Gonchar picked two assists on both Montreal goals and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Bolts. He made the most of his fairly limited ice time, as he has been lately -- despite clearing 20 minutes only once in the last six games, he's recorded five assists and a plus-5 rating.

Gonchar scored his first goal as a Canadien in Friday night's loss to the Blackhawks. At 40-years-old, Gonchar's big scoring days are behind him, but he's been very steady on defense for Montreal and is part of the team's power play.

Gonchar had two assists in Saturday night's 6-3 win over the Flyers. Neither of his assists came on the power play, but the Canadiens are giving Gonchar credit for his role in turning around the team's man-advantage unit. Montreal has scored four power play goals in the last two games.

Gonchar made his Montreal debut Thursday night, playing 20:08 in Thursday night's 5-1 win over the Bruins. He was credited with three shots in goal with another five that missed and had three hits. As expected, Gonchar was part of the power play, getting 4:49 of ice time with the man advantage. He paired with Tom Gilbert in even-strength situations and Andrei Markov on the power play.

Gonchar will make his debut for the Canadiens on Thursday versus the Bruins. Coach Michel Therrien hasn't announced who Gonchar will play alongside or which defensemen will be scratched to make room for the four-time All-Star, but it looks like he'll be inaugurated into one of hockey's greatest rivalries right away. Despite his impressive production in previous seasons, Gonchar is clearly in the twilight of his career at this point, and isn't certain to hold down a regular lineup spot beyond Thursday's debut.

Gonchar is expected to play on one of Montreal's power-play units, the Montreal Gazette reports. The 40-year-old Gonchar was traveling Wednesday and will be in town in time for Thursday's home game against Boston. Gonchar has a ton of experience on the power play, an ugly area for the Canadiens, who have three times in 42 opportunities (28th, 7.1 percent).

Gonchar is uncertain to play Thursday against the Bruins, Marc Antoine Godin of the Montreal Gazette reports. Since Gonchar was acquired by the Canadiens just a day earlier, coach Michel Therrien may want the defenseman to practice with the team for a couple of days first before throwing him into the lineup right away. Therrien and Gonchar will meet Thursday morning before a determination on the defenseman's status for the game is reached.

Gonchar was traded to the Canadiens on Tuesday in exchange for forward Travis Moen. Sidelined by an ankle injury over the first month of the season, Gonchar has played a minimal role for the Stars since returning to action, averaging just 13:02 of ice time over three role. A top-four role likely doesn't await Gonchar in Montreal, but he'll at least give the team a veteran option on the third pairing to mix with one of the team's younger blueliners in Jarred Tinordi or Nathan Beaulieu.

Gonchar had an assist and a minus-1 rating through 13:17 of play in Saturday's loss to San Jose. Gonchar, once a great offensive defenseman, saw his production slow to a trickle last year and there's little reason to believe that will change this year. In his third game of the season he grabbed his first point, but he's not getting enough minutes to make him worth a gamble. He has yet to cross the 14-minute mark and will see his minutes protected throughout the season.

Gonchar (muscle soreness) was on the ice for morning skate and is expected to play Thursday against the Predators, Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News reports. The Stars weren't certain if Gonchar would be ready to play against the Predators after he experienced some soreness following his season debut Tuesday night, but it appears the 40-year-old was feeling better Thursday. Gonchar has some catching up to do on the conditioning front after missing nearly a month of action, so he'll likely only see limited minutes on the third pairing until he proves deserving of a greater role.