Rick Stewart
First of all, Habs fans, don't get excited.
Yes, Andrei Markov was on the ice at the club's practice facility on Tuesday. No, he's not coming back any time soon.
So any thoughts of the stylish Russian stepping into the lineup to lead a spirited playoff run will have to wait.
The bigger story for the Canadiens, who face the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday evening in a game freighted with consequence for both teams, is that they have done just fine without Markov.
And partner Josh Gorges, and veteran Jaroslav Spacek, and deadline-week acquisition Brent Sopel.
Sopel and injured forwards Tomas Plekanec, Mathieu Darche and Jeff Halpern all skated in the team's practice, none are slated to play on Tuesday.
Spacek and Markov, both of whom are recovering from knee injuries, skated on their own before practice.
The Sabres, who are on a 13-4-2 run since Feb. 18, which has allowed them to overcome a dismal 3-9-2 start to clamber back into playoff position.
Buffalo's hold on the eighth and final berth remains tenuous, and they'll be looking to atone for an overtime loss against Nashville on Sunday that saw them ship away a two-goal lead.
"That's behind us now," said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, who added his squad should match up well with the Habs.
Montreal leads the season series with a 3-0-2 mark heading into the regular season series finale .
The stakes are considerable for the Habs as well, who kick off a week that will see them match wits with hated rivals Boston on Thursday before returning home to face Washington on Saturday.
The Bruins continue to hold two games in hand, but with a Montreal win and a Boston loss to the Devils, the Habs would vault into third place in the Eastern Conference.
Even if Boston wins, two points would also effectively guarantee a playoff spot for the Habs.
"We're still chasing first place . . . we still want to climb in the standings, this week's a big week," said Montreal coach Jacques Martin Buffalo's Ryan Miller, who has allowed three or more goals in six of his last eight games, will face Montreal's Carey Price, who was chased from his last start after allowing five goals to the New York Rangers, but is 6-3 in his last nine starts.