Montreal Canadiens vs. Philadelphia Flyers: 3 things to know

The struggling Habs, beset by controversy after Michel Therrien benched P.K. Subban at the end of the last game against the Colorado Avalanche, face off against the Flyers at the Bell Centre.

Here are three things to consider heading into tonight's game.

Word salad

This season of mixed messages really hit its peak with coach Michel Therrien's post-game comments this week. The man paid to get the most out of his players decided not only to nail his points leader to the bench with his team in need of a goal, but also hang Wednesday's loss on P.K. Subban.

Was it Subban's finest moment that led to a turnover that resulted in the game winning goal? No. Is Subban, or any one player for that matter, to blame in a 3-2 loss? No.

This team has "No Excuses" pasted front and centre in the locker room in Brossard yet this season has been nothing but. When GM Marc Bergevin declared he would sit in his foxhole with Michel Therrien until the end of the season, he also warned the players about "playing not to lose." Well, that is what Subban was trying to do. Instead he made a mistake. A costly one. But if we are keeping score on the mistake docket, that is a rare category Subban does not lead.

Can fresh legs avoid the sweep?

The Canadiens were scheduled to practice yesterday. Instead they got the day off after a late flight to Montreal on Wednesday. A reward perhaps for picking up their game against the Avalanche after quite possibly the worst game of the season in Arizona?

The Habs have been beaten twice by the Flyers this season but neither team is playing their best hockey while trying to claw their way into Wildcard position. Habs just dropped three on the road and are looking to avoid a season sweep by Philly but the Flyers are struggling as well having lost five of their last seven games. It should be a dog fight for the two points tonight but it's anyone's guess what Montreal Canadiens team will show up. 

Time management

Ice time can tell you a lot about what a coach thinks of your play. The use of the aging Andre Markov, whose ice time Therrien said had to be managed, has tipped the scales at upwards of 25 minutes on the regular.

Rookie Jacob De La Rose played more than captain Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher in Colorado. And players used in critical moments during this collapse has left many a Habs fan scratching their head. One guy who will certainly be seeing more minutes is Lars Eller.

The club announced today that David Desharnais has a broken foot and will be out three weeks, leaving the Dane as the top line centre between captain Max Pacioretty and Sven Andrighetto. At least until Therrien throws the lines back in the blender.