With three games on the calendar this week, the Montreal Canadiens could be getting a much-needed injection of life into their lineup.
The Habs took to the ice for practice on Tuesday morning and saw the return of a few familiar faces.
According to a team release, defencemen Kaiden Guhle and Justin Barron, along with forward Juraj Slafkovsky, joined the skate in regular jerseys for the first time since suffering their respective upper-body injuries earlier in the month.
Slafkovsky, who has missed the team’s last three games, is expected to play in tonight’s game against the Seattle Kraken. He told reporters he is ready to return.
“Yeah, I feel good. There are no issues,” the winger said after practice. “I don’t feel any pain, nothing. I’m healthy, 100%, ready to go.”
The 20-year-old practiced on a Line 2 trio with Alex Newhook and Joel Armia, while Kirby Dach retained his spot on the first line.
Barron, who has been recovering from a brutal hit laid out by New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba, was paired with Guhle. The duo may not get the nod until Montreal’s next game, though, as the Canadiens practiced with the following top-six defensive pairings.
Defencemen
Mike Matheson – Jayden Struble
Lane Hutson – David Savard
Arber Xhekaj – Logan Mailloux
Keeping with the theme of recovery, the Habs also dropped a bit of news regarding forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard, who has yet to play this year.
Still in a blue jersey indicating no contact, the 25-year-old joined his first session with the team since undergoing successful leg surgery in July.
With two wins in a 24-hour span over the weekend, the Canadiens are currently riding their hottest streak of the season. Now riding a 4-4-1 record, Montreal will look to log a third straight W tonight. Puck drop is set for 7 pm.