Penguins’ defenseman Olli Maatta will make his return to the ice tonight when the Penguins take on the Montreal 
Canadiens. Maatta had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his thyroid gland two weeks ago.
Maatta, 20, was expected to miss four weeks while recovering from the procedure, but he began working out almost immediately afterwards, and has been practicing with the team since last week.
“I’ve got to thank the doctors and the team staff for doing their best,” Maatta said after morning skate, “I’m just excited to be back.”
Robert Bortuzzo will be the odd man out on the Penguins blue line. Bortuzzo has a goal, two assists, and is a plus-2 in six games since returning from a preseason injury.
Penguins’ forward Pascal Dupuis will miss the game with an unspecified illness. He saw a doctor Monday morning, but the team has not given an update on his condition other than he did not travel with them to Montreal.
TONIGHT’S OPPONENT: The Montreal Canadiens have the best record in the NHL, with 29 points in 19 contests. They’ve won six consecutive games, and the Penguins and Canadiens have combined to win 16 of their last 20 games. The Penguins have a slightly higher point percentage, .781 to .763. The Pens have played three fewer games.
One of the keys to the Canadiens’ success this season has been in the faceoff circle. Montreal has won 54.6% of their faceoffs, which is the best mark in the NHL. Pacing the Habs to their elite mark is veteran center Manny Malhotra. He has won 61.3% of his faceoffs this season.
Montreal is lead offensively by Max Pacioretty. The 25-year-old left-winger has eight goals and eight assists in 19 games. The second line is also contributing for the Habs, as veteran center Tomas Plekanec has seven goals and eight assists. He’s been paired with 2012 first-round draft pick Alex Galchenyuk, who has five goals and eight assists.
Leading the defense of the Canadiens is first-year captain P.K. Subban. Subban, 25, has five goals and eight assists through 19 games. He averages 25:02 of ice time per game, and 3:35 of power play time, both of which are tops on the squad.
Between the pipes for Montreal will be Carey Price. Price is 11-3-1 with a .919 on the season. In 21 career games against Pittsburgh, he has a 9-9-2 record and a .906 save percentage.
IRON MIKE: Behind the Candiens’ bench is former Penguins head coach Michel Therrien. Therrien is in his third season as Montreal’s head coach, and has a 144-79-43 record in that time.
Therrien recently recorded his 300th victory as an NHL head coach in Montreal’s 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
Therrien coached the Penguins from 2006 to 2009, amassing a 135-105-32 record. In 2007, he led the Penguins to their first playoff berth in six years, and in 2008, the team made the Stanley Cup Finals for the third time.
When he was replaced by Dan Bylsma in February of 2009, Therrien was the second-winningest coach in Penguins history and third in games coached.
Therrien feels that the Canadiens’ discipline is their key to a victory tonight.
“[The Penguins’] power play, it’s extremely dangerous,” he said in his pre-game press conference, “We as a group are going to have to play a really disciplined game [and] have a mentality of not taking any penalties, because if we do so, we’re going to pay the price.”
SALUTE THE SARGE: Former Penguins defensean Sergei Gonchar is expected to suit up for the Canadiens tonight. Gonchar recorded his 800th NHL point on Saturday. He was recently traded from Dallas to Montreal for veteran forward Travis Moen. Gonchar has three points in six games between the two clubs.
“Playing against them, it’s always special,” Gonchar said of playing his former team. “I still have a lot of friends there. We won a cup together, so it’s always going to be in my memory.”
LES HABITANTS: Four Penguins are Quebec natives including Dupuis, defensemen Kris Letang, Simon Despres, and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
Fleury will get the start in goal tonight. In 12 games in Montreal, Fleury has a 6-4-2 record, but has allowed 38 goals and has a .895 save percentage.
Letang has also played 12 games in Montreal. He has scored two goals and seven assists, but is a minus-7. Despres has an assist and is plus-1 in two contests at Bell Centre.
Forwards Zach Sill and Sidney Crosby are both from Nova Scotia, but played their junior hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
MINOR MATTERS: The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins lost 3-2 to the Hershey Bears on Sunday. Jayson Megna had two goals and was a plus-2. Jeff Zatkoff made 32 saves in the loss. Wilkes-Barre hosts Portland Wednesday night at 7:05.
The Nailers lost 3-2 in Indianapolis on Sunday. Sheavertown, PA native Patrick McGrath scored his first professional goal in his 52nd game. McGrath has 33 penalty minutes through seven games this season to lead the club. Zack Torquato had the other goal for the Nailers. Eric Hartzell made 30 saves in the loss.
EDU-SKATE-ING: The Wheeling Nailers are hosting a school-day game for students on Wednesday. Game time is 10:35 a.m. for the Nailers versus the Elmira Jackals. Over 4000 tickets have been distributed, with tickets for the schools being sponsored by local businesses.
During the game, the team will have trivia questions posed by the players on the video board. The team hopes to combine education and hockey in Wheeling. 300-400 tickets still remain for the morning’s contest.
Photo credit: NHL
