With Game 1 of the Leafs vs Habs series three more days away, the Montreal Canadiens have taken the opportunity to give their two injured players a conditioning stint with the Laval Rocket tonight. Their opponent: the Toronto Marlies.

Brendan Gallagher, who broke his finger, and Carey Price, who was resting before the playoffs, will both start against the Leafs farm team.

This is the unofficial start of the playoff series, so the Marlies better win. No pressure!

Here’s how the Marlies lined up for their most recent game. We haven’t seen a few of the regulars like Kenny Agostino, Nic Petan, Nick Robertson, Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, or Joey Anderson (we believe he’s injured) in a few games.

The lineup isn’t the most flashy we’ve seen this season, but I’ve been really impressed with rookies Jeremy McKenna and Pavel Gogolev, both undrafted and on AHL contracts. McKenna has won his way into the top six with speed, skill, and a strong work-ethic. Gogolev has 10 points in his first 10 games since coming over from the Allsvenskan.

The youngsters on defense haven’t quite had as good of a time. Mikko Kokkonen and Filip Kral have both been shaky to start their AHL careers. They’ve been paired with NHL-calibre defensemen in Timothy Liljegren, Calle Rosen, and Martin Marincin in order to give them the most support. They’re getting lots of ice-time so hopefully things will start to click on the smaller ice.

Forwards
Pavel Gogolev - Kalle Kossila - Jeremy McKenna
Bobby McMann - Tyler Gaudet - Stefan Noesen
Gordie Green - Colt Conrad - Justin Brazeau
Rich Clune - Hudson Elynuik - Scott Pooley

Defense
Mikko Kokkonen - Timothy Liljegren
Filip Kral - Calle Rosen
Noel Hoefenmayer - Teemu Kivihalme

Goalies
Joseph Woll
Veini Vehviläinen

Various Leafs and Branches

Pre-playoff practice report: who is in grey jerseys? | by: Katya

Maple Leafs playoff roster | by: Katya

Back to Excited Episode 143: Leafs - Habs Playoff Preview | by: Arvind and Fulemin

Filip Hallander and Pontus Holmberg will be playing for Team Sweden at the World Hockey Championships. Kristians Rubins has left the Marlies and will be playing for Team Latvia. There are plenty of former Leafs in the tournament, too.

The Tampa Bay Lightning won a barn-burner over the Florida Panthers last night. There were four lead changes and the game was eventually won by Brayden Point’s last-minute goal in the third period. [Raw Charge]

From The Branches