Overview
- Saturday updates from multiple outlets say veteran defenseman Mike Matheson will miss about two weeks with a lower-body injury.
- Goaltender Sam Montembeault was downgraded to day-to-day after a practice injury and has not yet appeared this season, which combined with Jacob Fowler’s strong starts makes a three-goalie arrangement likely when Montembeault returns.
- Captain Nick Suzuki completed a full morning skate and appears ahead of schedule in his hand-injury recovery but was not cleared to play that night and could be available soon.
- Young defenseman Adam Engstrom has been penciled into an expanded role on the third pairing to cover Matheson’s heavy minutes and penalty-killing duties.
- Montreal sits 8-3-2 with a multi-game point streak, prospect Ivan Demidov has shed a walking boot and remains on his recovery timeline, and the team’s solid results reduce pressure for immediate roster moves.