More players return to action as the Canadiens resume play

After more than a month of patchwork lineups packed with AHL reinforcements, the team has been practicing with an NHL-caliber lineup.

Author of the article:

Pat hickey • Montreal Gazette

Publication date:

January 11, 2022 • 17 minutes ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation

Josh Anderson wears a contactless jersey while participating in practice for the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard on January 10, 2022. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette

Morning skates are usually low-key affairs, an opportunity for players to troubleshoot, and an opportunity for coaches to adjust a game plan and make sure everyone is on the same page.

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But head coach Dominique Ducharme will have to use the Canadiens skate at TD Garden in Boston on Wednesday to do a quick assessment of a pair of players who, under normal circumstances, would be in the lineup for the game against the Bruins. (7 pm, SN, RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).

Jake Evans and defender Alexander Romanov are among six players who were stranded in the United States after testing positive for COVID-19 during the Canadiens’ post-Christmas road trip. While the Canadiens returned to practice Sunday after a week off, Ducharme said Tuesday that he did not believe the exiled players could have skated.

After more than a month of patchwork lineups packed with reinforcements from the AHL’s Laval Rocket, the Canadiens have been practicing with an NHL-caliber lineup. The only COVID-19 calls on the ice on Tuesday were Laurent Dauphin and Lukas Vejdemo, whose spot as a fourth-line center could be taken by Evans.

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The Boston game, which was originally scheduled for the Bell Center, is the beginning of what has become the longest road trip for the Canadiens in more than half a century. The Canadiens were supposed to play at home Saturday against New Jersey, but that game was postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions in Quebec and that means Montreal will play its next seven away games with stops in Chicago, Glendale, Ariz. , Dallas, Las Vegas, Denver and Saint Paul, Minnesota.

The Canadiens’ next scheduled home game is Jan. 27 against Anaheim and the hope is that the COVID-19 situation has stabilized to the point where at least some fans can attend the games. There has been no indication what the NHL will do if the buildings remain empty.

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More than 100 games have been postponed and most of those games involve Canadian teams.

Long-term casualties Mike Hoffman and Christian Dvorak are back in the lineup, while Tyler Toffoli and Josh Anderson were on the Canadiens charter flight and should see action on the trip. They have been practicing this week with non-contact sweaters.

Paul Byron, Brendan Gallagher and Carey Price were not on the flight and Ducharme offered a different forecast for each of them.

Ducharme said Byron is the closest to coming back. He underwent off-season hip surgery and came close to making his season debut when he was exposed to COVID-19 during the post-Christmas trip. He entered the NHL protocol but, because he did not test positive, he was able to return to Canada.

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Ducharme said Gallagher could rejoin the team at some point during the trip. You are dealing with a lower body injury.

Ducharme said Price would not be available on this trip and that increases speculation that the goalkeeper will not play this season. Price underwent what was supposed to be relatively minor knee surgery during the offseason, but has experienced a number of setbacks.

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