The Canadiens might be happy to be playing away from home in Pittsburgh tonight if you were to believe the recently-traded Jaroslav Spacek.
The veteran rearguard who spent a couple of years with the club told a reporter Friday said in a recorded interview that the team is so discouraged that they're not even leaving their homes.
"I think the guys are hiding now. They don't even want to go out and eat, I think it's a big mess," he said.
"They're under lots of pressure with Andrei Markov not playing still for the last two years basically and we didn't score too many goals and started trading players and then the coach was changed. And all the crap about the French-speaking coach, it doesn't really help if you don't win the games," said Spacek.
"I'm glad to be gone from the whole circus," he continued.
The Habs (17-21-8) will have Peter Budaj in nets replacing slumping starter Carey Price.
The Canadiens' boast the league's second-best penalty kill but its other special team, the power play, is the league's worst with a mere 12.3% conversion rate.
Long-injured forward Ryan White practiced with the team but it was unclear when he would be returning to game action.
Te Penguins (25-17-4) are shooting for a fifth-straight win after losing six straight.
They are tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference.
They are leaning towards playing Brent Johnson in nets. Johnson has started nine games and has a less-than-sellar 3.47 GAA and a .876 SP
