Martin St. Louis Makes Last-Minute Lineup Changes vs Penguins, Scratches healthy player

The Montreal Canadiens (4-6-1) will take on Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins (4-7-1) tonight at 7 p.m. ET in an exciting showdown.

The Canadiens have had a difficult goaltending month. Following a spectacular 48-save shutout to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs to start the season, the Habs' goalies-and defense, for that matter-have fallen apart. The Habs have conceded 46 goals in 11 games. While the Canadiens are tied with the Colorado Avalanche for last place with an average of 4.18 goals against per game played, the Pittsburgh Penguins, tonight's hosts, have already given up 48 goals to their opponents over 12 games.

When facing Sidney Crosby and company, neither of the Canadiens' goalies has impressive stats. However, the Penguins' goaltending has also struggled, and they are currently depending on Joel Blomqvist and Alex Nedeljkovic to hold the fort with mediocre performances. The latter has only played his first six NHL games and has a 3.46 GAA and a .909 SP, whereas the former has a 3.18 GAA and a .890 SP.

Samuel Montembeault will be starting in goal for the Canadiens.

Earlier today, head coach Martin St-Louis confirmed in a press conference defenseman Justin Barron was removed from the starting lineup for the first time this season (while healthy).

With the exclusion of Barron, this gives Arber Xhekaj, who will return to the lineup against the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight, a chance to showcase what he's worth after much trade speculations.

It's unexpected to see Martin St-Louis "already" abandoning Barron given what we've heard about him and his assured position as a regular player for the Canadiens. However, the return of the sheriff in uniform excites us.

The two teams have already faced off this season, with the Penguins winning 6-3 at the Bell Centre in mid-October. Lars Eller scored two goals to hurt his old team, and Evgeny Malkin earned first star honors with two assists and a goal.