MORNING SKATE NOTES
Defenseman Sean Durzi is back in the lineup for his first game since Oct. 11 and he’ll play with Ian Cole. Dmitri Simashev will not play tonight.
The lineup remains the same from the last game.
Durzi’s Back
After missing 21 games with an upper-body injury, Durzi is back in the lineup. His d-partner discussed his impact following morning skate.
“Offensive touch,” Tourigny said of Durzi’s impact. “It’s puck movement, his shot, his read of the play offensively. But as well, I think he brings a lot of passion to the game. He brings a lot of energy. He’s a really competitive kid. He wants to make a difference, so we’re happy to have him back.”
“He’s a great player,” Cole said of Durzi. “Highly skilled, likes to get up and go, and go in the offense, and go roam and do his thing. We want him to do that, those are all things we want him to do. He’s a great leader for us. He’s a great piece of the puzzle … he is a huge asset for us and we’re thrilled to have him back.”
Limiting Their Opportunities
When these teams played in Montreal, it was a close battle of speed and skill. However, the Canadiens were opportunistic with their offense in the third period to secure the win. Cole discussed how the Mammoth need to play against their opponent tonight.
“Lots of skill, fast, likes to make plays, that’s Montreal in a nutshell,” Cole explained. “A very good team, had a great start. We were a little disappointed in how we reacted to the last game we played against them. We thought we had a good start to the game, and then we kind of let it fall by the wayside and deviated from that. I think for us, it’s not deviating, it’s staying the course. It’s knowing what they like to do, how they like to play, and trying to shut that down. Inevitably when we get turnovers, attack back the other way.”