Tuukka Rask, making a last-minute start after Manny Fernandez suffered a bruised right thumb in warmups, stopped 24 shots, including a late point-blanker by Marian Hossa, to earn the victory.

Claude Julien said X-rays showed no break in Fernandez's thumb, but he will be re-evaluated tomorrow. Fernandez had his thumb and middle finger taped. Julien said there was major swelling in the thumb.

* Peter Schaefer sat out the third period with hip flexor stiffness, the same ailment that kept Phil Kessel out of the lineup tonight. Kessel was scheduled to play instead of Byron Bitz. Julien termed both of the injuries as very minor.

* Michael Ryder netted his first preseason goal, taking a pass from David Krejci and swiping a shot through Ty Conklin for the game-winning strike at 6:00 of the third period. "I feel a lot more comfortable on the ice, getting used to the system," Ryder said.

* The right wing said one of the biggest differences between Montreal and Boston is that the Canadiens' wingers are coached to support the play across the ice. In Boston, the wings are instructed to stay wide. "Sometimes I find myself coming across the ice when I should stay a little wider," Ryder said. "But I feel more and more comfortable now that I'm getting a little more used to it. It was going to take three or four games. I think the next games will be a lot easier."

* Yet another strong game from Jeremy Reich, who is battling for a job on the fourth line. "I think he's had a great camp," Julien said. "The competition here is pretty good. I'd rather have them fight for the spots. I think Jeremy is a pretty good mathematician. He's calculated what's here and how many guys can stay, and he's going to fight to maintain the spot he had here last year."

* Expect more line shuffling tomorrow against Washington. But Julien said that in the final three games, the lines will become more stabilized.

* Peter Chiarelli said between 27 and 30 players will go to Stowe, Vt., for team-building exercises next week. So expect between 14 and 17 cuts tomorrow.

STICK SALUTE: Jeff Penner. The first-year pro, playing in his third preseason game, had another solid outing. Penner has been used in all situations and has showcased his skating, passing, and decision-making. "There are always some young kids that step it up, young kids that are sometimes unknown," Julien said. "He's certainly one of them. We didn't know too much about him from the coaching staff part of it. But he's really impressed us. I think he's getting better and better every game. As long as he keeps playing like that, we're going to keep looking at him."

SIN BIN: Milan Lucic. The big left wing made a big-time impression in camp last year, but hasn't been as electric this time around. Lucic set up several scoring chances tonight, but his timing isn't up to his standards.