Alzner had one shot and one hit over 17:07 of ice time on the third pair in Friday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Sabres.

EDGE Analysis

Coach Claude Julien, looking to tighten up his defense, inserted stay-at-home types Alzner and Brett Kulak, while puck-movers Mike Reilly and Xavier Ouellet were healthy scratches. Montreal now has eight defensemen on the roster, and the field will get more crowded Tuesday when Shea Weber (knee) is expected to return. There will be some shakeup on the blue line in the coming days, which could result in Alzner, a healthy scratch in 16 of 23 games, regaining a nightly spot in the lineup.