All four of the  currently active members of the  Canadiens roster playing in Europe saw action on  Friday.

41 – Tomas Plekanec 3 Goals, 2 assists at Pardubice Nov. 2nd

Tomas Plekanec had  a  five point  night, including a hattrick  as the Kladno Knights  outlasted  the Vitkovice Steelers 9-6 Friday night at Ostrava.   Plekanec had completed his hattrick by the 28th minute of the game which was played before a sellout crowd of 10, 194.    It was Plekanec second hattrick  since joining  Kladno, both of them versus Pardubice against whom he has scored 6 goals and 3 assists in two  games this season.

This game was all Plekanec.  His  linemates Jaromir Jagr and Jiri Tlusty were limited to a  total of 1 goal and three scoring points.

In his 16 games with Kladno Plekanec has 12 goals, 13 assists and 25 points placing him in a tie for fourth in the Czech Extraliga. He celebrated his 30th  birthday on Wednesday night.

Kladno is second in the Extraliga standings five points behind  Pilsen.

………..In the Kontinental Hockey League Ak-Bars Kazan shutout out Nizhny (nee Gorky) Torpedo 4-0.  Alexei Emelin didn’t record a point but logged 17:07 ice time.  Former Canadiens draft pick Konstantin Korneev picked up an assist.

….Andrei Markov missed his third straight game with that rib injury while his Chekhov teammates lost 4-1 at Magnitigorsk.  Evgeny Malkin scored a goal and Sergei Gonchar had two assists.  Both Ak-Bars and Vityaz have played their final games before the ten day November break which officially starts Monday.

………..Not a good night for the Canadiens playing in the Swiss National  League.   Yannick Weber and Geneva lost on the road at Biel 7-2  and Zug with Raphael Diaz was beaten in Bern 5-1.   Weber  drew an assist on a goal scored by San Jose’s Logan Couture in the Geneva game.  In Bern, Boston’s Tyler Seguin had four goals and an assist against  Geneva.  No points  and one shot on goal for Diaz in the losing cause.

Also from the SNL, Canadiens centre David Desharnais has agreed to play with Fribourg-Gotteron.   He’ll join the team in two weeks after the traditional European ten day schedule break.  He’ll be the seventh member of the Canadiens in Europe joining Diaz  and  Weber in the  SNL, the KHL’s Emelin  and Markov, Plekanec in the Extraliga and Eller in Finland.  Like Desharnais, Eller won’t arrive in Finland until after the break.  Tomas Kaberle  and Mac Pacioretty have since returned home.

Closer to Home 

……..American Hockey League …..The Hamilton Bulldogs lost 3-2 in a shootout in the first of a home and home set against Rochester.  (Game story here).  The teams will meet again Saturday night in Hamilton.

………Junior Hockey Friday  -  Alex Galchenyuk was kept off the scoresheet as the Sarnia Sting dropped a 3-2 home ice decision at the hands of the Plymouth Whalers.  The teams will meet again at Plymouth on Saturday. Galchenyuk has 21 points, including 8 goals in 16 games this season.

Brady Vail and Windsor dropped a 5-1 decision in Kitchener.  Nothing in the game for Vail.

And how good are Guy Charron’s Kamloops Blazers?  They played their sixth game in eight nights beating the Prince George  Cougars 2-1 in a shootout.  Over  the six games,three of them on the road, the Blazers were 5-1.  The one loss, Thursday night in Kelowna, ended a 14 game win streak.  Canadiens 2012 3rd round draft pick Tim Bozon failed to pick up a point for the second straight game but has 14 goals and 17 assists and 31 points in 18 games.

Looking Ahead -

This is the final weekend before European teams take their ten day November break.  In the KHL both Ak-Bars  and Chekhov after their games Friday, won’t play until November 12th.

In the Extraliga Tomas Plekanec and Kladno will play Chomutov Sunday at home and then they get their break, returning on the 14th.

In the Swiss league –  Zug (Diaz) will host Fribourg (Desharnais’ new team)  Saturday while Geneva (Weber) is playing Bern at  home.  Their next games will be November 13th.

In the AHL – Hamilton will play Rochester at Copps Coliseum Saturday night.  And in the Junior ranks Sarnia (Galchenyuk) at Plymouth on Saturday; Windsor (Vail) plays at Belleville Sunday.

In Junior Hockey over the weekend  Sarnia plays at  Plymouth Saturday and Windsor will be at Belleville Sunday.  Kamloops is off until Tuesday when they’ll host  the Edmonton Oil Kings.

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