On Monday morning, the Canadiens practiced without Michael Pezzetta and Oliver Kapanen, raising questions about whether they would miss Wednesday’s game. The conclusion seems clear: they likely will not participate.
During today’s training, the forward lines were identical to those from Monday, indicating this will likely be the lineup against the Maple Leafs tonight at the Bell Centre. It makes sense that the Canadiens might want to hold off on starting Kapanen against Toronto, given the challenging match ahead.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Kapanen makes his NHL debut tomorrow night. Emil Heineman will need to step up tonight, despite being on a four-game streak.
As anticipated over the past few days, Alex Barré-Boulet has secured a spot in the top nine, joining Christian Dvorak and Josh Anderson for his first game with the team. He will be the sole debutant for the Canadiens, as all other players on the roster have played at least one game in a Canadiens uniform previously, although Heineman and Lane Hutson have limited experience.
On the defensive side, there are no surprises: Jayden Struble’s day-to-day injury necessitates that Martin St-Louis relies on his six available defensemen, which was anticipated.
The players were motivated by Stéphane Robidas, who inspired them with the question, “Why not us?” during practice.
