Updates from morning skate - March 15

BROSSARD - The Canadiens held a morning skate at the Bell Sports Complex on Tuesday to prepare for their game against the Arizona Coyotes.

TICKETS: Coyotes @ Canadiens
The practice wasn't an optional one, but Josh Anderson, Artturi Lehkonen, and Brett Kulak were not on the ice as they were receiving treatments instead.
Ryan Poehling, who left Sunday's game in Philadelphia after taking a hit from defenseman Justin Braun, was also absent. The team confirmed that he is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Drouin and Christian Dvorak were on the ice sporting regular practice jerseys, but have not been cleared to return, and there has also been no change in status for Jake Allen, who also skated on Tuesday morning. Tyler Pitlick was there as well, but he was in a non-contact jersey.

The team confirmed that defenseman Joel Edmundson would return to the lineup after sitting out the Flyers game on Sunday.
Following the skate, interim head coach Martin St-Louis announced that Sam Montembeault would be the starter against Arizona. He also said that defenseman Ben Chiarot would not play, calling it a "management decision."
The coach couldn't give more updates on his lineup, telling reporters he'll have to evaluate a whole slew of players after warmups before making final decisions on who will dress. Lehkonen will be among the many game-time decisions for St-Louis.
Identity takes shape
Taking stock the calendar of late, St-Louis said he was happy with the progress his team has made in the short time he's spent molding the Habs in his image. That mold is based in large part on team speed, which has been catching the eyes of opposing teams.
"I think that gradually, we're starting to build an identity. We have to continue working on it. I know other teams watch a lot of video. We know it's getting harder. I love playing with speed, but the most important speed is up here," said the coach, pointing to his head. "We've worked on that a lot."

What's more, the ability of St-Louis and his coaching staff to re-frame games for their players in a playoff-less season, breaking the remaining schedule down into mini-segments and setting goals for those segments, has worked wonders on morale.
"I liked it a lot. It gave our team something to play for at a time where, if you look up at the standings, you see a lot of games left and you don't see yourself too close to the playoff picture. So, it kind of put everyone in that mentality of every game matters, making it matter, making it important, with small games which seem trivial at the time, making them important to the team," explained Paul Byron, who registered two shots in 14:26 of ice time against the Flyers. "It makes the team compete harder and it gives you something to play for. We're seeing the results now. Our team looks way different than it did a few weeks ago. It's a great way to get everyone involved in the game night in, night out."

Big praise for Big Ben
Byron also took some time to reflect on what he's learned from Chiarot, his teammate of three years, who will be watching Tuesday's contest from the sidelines.
"How good he is. He's a good person and a good player. You don't know too much about him, he was playing out in the west in Winnipeg, and you only see him a few times a year. Game in and game out, he brings stability to your team," praised Byron of Chiarot, who has 46 points (17G, 29A) and 339 hits in 164 games with the Canadiens. "He's a hard guy to play against; people don't realize how hard it is to play against a big guy like that. He's pushing on you, he goes in the corners, he punishes you, he's a guy you win playoff series with.
"He's been a great player for us; he's taken a more offensive role on our team, more leadership. It's been fun watching him grow his game the last few years."
The Canadiens-Coyotes game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET at the Bell Centre. For tickets,
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