John Scott confident lone Canadiens appearance won't be his grand finale

John Scott is getting one shot with the Montreal Canadiens, but he's not approaching it as his final act.

Acquired from Arizona in a much-talked-about trade ahead of the All-Star Game and then sent down to the AHL, Scott is set to cap his NHL season by appearing in a single game for the Canadiens, a home date with the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

"John's been a professional since coming on board with the organization," said head coach Michel Therrien. "We wanted to give him a chance to play a game."

"It's a one-game thing," Scott added, "unless I go out and score a hat trick. Hopefully (the fans) can just maybe get behind me a little bit and show me respect (for) the stuff I do out there.

"(The Canadiens) did me a solid and let me come down - or come up, rather - and play a game."

While it would provide Mitch Albom with a tidy ending for the screenplay he's writing about the All-Star MVP's whirlwind season, Scott is hoping more will be added to his story.

Scott, 33, has appeared in 285 NHL games, with five goals, six assists, and 542 penalty minutes to his credit.