The Montreal Canadiens seemingly swooped in at the final hour to acquire winger Thomas Vanek in an effort to improve their playoff chances. Custom Dallas Mavericks Jersey . Vanek is expected to make his Habs debut tonight when the club looks to push its unbeaten streak over the Phoenix Coyotes to 15 straight games. Canadiens defenceman Josh Gorges is returning to Montreal on Thursday to have a hand injury reevaluated by team doctors. Watch the game live on TSN Habs tonight at 9pm et/10pm at. You can also listen to the game live on TSN Radio Montreal 690. The Canadiens posted a 4-3 shootout win over the NHL-leading Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night hours after getting Vanek from the New York Islanders in exchange for prospect Sebastian Collberg. Montreal will also part with a 2014 second-round pick should it make the playoffs while also getting a fifth rounder back from New York. That seems like a safe bet with Vanek in the fold. The 30-year-old Austrian winger is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer, but he could help Montreal in its push to the playoffs this spring. Vanek has 21 goals and 32 assists over 60 games this season with the Islanders and Buffalo Sabres. "The most important thing is to make the playoffs and right now I have a chance to do so. This is why we play," Vanek said on Montreals website. "Anything can happen in the playoffs, especially when you have a goalie like Carey Price, who I think is one of the best in the league. Ive played with Ryan Miller and Carey is just as good." Montreals win last night has the club in second place in the Atlantic Division with 77 points, three ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs and four up on the fourth-place Tampa Bay Lightning. While Vanek mentioned playing with Price, the Habs netminder has missed all five games since the league resumed action following a break for the Winter Olympics. Price aggravated a lower-body injury during that tournament and it is unknown when he will return to action. Peter Budaj started the first four games in Prices absence and finally got a game off last night. Dustin Tokarski made his first NHL appearance of the season and stopped 39 shots before halting four of the six skaters he faced in the shootout. After Saku Koivu failed on his attempt for Anaheim in the tiebreakers sixth round, Andrei Markov fired a shot that beat Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller five-hole to improve the Habs to 6-1-1 in their last eight games. "He played unbelievable," Markov said of Tokarskis play. "He made great saves to keep us in the game." Brendan Gallagher registered a goal and an assist, while Max Pacioretty and Brian Gionta also scored for the Canadiens, who were coming off a 2-1 setback in Los Angeles on Monday that opened a four-game road trip. The swing ends on Saturday versus San Jose. Budaj is likely to return to net tonight and is 8-3-3 lifetime versus the Coyotes with a 2.70 goals against average. Montreal will try to avoid its first loss in this series since a setback on the road on Dec. 9, 1998. The Canadiens have gone 11-0-0 with three ties in the 14 meetings since, winning five times and posting one tie in the desert over that span. The Coyotes can ill-afford to see that winless streak extended as they come in one point back of the Dallas Stars for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. Phoenix snapped a four-game slide on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Antoine Vermettes 22nd of the season, scored in the first period provided Mike Smith with the only support he would need, as the 31-year-old netminder turned aside 23 shots, 11 in the third period, to secure his third shutout of the season and 27th of his career. "It was kind of a sloppy hockey game, but we won," Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett said. "Thats all we need right now." The Coyotes finish off a three-game homestand tonight before hitting the road for four in a row and should have Martin Erat in the lineup tonight after picking up the winger in a trade with the Washington Capitals on Tuesday. Erat notched one goal and 23 assists in 53 games with the Caps this season. Smith is 2-1-3 with a 2.22 GAA in seven career meetings with the Canadiens. Kostas Antetokounmpo Jersey .com) - The NFL is investigating whether the New England Patriots intentionally deflated balls during Sundays AFC Championship Game against Indianapolis. Steve Nash Jersey . PAUL, Minn. http://www.officialmavericksfanstore.com/ . Setting United on its way to a 2-0 victory, Rooney sent the ball high from inside the halfway line over goalkeeper Adrian after just seven minutes. "Its just instinct, Ive turned and had a quick look and seen the goalkeeper off his line," Rooney said.WENGEN, Switzerland - Bode Miller has opted not to race on Sunday when the United States mens team seeks a third straight World Cup downhill victory.Miller opted for caution after a training run on Thursday, on his return to top-level skiing since undergoing back surgery in November.Im definitely not in race shape, Miller said after practice on a shortened version of the classic 4.4-kilometre (2.75-mile) course, the World Cups longest. Its a challenge, its hard to accept, but it is what it is.Miller came to Wengen aiming to intensify his preparation for a home world championships at Vail-Beaver Creek, Colorado, from Feb. 2-15.Still, the temptation was strong to start in the 85th edition of a storied Alpine race he has won twice.U.S. mens head coach Sasha Rearick said Miller took a tough but smart decision.It was difficult. Hes a competitor, said Rearick, adding that 37-year-old Miller was only getting wiser and smarter, and this is a wise decision.The Americans are still the team to beat after victories last month in Italy for Steven Nyman at Val Gardena and Travis Ganong at Santa Caterina.Guys know we are going to be in there, U.S. racer Marco Sullivan said. We can give each other course reports and really trust that everyone is skiing well.The U.S. men last had three successive downhill wins in 2004.These guys are mature enough to know what they are doing, Rearick said. But we have to step up our game and ski better than iin the last two days. Josh McRoberts Jersey. Jansrud won the training run on Thursday which had the same top-3 finishers as Tuesdays opening practice despite starting lower down the mountain because of strong winds.Olympic champion Matthias Mayer of Austria trailed 0.45 seconds behind Kjetil Jansrud of Norway, winner of the seasons first two downhills. Carlo Janka of Switzerland, the 2010 Lauberhorn winner, was 0.96 behind on a track that should be much icier on Sunday.The Lauberhorn race has been switched from the traditional Saturday slot because of forecast fog and snowfalls up to 20 centimetres (8 inches). The slalom event, which can be run in poorer visibility, has been brought forward from Sunday.Forecasted gusts of up to 130 kph (80 mph) could affect the super-combined event on Friday, when Miller has been allowed a further practice as a forerunner for later starters. The opening downhill portion is expected to start below the signature Hundschopf cliff-face jump or even further down the slope.A dry, clear, freezing day is forecast on Sunday for the biggest event in this Alpine nations sports calendar, complete with formation fly pasts by Swiss air force jets.The host team has won four of the past six years since Millers second title.Theres so many tricky sections, and long flat sections afterward, that if you have mistakes in those tricky parts your day is over, Ganong said. Its such a hard race because of that. ' ' '