This is why he is such a maddening player.

For every time you watch Andrei Kostitsyn play as though he's wondering whether or not he remembered to set his PVR to record The Vampire Diaries, the image that keeps running through my mind is the Kostitsyn we saw tonight.

Involved. Physical. Dangerous.

When Kostitsyn decides to play he can be a difference-maker in a game without so much as making the scoresheet, much like he was in Friday night's 2-1 win over the Sabres in Buffalo.

When I say he didn't make the scoresheet, I should specify which one. Because though he had no points, Kostitsyn filled up every other stat category imaginable. He had five shots on goal and had another six attempts either miss or get blocked.

For those who are new to The Daily Hab-it, I am a big proponent of using shot attempts to give you a pretty good idea of how involved a player is offensively. In order to attempt a shot, you not only have to have the puck, you have to have it in a relatively dangerous area of the ice.

So for Kostitsyn to rack up 11 attempts in Buffalo tonight should tell you that he didn't really care which of his shows he was missing. Plus, when you consider that no player on either team had more than six, Kostitsyn had himself quite the night of work.

Historically, Kostitsyn has used games like the one in Buffalo to launch himself into fits of offensive dominance.

Last year, for instance, Kostitsyn tied the game with only 2:46 to play in regulation before the Canadiens went on to beat Carolina in a shootout. It was only Kostitsyn's second goal of the season, and it came on Nov. 17.

But that decisive goal and an all-around strong game by him – coupled with Jacques Martin putting him on a line with Tomas Plekanec and Michael Cammalleri – led to a torrid hot streak where Kostitsyn put up 11 goals and nine assists in 18 games, until getting injured in Florida on New Year's Eve.

We never saw that same Kostitsyn again.

Which Kostitsyn will show up against Ottawa?

I can't say with any conviction whether Friday night's performance could trigger a similar elongated outburst from Kostitsyn, but it would serve his purposes if it did, seeing as he is set to hit the free agent market in the spring and his performances the past few years have done nothing to increase his market value from the $3.25 million he's pulling in now.

With many players, you could take a game like that and figure they will likely build on it the next time out. That is certainly not a given with Kostitsyn, because he could just as easily come out with a snoozer Saturday night against the Senators at the Bell Centre.

That what's frustrating and tantalizing all at once with Kostitsyn. He's like a scratch lottery card, where every game gives you hope that you might win the jackpot, but ultimately you're not surprised when the card says, "Thank you, play again."

Let's see if we get a jackpot game out of him Saturday.

Price converting the Slovak devotees

Then there's Carey Price, that guy people enjoy mocking and booing, the one whose won-loss record since the 2009 All-Star is painful to look at, the one who apparently – according to people who really should know better – will never be able to succeed in Montreal because of the pressure-packed environment.

Well, that guy made 22 saves on 23 shots against the Sabres, by far his easiest night of work in four games this season, and he now has a 2.47 GAA, a .925 save percentage and a 2-1-1 record on the season. He's been, basically without exception, outstanding.

I guess we will have to wait until he has that bad game on home ice to see how the fans react, but personally, I think he's already won over a good percentage of the Jaroslav Halak devotees who refused to embrace Price because he's not Slovakian. Even if he were to put up one or two (but no more) poor outings, I'm pretty sure the Bell Centre fans would not unleash their cruel rage on him.

Or at least I hope so.

At any rate, Price is proving a lot of people wrong and when he's confident like he is now, he's tough to beat.

Eller needs a chance

Finally, a word on Lars Eller. Again.

His willingness to stand in front of the net and draw two Buffalo defenders towards him, with one ultimately having Alex Picard's wayward shot deflect off his skate and in, was indicative of what Eller has shown since the start of training camp.

This kid is afraid of nothing and only wants to show what he can bring.

I fear, however, he might only get a true opportunity to do that once a trade is made or an injury occurs.

Friday night appeared like a perfect opportunity to give Eller some prime top-six time with Benoit Pouliot being moved off the Scott Gomez line, except Jacques Martin opted to go with Travis Moen. Yes, that combination worked in last year's playoffs and I see little wrong with seeing if it might work again, but I'm wondering what else Eller has to do to get a proper look.

Eller played 9:49 in Friday night's game and only got two shifts in the third period. I can understand that it was a one-goal game, but we're talking about over 16 minutes of hockey after Buffalo scored their goal in the fourth game of the season, and Martin is shortening his bench that severely? To the point where the bright young talent that was the centerpiece of perhaps the most controversial trade in 15 years is nailed to the bench?

I don't get it.

I thought Eller competed and his toolbox is overflowing with skill, size and desire. It would be nice to see him allowed to open it a little more often.

UPDATE: Nick Kypreos threw this out there on Twitter late Friday night: Look for Canadiens A. Markov to participate in full contact practice early as Mon with next Sat as the target playing date vs Senators.

That would mean the Canadiens would only have to go two more games without Markov in the lineup. As far as late-night Friday news goes, it doesn't get much better than that.