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Habs to start Tokarski again in Game 3

Tokarski

The Montreal Canadiens will go back to Dustin Tokarski in goal for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final, head coach Michel Therrien confirmed on Wednesday.

Therrien, who gave Tokarski his playoff debut in Monday’s 3-1 loss to the Rangers, wouldn’t commit to a starter following the game -- leading to speculation that backup Peter Budaj might get the nod at MSG on Thursday.

Speaking of speculation, we discussed who Montreal would start in the most recent PHT Extra...

It’ll be interesting to see how Tokarski fares after getting the jitters out in Game 2. While he wasn’t terrible (27 saves on 30 shots), he did look shaky at times and a bit slow in his reactions, likely the result of having played just 10 previous games at the NHL level and not getting any game action since mid-April, when he was playing for AHL Hamilton.

Going back to Tokarski is probably the right decision for Therrien (who, let’s be honest, isn’t really working with great options at the moment). Following Monday’s loss, the Habs head coach said he thought Tokarski “played well” against the Rangers, adding he started the 24-year-old netminder because “if you look at his background, his track record, he’s a winner.”