Habs Daily: Joshua Roy Red Hot, St-Louis’ Message, Crosby

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, highlights, and stories you may have missed this past weekend.

Montreal Canadiens News

Montreal Canadiens prospect Joshua Roy is on pace for more than 50 goals with the Laval Rocket, though that shouldn’t be surprising, as he’s already proven he can make a positive impact in the NHL. If we’re being honest, he clearly deserves to be in the NHL, but the Habs must give him an opportunity to shine if they decide to promote him. [Canadiens Prospect Joshua Roy Making A Case For A Promotion]

Arber Xhekaj returned to the lineup on Saturday, as the Canadiens faced Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Montreal lost, but unlike previous games there was not a significant gap in scoring chances, and for the most part, the Candies offered an honest effort. [Canadiens Instant Recap: Crosby Loves Playing Against The Habs]

ICYMI: Martin St-Louis sent a message on Friday by putting his team through their paces at practice. A bag skate is a good reminder that there must be some accountability at play during the rebuild, and that also applies to the head coach. [Martin St-Louis Sends Message To Struggling Canadiens]

ICYMI: The Laval Rocket are off to a great start to the season. The many rookies in the lineup are performing well in important roles, while the veterans who want to return to the NHL are focused on a team-first approach. It’s still very early, but new head coach Pascal Vincent seems to have found a healthy balance between motivation and structure. [Pascal Vincent Off To Great Start With Canadiens AHL Affiliate]

National Hockey Now Network

Just when you thought things might have been going well for the Philadelphia Flyers, fate decided otherwise. Starting goalie Sam Ersson suffered a lower-body injury just 7:36 into Saturday’s 3-0 shutout loss against the Boston Bruins, which pressed rookie Aleksei Kolosov into NHL action for just the second time. [Philadelphia Flyers]

Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan’s decision to put his best three players on one line was a calculated gamble. Still, the results of putting Evgeni Malkin and Rickard Rakell on the wings beside Sidney Crosby have paid off immediately. [Pittsburgh Penguins]

Amid the New Jersey Devils’ tilt with the Calgary Flames on Friday night at the Saddledome, Nathan Bastian did not return after the first period due to a jaw injury. No timeline was disclosed on his injury. [New Jersey Devils]