Toronto - Carey Price came back from the dead and looked sharp at Thursday morning's pre-game skate, so he'll be at his post when the Canadiens open the season against the Maple Leafs.
He didn't speak to reporters afterward, but frankly he didn't really need to because just watching him stop pucks during the skate gave me the impression he's well enough to play tonight after being felled by a virus on Wednesday.
This is obviously the start to a pivotal season in Price's career, his first where he is the undisputed No. 1 man in nets.
I don't want to lay it on too thick here, but a good start in Game 1 would go a long way towards convincing those who are still incensed that Jaroslav Halak is now in St. Louis that the Canadiens made the right choice.
I think we all know what kind of firestorm a bad start would trigger.
But Jacques Martin tried to downplay that importance when I asked him about it Thursday.
"I think it's a big season for everybody," Martin said. "I don't think it's one person. We're in a team game and everybody has responsibilities, everybody has challenges. We know we're going to be challenged and it's up to us to raise our game to another level."
That's a perfectly natural response for Martin to give, because there's no reason to heap more pressure on Price's shoulders than he already has put on himself. But the fact is this isn't just any old regular season opener for Price. Martin knows it, the fans know it, Price knows it.
It will be interesting to see how he responds tonight, but it's really unfortunate this virus came when it did.
Big night for Subban
Tonight will also be a big test for P.K. Subban, his first taste of the historic rivalry and his first NHL game in his hometown.
He was the star attraction in the Canadiens room Thursday morning, with the Toronto media focusing a lot of their attention on the Calder Trophy candidate, and Subban dutifully holding court for at least 15 minutes.
Sitting next to him was veteran Josh Gorges, making like a contortionist just to get undressed while the media throng cramped his locker space.
"Will you be sitting next to this guy all year?" I asked him.
"I don't know," Gorges responded. "But if it's always going to be like this, we might need to get him his own stall."
Subban said he only had to get 13 tickets for the game, saying he prioritized those that were closest to him and who "helped me get here."
I might be wrong, but I think Subban's going to put on a show tonight.
TONIGHT'S LINE-UP
Here are the lines for Thursday night's game:
Toronto
Forwards
Versteeg – Bozak – Kessel
MacArthur – Grabovski – Kulemin
Sjostrom – Brent – Armstrong
Brown – Zigomanis – Orr
Defence
Beauchemin – Phaneuf
Kaberle – Schenn
Gunnarson – Komisarek
Goal
Giguere
Gustavsson
Montreal
Forwards
Eller – Plekanec – Kostitsyn
Pouliot – Gomez – Gionta
Moen – Boyd – Pyatt
Darche – Halpern – Lapierre
Defence
Spacek – Subban
Gill – Gorges
Picard – O'Byrne
Goal
Price
Auld