It was for this time of year that the Canadiens decided to acquire forward Andrew Shaw from the Chicago Blackhawks last summer. But with their season on the line,
they'll be without Shaw
, who sustained an upper-body injury during the 3-2 overtime loss in Game 5 on Thursday.
Shaw will be replaced by center Brian Flynn, who had six goals and four assists in 51 regular-season games. Flynn, 28, had a goal and two assists in six playoff games for the Canadiens in 2015.
"It happens in playoffs; you have some injuries," coach Claude Julien said. "There's things like that that happen, and that's why you go and get some depth, that's why you have extra players. You insert players in that sometimes are fresh and to maybe give you what you need in order to get the results that you want.
"In [Flynn's] case, I know that he had an injury there at the end of the [regular season] and he hasn't played much, but he's a skilled player that is capable of making good plays. We need him tonight do to the job. He's excited about it, and we're excited to have him in our lineup."