Though only five games remain in a season in which there will be no playoffs, Canadiens coach Claude Julien said he will still demand a constant level of effort from his players.
During a scrum following the Habs practice on Friday, Julien said he doesn’t want his players to “slip” and to keep their intensity level “where it should be.”
Julien also discussed the difficult season of defenceman David Schlemko, who could be back in the lineup over the weekend.
The coach said Schlemko was never able to show his full abilities due to injuries, including one suffered during training camp which cost him the first two months of the season. He’s missed the last 12 games due to an upper-body injury.
Schlemko was acquired from Las Vegas on the eve of the draft in June but played only 34 games, scoring one goal and four assists and putting up a -4 plus/minus.
The Canadiens flew to Pittsburgh immediately following practice in advance of Saturday’s game against the Penguins. Antti Niemi will get the start while Carey Price is expected to be in nets on Sunday for the team’s home game against the New Jersey Devils.
After that, the team play their final home game against Winnipeg on Tuesday and then head to Detroit on Thursday before wrapping up their season in Toronto on Saturday.
