Cristobal Huet, a Forum ghost on his mask now partially covered by the Capitals logo, is ready for action against New Jersey.
Bruce Bennett, Getty Images

It’s nice when good things happen to good guys.

Former Canadiens goalie Cristobal Huet, traded Tuesday to the Washington Capitals, earned an 18-save shutout tonight – the 16th of his career and third this season – in his debut with his new team, a 4-0 decision over the New Jersey Devils.

Huet’s performance surely didn’t hurt the Canadiens, who beat Buffalo 6-2 Friday night. Montreal faces New Jersey Saturday at the Bell Centre, and with a victory will pass the Devils for the Eastern Conference lead. An action photo of Huet is below.

Cristobal Huet, in his first game with the Washington Capitals – and still wearing his Canadiens-colour equipment – stones New Jersey Devils’ Zach Parisé en route to a 4-0 shutout tonight.
Ray Stubblebine, Reuters

Updated 9:40 a.m.

Many Montreal hockey fans remain stunned, if not in shock, that veteran goaltender Cristobal Huet was moved to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday’s trade-deadline day for a second-round, 2009 draft pick. There he joins a less-than-overjoyed Olaf Kolzig in a very crowded Capitals net. Read more in today’s Washington Times.

Huet, beneath the cap of his new team, is interviewed on the CapsTV portal of the Capitals website.

In the meantime, the Canadiens dodged a goaltending bullet in their Wednesday practice when Jaroslav Halak was drilled in the knee by a shot. Halak finished the practice and said it’s just a bruise.

A bruise that surely is felt by every Canadiens fan who understands that their team will go only as far this season, and perhaps beyond, as Carey Price and Halak will carry them.

Cristobal Huet: Shocking trade
André Ringuette, NHLI via Getty Images

The Canadiens, in a trade that is nothing less than a shock, have dealt veteran goaltender Cristobal Huet to the Washington Capitals for a 2009 second-round draft choice. In fact, the pick is Anaheim’s, meaning it will be considerably lower than had it been Washington’s own.

Huet is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but there was no indication the Canadiens were planning to move him. However, the team’s decision to start Carey Price tonight, after the 20-year-old’s lacklustre showing on Saturday against Columbus in a 3-0 Montreal loss, did raise more than few eyebrows at the Bell Centre.

Jaroslav Halak has been recalled from Hamilton, asked to leave the ice there to catch a flight to Montreal, where he’ll back up Price tonight.

Unless the Canadiens make another deal today regarding their goaltending, they’ll hit the playoff stretch run with two netminders who have a combined zero games of post-season experience.

Price, now hearing his name in the same breath as former Canadiens playoff rookie goalies Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy, was at the Bell Centre this morning when the deal was announced. He had no comment about the transaction, but said he’d talk about it after tonight’s game.

Huet’s career statistics are below, as well as the Canadiens’ release on the deal and Halak’s recall. More to come.

Cristobal Huet’s career stats, as published at nhlpa.com:

Mark Streit moves up to forward to make room for the returning Patrice Brisebois. 

Cristobal Huet, who backed up Price Saturday vs. Toronto, will fill the same role tomorrow, and he isn’t overjoyed with the idea, having been widely believed to be getting the start. But Carbonneau wants Huet to get another few days of practice before returning to action, having sat out the past six games with a groin injury.

Guillaume Latendresse practised at Verdun with his teammates, but will be a game-time decision, having suffered what’s reported to have been an upper-body injury last Thursday in Philadelphia. Defenceman Patrice Brisebois practised as well, rehabbing a shoulder injury, but left early and won’t be in the lineup.

Canadiens defenceman Andrei Markov holds a 51,088-vote lead over Boston’s Zdeno Chara, continuing to lead all Eastern Conference rearguards in updated balloting for the NHL All-Star Game.

Netminder Cristobal Huet continues to lead New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur in the goaltending category, 122,228 votes to 120,537.

Captain Saku Koivu ranks seventh with voters for Eastern forwards, while write-in candidate Alex Kovalev is 12th.

Cast your ballot(s) here. And you’ll find the new NHL-released totals here.

The Canadiens’ masks:

The NHL release:

Tom Kostopoulos, back from an automatic one-game suspension for having been tagged with an instigator penalty in the last five minutes of Saturday’s 7-4 win over the Boston Bruins, is expected to play "a larger role," according to head coach Guy Carbonneau.

All hands were on deck for today’s practice.