Tomorrow night’s tilt between Montreal and Ottawa won’t be a typical preseason affair.
The Bell Centre will have a little extra buzz because, on Wednesday, the Habs announced that newly-minted captain Max Pacioretty will play for the first time this season after suffering a knee injury this summer.
The injury -- tibial plateau fractures, not unlike what L.A. Lakers star Kobe Bryant suffered in 2013 -- was severe enough to keep Pacioretty from putting a timetable on his return for most of September.
Despite that uncertainty, Montreal pushed ahead and named Pacioretty captain two weeks ago, making him the 29th captain in franchise history and just the third American-born player to wear the “C” (joining Brian Gionta and Chris Chelios.)
Per the Habs, Pacioretty will face the Sens on a line with Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher.