Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien is making veteran defenceman Jordie Benn a healthy scratch for Tuesday's game against the St. Louis Blues.

"We need more from certain players," he told reporters on Tuesday afternoon. "Right now, he's the one on defence who's struggling the most. He's losing a lot of his battles along the boards," said Julien. "We want the puck to move better, especially on breakouts."

Despite the harsh criticism, Julien explained that they still think he's a "good player," but a change needed to be made.

"He's a good player. We like him," he continued. "If it was a vote on popularity, he'd be in, because he's a good team player. Just because he's sitting out isn't because we don't like the guy, it's because he's been struggling," he said. "You have to make hockey decisions, not popularity decisions. This is where we are right now. There are other guys back there that are struggling. If they don't pick up their game, they'll get their turn as well."

Benn will miss just his second game of the season after sitting out Oct. 17 as a healthy scratch. Joe Morrow will play his first game since Jan. 7 on Tuesday night.

Benn, who was acquired from the Dallas Stars at last year's trade deadline, has four goals and six assists over 48 games this season.

Montreal has a 20-23-6 record and sits fourth in the Atlantic Division.