To the surprise of no one who’s been paying attention, Guillaume Latendresse will watch tomorrow’s agame against Florida from a seat at the south end of the pressbox.

Guy Carbonneau will dress Mikhail Grabovski against the Panthers.
The Canadiens’ first and fourth lines will remain intact, but Bryan Smolinksi will play left wing on the sedcond line, with Tomas Plekanec and Alex Kovalev, while Grabovski centres Andrei Kostitsyn and Tom Kostopoulos.

Through four games in which he’s been equally inept on several lines, Latendresse has two shots on goal, no points, four minutes in penalties and is -2.

Meanwhile, down on the farm, Maxim Lapierre has eight points in three games for the Hamilton Bulldogs, leads the AHL in scoring and is +6.
Lapierre is being converted to RW, which is probably where his future with the big club lies. But for the last two games he has centred Sergei Kostitsyn and Matt D’Agostini, who are also off to fast starts.
In interviews in the French press today, Lapierre admits he was devastated by the demotion. But he’s not sulking. Lapierre is working hard, and he’s entirely foc used on getting back to the Canadiens.

Carbo wanted Carey Price in Hamilton.
Price stayed in Montreal.
Carbo anoints Cristobal Huet is his number one goaltender.
Three games into the season, Price is starting against one of the most potent offences in the league.
Carbo says Huet will start the home opener against Carolina Saturday nght?
Sure he will But what if Price stones the Penguins?
(Great image, that: little critters wandering around Antarctica grinning, humming Beatles songs and looking for ice cream.)

While I’m glad Kyle Chipchura is finally getting a start, it’s a bit odd that Mikhail Grabovski will sit out a game against a skating team.
Alex Kovalev, who worked like a Stakhanovite (Google it) to make his homeys, Grabovski and Andrei Kostistyn, look good is even money to begin his first pout of the season.
And Guillaume Latendresse, who was so slow against the leaden Leafs he made the melting of the glaciers look like break dancing, gets to chase the Penguins around the Igloo … and hope that Georges Laraque has forgotten the Ryan Whitney hit.
Guy! Guy! Guy!, playing for a team that used to be known as the Flying Frenchmen, spends about as much time aloft as a Butterball. If his family name were McGillicuddy, the kid would have spent Thanksgiving in Hamilton (if not Shawinigan).

Okay, even if three lineup changes after a win and an OT loss evoke the faint whiff of panic, let’s not have too much negativity this early in the season.

My man Josh Gorges in for Patrice Brisebois?
Now that’s coaching.