The Montreal Canadiens seemingly swooped in at the final hour to acquire winger Thomas Vanek in an effort to improve their playoff chances. 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. Air Max 90 Ultra SE Black White . Sijsling, ranked 74th in the world, was leading 6-0, 4-1 when his Italian opponent called it quits after just 39 minutes on court. In a match pitting together two qualifiers, Michal Przysiezny of Poland defeated local favourite Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (4) for only his second Tour win of the season. Off White x Air Max 90 All Black . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. http://www.outletairmax90cheap.com/outle...ow-cheap.html.J. - Several people have collapsed in an overcrowded New Jersey train station while waiting in long lines to get to the Super Bowl. Cheap Air Max 90 2019 . After the loss, White refused to make good on the bet, instead offering Hoyt tickets to a Bears game. Air Max 90 Leather White .com) - Top seed Klara Zakopalova reached the second round, while former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone came up a loser Tuesday at the inaugural Rio Open tennis event.The fans have spoken: Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry is an all-star.Lowry made a late surge in fan balloting and will start for the Eastern Conference at the NBA all-star game. The scrappy Raptors guard passed Miamis Dwyane Wade in voting and will start alongside Washingtons John Wall, the first time the East has had two first-time starters at guard since 2000.Lowry finished with 805,290 votes to rally from a deficit of more than 100,000 votes at the last balloting update to overtake Wade. Fans rewarded him with his first all-star appearance for his hard-nosed play in leading the Raptors to a huge lead in the Atlantic Division. Hes the first Raptor to start since Chris Bosh in 2008.Lowry is averaging 19.8 points per game, 7.5 assists and 4.9 rebounds, career highs in all three categories.Lowry and Walls tandem is not the only first at this all-star game. Pau and Marc Gasol have been voted the first brothers to start in the NBA all-star game.Pau Gasol of Chicago will start up front for the East along with Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony for the Feb. 15 game in New York. Memphis Marc Gasol joins New Orleans Anthony Davis and the Clippers Blake Griffin in the West frontcourt.Tom and Dick Van Arsdale played in the 1970 and 1971 games, but the Gasols — once traded for each other — are the first brothers chosen to start.Wall earned his first appearance last year, and now hes earned his first start. The East hasnt had both its guards making their first start since Philadelphias Allen Iverson and Charlottes Eddie Jordan in 2000.Fans had to vote for two guards and three frontcourt players. The reserves will be picked by the head coaches in each cconference and be announced next Thursday.ddddddddddddPrime Minister Stephen Harper, who had previously asked Canadians via Twitter to vote for Lowry, tweeted out his congratulations to the Raptors point guard after the vote was announced Thursday.Great work by all of Canadas basketball fans for helping to make @Klow7 an #NBAAllStarNYC starter. Congrats, Kyle, Harper wrote.Golden States Stephen Curry made his own late surge to pass James as the overall leading vote-getter, the league announced Thursday. Kobe Bryant was also voted to start at West guard, though thats in jeopardy because of a torn right rotator cuff.The star of the NBA-leading Golden State Warriors, Curry ended up with more than 1.5 million votes, more than 42,000 ahead of James, who had a 13,285-vote lead over the sharpshooter at the last update. Curry, who just two years ago was an all-star snub, becomes the first Warriors player elected to consecutive starts since Chris Mullin in 1991-92.His partner in the backcourt is up in the air after the Lakers revealed Bryants injury earlier Thursday. Though the severity of the injury is unknown, many rotator cuff injuries require surgery and several months of rehabilitation.That could rule Bryant out of his 17th all-star appearance, second all-time behind Kareem Abdul Jabbars 19. Bryants first was in 1998 at Madison Square Garden, the site of this years game.Commissioner Adam Silver would name an injury replacement if needed, and coaches Steve Kerr (Golden State) of the West and Mike Budenholzer (Atlanta) of the East would determine who replaces an injured player in the lineup.___With files from The Associated Press ' ' '