Just a couple quick notes from the Montreal Canadiens’ practice out in Brassard. I didn’t make it out there, but here’s what I’ve gleaned from talking to other reporters and the audio on the Habs Inside/Out blog.

•Only a handful of players skated today the morning after Montreal fell behind 0-3 in the best-of-seven series with Boston. Not among them were long-time injured players Andrei Markov and Robert Lang, nor late Game 3 scratches (upper-body injuries) Mathieu Schneider and Alex Tanguay.

“(I) can’t say they will or won’t play,” explained head coach Bob Gainey.

•There’s a school of thought the Canadiens might have some extra motivation for Game 4 because there will be two days off between Game 4 and 5. That could give the club’s missing players time to heal up and return in time to make this a shorter series.

“That’s what we’re hoping for. We can’t think about what’s going to happen on Saturday. We’ve got to win tomorrow to get there. … We can’t control that,” captain Saku Koivu said.

•Gainey would not reveal the name of his starting goaltender for Game 4.