Game on! NHL season kicks off at noon!

The man who benefited most when the Montreal Canadiens made the surprising off-season trade of popular goaltender Jaroslav Halak may not even suit up for the team's season-opening contest Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Already burdened with playing the most scrutinized position in the province of Quebec, Carey Price is battling the flu and is doubtful for the Canadiens' first regular-season game. Backup Alex Auld is expected to get the start if Price can't play.

Price, 23, has the added pressure of following in the large shadow of Halak, whose post-season heroics led Montreal all the way to the Eastern Conference final last season. But general manager Pierre Gauthier made the stunning move of trading Halak to St. Louis and handing Price the No. 1 job. This angered many Montreal fans, who have jeered Price on more than one occasion.

Price was inconsistent last season and already heard boos during his first pre-season game last week. He added fuel to the fire shortly after his 4-2 loss to Boston when he told fans to "relax [and] chill out."

The Leafs have their own problems.

Prior to last season, general manager Brian Burke made the risky decision of acquiring talented scorer Phil Kessel from the Bruins in exchange for a first- and second-round pick in 2010, along with a first-round selection in 2011. Burke quickly signed Kessel to a five-year, $27-million US deal. After missing the first month because of shoulder surgery, Kessel went on to lead the team with 30 goals.

Unfortunately, the offensively challenged Leafs finished with the second-worst record in the NHL, allowing Boston to snap up talented centre Tyler Seguin of the OHL's Plymouth Whalers. Several scouts tabbed Seguin as the draft's best prospect. With the franchise still lacking in quality front-line players, another bad Leafs season will no doubt land a second top prospect to the Bruins, a scenario Toronto fans would like to avoid.

Players to watch

Brian Gionta — The newly named captain becomes only the second American in franchise history to wear the "C" on his sweater. On the ice, Gionta led the Canadiens with 28 goals last season.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere — If Toronto is to escape another embarrassing season, Giguere will need to step up. After beginning his Leaf tenure last year with back-to-back shutouts, the veteran netminder managed only four wins in his final 13 starts.

Injury update

Montreal — D Andrei Markov (knee) is out; C Mike Cammalleri suspended one game; G Carey Price (flu) is doubtful.

Toronto — D Brett Lebda (shoulder) is doubtful.

What they said

"It's obviously quite an honour. I'm real excited about it. … I don't think things will change too much. You guys saw what it was all about last year. I'm more a leader by example." — Brian Gionta on being named Montreal's newest captain

"To me it's irrelevant who plays goal for the other team. Any time you [say] 'Oh boy, we're lucky they're missing Cammalleri, possibly Price or any of these guys,' you set yourself up for failure." — Leafs coach Ron Wilson

The Calgary Flames need goals, and plenty of them, if they hope to avoid another year of watching the Stanley Cup playoffs from home.

The Flames, who open their season against the hated Edmonton Oilers Thursday night, were simply inept when it came to generating offence, scoring the fewest goals (204) in the NHL. The biggest culprit for Calgary's lost season was a power play that only produced 43 goals — easily the worst in the league.

In an attempt to ease the offensive burden off captain Jarome Iginla, GM Darryl Sutter decided to bring back recycled forwards Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay, a move that didn't sit well with Flames fans.

Tanguay's best season with Calgary came three years ago when had 81 points in 81 games, but he could only muster 10 goals and 27 assists for Tampa Bay in 2009-10.

Jokinen's first tenure with the Flames didn't last long as the veteran scored 19 goals and 31 assists in 75 games during parts of two seasons. Still, the team won't go anywhere if Iginla can't recapture his scoring touch.

Iginla (32 goals, 37 assists, 69 points) had his worst statistical season since the 2005-06 campaign, and needs to become a force again. However, the Flames could start the season slowly as several key players begin the year on injured reserve.

The Oilers bottomed out and finished in the NHL's basement. The lone positive was Edmonton GM Steve Tambellini selected winger Taylor Hall with the first overall pick in June's entry draft. Hall's nose for the net and one-on-one skill was evident in pre-season, and the Windsor Spitfires' sensation leads a young class of rookies that include Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson and Jordan Eberle.

The Oilers are still hopeful Sam Gagner can step up his game. Gagner, whose best season came as a rookie, hasn't been the consistent offensive playmaker the franchise was looking for when it selected him sixth overall in the 2007 draft.

Edmonton has missed the playoffs every year since the team appeared in the Stanley Cup final in 2006. And don't expect that to change. While the club appears headed for another possible top-five selection in the draft, all is not lost. Hall, Paajarvi-Svensson and Eberle represent a bright future for the Oilers and their fans.

Players to watch

Jay Bouwmeester — After signing a monster five-year, $33-million US contract, Bouwmeester's first season in Calgary was disappointing as the defenceman scored just three goals and 29 points. But expect the 27-year-old to focus on returning to his two previous seasons where he scored 15 goals in consecutive years.

Taylor Hall — The rookie isn't going to make Edmonton fans forget about Wayne Gretzky, but he has the skills to carry this team for years to come. Although Hall won't become an immediate star, supporters of the Calgary native should expect a season of 20 or more goals.

Injury Update

Calgary — C Daymond Langkow (neck), C Matt Stajan (shoulder), C David Moss (shoulder), RW Alex Kotalik, C Ryan Stone (knee) are all out.

Edmonton — LW Jean-Francois Jacques (back) is out.

What they said

"I took a little longer break [in the off-season] than usual. I'm ready to go. I'm excited about this season, about a philosophical shift that should make us a quicker, better offensive team." — Flames captain Jarome Iginla

"There's a lot more energy [with the rookies]. It's very contagious. The [kids] are on the ice every second of every practice and they're pushing you to become a better player." — Oilers defenceman Tom Gilbert

FLYERS (0-0-0) at PENGUINS (0-0-0)

TV: VERSUS

Season series -- The Penguins won five of six meetings last season. … On Oct. 8, Alex Goligoski and Bill Guerin scored midway through the second period to help the Penguins earn a 5-4 road win. … On Dec. 15, Jordan Staal scored twice and Sidney Crosby's goal and assist lifted the Penguins to a 6-1 home win. … On Dec. 17, Crosby and Kris Letang scored shootout goals in Pittsburgh's 3-2 road win. … On Jan. 7, James van Riemsdyk and Jeff Carter scored two goals each for the Flyers in a 7-4 road win. … On Jan. 24, Matt Cooke scored with 1:47 remaining in the third period to give the Penguins a 2-1 road win. … On March 27, Crosby notched three assists and Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves in a 4-1 home triumph.

Big story -- The Flyers and Penguins tied 1-1 in their first game in Pittsburgh on Nov. 4, 1967, when 4,179 showed up at the Igloo. Nearly four times that many, 17,132, were on hand for the final home game there between the teams last March 27. On Thursday, you can expect a capacity crowd of 18,000-plus to fill Pittsburgh's new state of the art Consol Energy Center with its wide concourses and fan-friendly views.

Team Scope:

Penguins -- After 43 years at Mellon Arena (aka the Igloo), the Penguins will move across the street to the Consol Energy Center and play before what is sure to be a pretty boisterous crowd. The loss of defenseman Sergei Gonchar (Ottawa Senators) was quickly filled with the additions of Zbynek Michalek and Paul Martin along the blue line. The absence of Staal (foot) hurts, but the Pens remain top contenders with Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Fleury in the fold. The team seeks a fourth 100-point season in the last five years.

Flyers -- Rather than acquire a goalie in the off-season, General Manager Paul Holmgren went with his gut feeling and decided to stick with Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher as his Nos. 1 and 2. That plan was revisited on Sept. 28, however, when Holmgren learned that Leighton would be sidelined a month with an ailing back, thrusting Boucher into the spotlight. That also opened the door for 22-year-old Russian goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to serve as the team's backup for the foreseeable future. Holmgren did bolster his defense in the offseason with the additions of Andrej Meszaros, Sean O'Donnell and Matt Walker and he's hoping forward Nikolai Zherdev can help offset the loss of fan-favorite Simon Gagne (Tampa Bay).

Who's hot -- It'll be interesting to see if Flyers coach Peter Laviolette opts to reunite Ville Leino with center Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell to open the season. The media-dubbed "Second Chance Line" combined for 11 goals and a plus-12 rating when they were put together for the first time during the Stanley Cup Playoffs last spring. Leino tied a League rookie record with 21 points in the playoffs despite missing four games as a healthy scratch and Briere finished with a League-high 30 postseason points.

Injury report -- The Penguins are without Staal (foot), while right wing Arron Asham (shoulder) is listed as day-to-day and is questionable to play on Thursday. The Flyers will carry on without the services of Leighton (back) for a month and penalty-killing specialist Ian Laperriere (post-concussion symptoms) for the foreseeable future. Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger (right knee), meanwhile, is questionable.

Stat pack -- The Penguins will take a 58-44-2 home-ice record against Philadelphia into their new building, although the Flyers hold a one-sided 132-85-31 series edge since both franchises entered the NHL in 1967. Pittsburgh's win total at home against the Flyers, counting the playoffs is 66, the same as the great Mario Lemieux's number.

Puck drop -- While the Flyers might boast the best top six on defense in the League, questions abound in goal. Boucher is the likely starter against the Penguins with the rookie Bobrovsky serving as backup. The Crosby-led Penguins will offer a stern first test in front of their hometown faithful. The Penguins and their fans have been waiting for this day for almost three months after suffering a stunning seven-game setback to the Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

PKC wrote:Latendresse gets the Wild on the board 3:32 into the game. Any prognostications on what kind of year he's going to have? He finished with 27 goals last year, surprisingly after having a real tough time in Montreal.

Amnesia021 wrote:

PKC wrote:Latendresse gets the Wild on the board 3:32 into the game. Any prognostications on what kind of year he's going to have? He finished with 27 goals last year, surprisingly after having a real tough time in Montreal.

He and Brandon Sutter currently on pace for 246 goals

PKC wrote:

Amnesia021 wrote:

PKC wrote:Latendresse gets the Wild on the board 3:32 into the game. Any prognostications on what kind of year he's going to have? He finished with 27 goals last year, surprisingly after having a real tough time in Montreal.

He and Brandon Sutter currently on pace for 246 goals

Interesting, but also on pace for 0 assists...do teams want to keep guys who are that selfish around?

Amnesia021 wrote:

PKC wrote:Latendresse gets the Wild on the board 3:32 into the game. Any prognostications on what kind of year he's going to have? He finished with 27 goals last year, surprisingly after having a real tough time in Montreal.

He and Brandon Sutter currently on pace for 246 goals

Amnesia021 wrote:

Amnesia021 wrote:

PKC wrote:Latendresse gets the Wild on the board 3:32 into the game. Any prognostications on what kind of year he's going to have? He finished with 27 goals last year, surprisingly after having a real tough time in Montreal.

He and Brandon Sutter currently on pace for 246 goals

Brandon Sutter is still on pace!