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Saturday, October 23, 1999
Injuries continue to haunt Habs
Arrive with just 16 skates as Zubrus out with hip flexor
You never know when your team will need you.
The injury-riddled Habs arrived here yesterday with just 16 skaters in tow after forward Dainius Zubrus developed a hip-flexor injury.
Six more starters will miss tonight's rematch of the season opener with the Maple Leafs, including forwards Shayne Corson (colitus) and Benoit Brunet (back) and defencemen Vlad Malakhov (knee) and Patrice Brisebois (back).
The Habs are expected to promote two players from their Quebec Citadels farm team following tonight's AHL game in Hamilton.
The only good news is that goaltender Jeff Hackett (3-3-0) is able to start after being treated by a chiropractor earlier this week.
Hackett suffered neck, shoulder and back pain following a head-on collision with New York Islanders' Steve Webb last Monday.
What's ailing $3-million centre Trevor Linden is more complicated.
Linden, who signed a four-year deal worth $14 million with Montreal after being acquired last June from the Islanders for a first-round draft pick, still is looking for his first goal.
In fact, the president of the NHL Players' Association has just two shots on goal in his past five games and was benched during Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
"My biggest challenge is to stay positive," Linden said yesterday. "I've had slow starts before. Offensively, it just isn't happening."
The Linden deal eventually could prove to be the downfall of general manager Rejean Houle, who has made a litany of poor trades since he replaced Serge Savard on Oct. 21, 1995.
The list of Habs' departed includes Pierre Turgeon, Vince Damphousse, Mark Recchi, Mike Keane and Patrick Roy -- any one of whom could easily help this team.
Fortunately for head coach Alain Vigneault, Hackett has been solid while left winger Brian Savage exploded from the blocks again, scoring a league-leading nine goals in as many starts.
That's 50% of the team's 18 total goals, of which only one was scored by a defenceman.
Hackett, who was sharp in a 4-1 loss to the Leafs on opening night in Montreal, clearly will have much to worry about tonight although he shrugged off news that the Leafs would have ex-Bruins centre Dmitri Khristich in their lineup tonight.
"He'll definitely help them down the line," Hackett said.
"But he missed training camp and hasn't played, so maybe he'll be rusty when he plays us."
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