“Certain that Patrik Laine will return tonight”

For a few days, Patrik Laine’s flu has been a topic of discussion. Does he really have the flu? We wonder.

Laine played the first game of the Western trip, but missed the last two, officially due to the flu. And we wonder if it’s not hiding something more.

An injury? Surely not: the CH would say so, simply.

Was Laine left out by his coach and the CH hid the truth? Is there something bigger (something related to mental health, for example?) and the CH doesn’t want to or can’t say it?

For now, these are questions that arise. The uncertainty opens the door to speculation about the one who skated solo yesterday. #CommeUnExtra

But on this subject, on the airwaves of BPM Sports this morning, Renaud Lavoie slipped some information at the end of his segment. Quite candidly, he claimed that tonight, it’s “sure” that Patrik Laine will play.

The journalist said it while mentioning that he was looking forward to seeing how it would affect the trios for tonight’s game against Seattle.

The two obvious candidates to take a turn, if Laine plays, are Joshua Roy and Michael Pezzetta. Roy is a better player, but if Laine can play, his emergency recall would likely become a regular recall – unless there’s a reversal of the situation.

In the context where the CH is in a playoff race, it shouldn’t be the predominant factor. But it’s worth considering since there are only two regular recalls left for the CH this season.

And that brings us to Michael Pezzetta, who was preferred to Laine if the latter is a healthy scratch.

Yesterday, El Pezz played his second game in a row. And without great surprise, he was the least used attacker by Martin St-Louis, playing less than eight minutes against Vancouver.

Said that, 7:48 of playing time, it’s a personal best since… October 27 in Philly.

Logically, it’s surely him that St-Louis will want to remove from the lineup. After all, he doesn’t bring anything on the ice right now, having lost his identity on the ice. With so little playing time (less than 20 minutes since the beginning of February), it’s not abnormal, however.

Pezzetta has no points this season in 16 games and it’s too bad for him, but he shouldn’t be a factor for the club in the midst of a playoff race for the Canadiens.

We’ll see what the coach, who will speak to the media around 2:45 p.m., Quebec time, will say about all this. Note that there is no practice scheduled for the club today. #Logique

In passing

– How to become a distraction 101.

Vladdy didn’t understand how not to make people talk about him. https://t.co/4wVDiR0xwH

— Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) March 12, 2025

– Yes, it was a mistake.

Apple TV, it would have been less bad already. Amazon or Netflix, it would have been OK.

But the MLS Season Pass, behind Apple TV, was a mistake

— Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) March 12, 2025

– To read.

The details https://t.co/7TMBsU5XTE

— TVA Sports (@TVASports) March 12, 2025