Newsday Beat Reporter:
Lingering aches (knee, hip, groin, hamstring) prompted coach Tom Renney to tell Brendan Shanahan to take the afternoon off.
Ryan Callahan, summoned from Hartford, where he has been since Jan. 3, will skate in his spot aside Brandon Dubinsky and Sean Avery.
"When he came off (after practice yesterday), there was discomfort for sure and skepticism on this part," said Renney, "and I said, 'I think we'd better play it safe here.This is my call and we see how you are by the time we get to the plane, and it wasn't any better."
Renney said healing "might take time...we'll call it day-to-day, I think he's hoping he'll be OK for Tuesday. He's important to us."
In Hartford, Callahan was "assertive, (we want him to) get pucks to the net and handle the puck and make his plays. He's always been a responsible two-way player. We wanted him to generate a little more and feel good about his game."
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After watching the Canadiens beat the Isles 4-1 yesterday, Renney said: "You just can't give these guys the puck, can't give them outnumbered rushes; they have no hesitation moving the puck up right away. They don't try something really neat, they just move it up. To me that's the trick. We'v got to make sure we take that away from them. They played yesterday...Our start is gonna be important....I think our effort coming back is as important as going up."
***
Don't be surprised if G Steve Valiquette gets another start on Tuesday against the Kings. Renney didn't commit, but said: "I'd be hard-pressed to suggest that you wouldn't see him seven or eight more times. We sort of looked at about 15-18 starts. It's really important hockey for us, obviously, but it gives Hank a chance to rest and that could be the difference in our season."
Sights and Sounds...
Seeing lots of Habs jerseys and one fellow with a blue Bavaro jersey...Paul Mara, a Boston native and former Red Sox season ticket holder, picks the Pats by 9...Marek Malik (knee) was walking better and "might" skate tomorrow, Renney said.
Lingering aches (knee, hip, groin, hamstring) prompted coach Tom Renney to tell Brendan Shanahan to take the afternoon off.
Ryan Callahan, summoned from Hartford, where he has been since Jan. 3, will skate in his spot aside Brandon Dubinsky and Sean Avery.
"When he came off (after practice yesterday), there was discomfort for sure and skepticism on this part," said Renney, "and I said, 'I think we'd better play it safe here.This is my call and we see how you are by the time we get to the plane, and it wasn't any better."
Renney said healing "might take time...we'll call it day-to-day, I think he's hoping he'll be OK for Tuesday. He's important to us."
In Hartford, Callahan was "assertive, (we want him to) get pucks to the net and handle the puck and make his plays. He's always been a responsible two-way player. We wanted him to generate a little more and feel good about his game."
****
After watching the Canadiens beat the Isles 4-1 yesterday, Renney said: "You just can't give these guys the puck, can't give them outnumbered rushes; they have no hesitation moving the puck up right away. They don't try something really neat, they just move it up. To me that's the trick. We'v got to make sure we take that away from them. They played yesterday...Our start is gonna be important....I think our effort coming back is as important as going up."
***
Don't be surprised if G Steve Valiquette gets another start on Tuesday against the Kings. Renney didn't commit, but said: "I'd be hard-pressed to suggest that you wouldn't see him seven or eight more times. We sort of looked at about 15-18 starts. It's really important hockey for us, obviously, but it gives Hank a chance to rest and that could be the difference in our season."
Sights and Sounds...
Seeing lots of Habs jerseys and one fellow with a blue Bavaro jersey...Paul Mara, a Boston native and former Red Sox season ticket holder, picks the Pats by 9...Marek Malik (knee) was walking better and "might" skate tomorrow, Renney said.
