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Martin St. Louis confirms lineup change for Game 3.
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- Martin St. Louis confirms lineup change for Game 3.
Martin St. Louis confirms lineup change for Game 3.
After suffering a historic loss in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final , Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis has decided to shake things up.
On Monday morning, just hours ahead of Game 3 between the Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes, St. Louis announced that he would be making a lineup change with Habs forward Oliver Kapanen being relegated to the sidelines.
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Kapanen was of course responsible for a very costly turnover, one that came in the overtime frame of Game 2 and one that would lead to the game-winning goal for the Hurricanes. While it seems clear that this is the reason Kapanen is being made a healthy scratch, St. Louis tried to downplay the turnover as a major factor in his decision.
"Kappy is going to be out tonight and it's not necessarily for that," said St. Louis referencing the turnover. "We feel like Carolina bring a lot of heaviness and speed and I feel like Joey can give us that."
Joey is a reference to former first round pick Joe Veleno who has been tapped as the man that will step into the lineup tonight in Kapanen's absence. Veleno has been used sparingly in these Stanley Cup playoffs so far, appearing in just 6 playoff games and recording no goals and only a single assist.
While the news is now official, many had already speculated the change would be made based on how the Habs had their lineup set up during the team's morning skate. You can see a video of that just below:
