from Luke Fox of Sportsnet,

A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and satirical, and rolling four lines deep.

1. Daniel Briere (concussion), Brandon Prust (shoulder), Max Pacioretty (hamstring), George Parros (concussion), Douglas Murray (upper body), and Alexei Emelin (knee) are all out of the Montreal Canadiens’ lineup. This is a club that has played eight games and is led in scoring by a defenceman. They face some West Coast monsters this week as they host the Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks — the two teams who, in October, appear the most complete.
This is an important stretch for what’s left of the Habs’ group. Leave the Bell Centre with a strong home stand, and they’ll feel like world beaters. Fall from seventh in the East to ninth, and they’ll feel like the odds are rigged against them.

2. Martin St. Louis will not die. The Tampa Bay Lightning captain remains in the top 10 in scoring, tied in points with teammate Steven Stamkos and Alex Ovechkin (10). At age 38, he’s playing more than 20 minutes a game and is a big reason Tampa is in seventh place. Many view St. Louis as a Team Canada bubble guy for some reason. He shouldn’t be. On the weekend, he played through a reported foot injury against Boston. Neither his desire nor his skill has waned.

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