation is problematic, but since he hasn't been activated, thecoach is playing it safe publicly.

We'll see what Kent Hughes does with this issue in the coming days.

The Bell Centre, still at the top

It's no longer a surprise at this point, but people who visit the Bell Centre love the experience. The Athletic writers and hockey fans agree: the Bell Centre is the best arena in the NHL.

This is no surprise: the fans create a great atmosphere.

Remember that tonight's game against the Avalanche will be the last home game before the Olympic break. The guys need to take advantage of this opportunity to finish strong.

Not taking advantage of such an opportunity, as has happened too often in the past for the Canadiens, is not ideal.


Overtime

– What do you think?

– We're still talking about Evgeni Malkin's future.

– Oh yeah?

– The Olympic ice rink is taking shape.

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