Mike Matheson was on the ice today for optional practice

Marc-Olivier Cook
Mike Matheson was on the ice today for optional practice
Credit: Getty Images

Following last night's victory in Carolina(their first since 2016), the Canadiens held an optional practice today.

And there was some good news: Mike Matheson was on the ice.

He skated with the group after having to miss yesterday's game against the Hurricanes. Remember that the defenseman was hit by Brad Marchand during the game in Florida, and that the hit by the Panthers' #63 was still pretty dangerous.

No word yet on whether #8 will be able to take part in tomorrow's game.

The Canadiens will be in St. Louis to take on the Blues… and the game will be at 4pm. Seeing him in uniform would be ideal,because we saw how much his absence hurt last night, even if the club found a way to come out of it with a win.

But just seeing Matheson on the ice today is really encouraging.

We were afraid he might be suffering from concussion symptoms… but he wouldn't have been skating with the rest of the group today if that were the case. But that's the good news.

Because we all agree that it would have been a real catastrophe to see Mike Matheson go down fighting for several weeks. The Canadiens need him on the blue line because the québécois probably has the biggest role on the defensive brigade… and we're also talking about a really important leader on the team.

So much the better if his injury isn't extremely serious. At least that's what we understand from his practice today, and even if we don't know what the plan is for the rest of the game, it's encouraging in a way.

There are questions to be asked about tomorrow, though…


Extension

I say there are questions to be asked facing tomorrow and I'm referring to this:

1. Will Josh Anderson be able to play, since he didn't practice today?

Remember that he left yesterday's game and was unable to finish…

2. Who will be the starting goalie for the Canadiens? Jakub Dobes allowed four goals last night, Samuel Montembeault did well in his last game… and Jacob Fowler is rolling along nicely these days.

The coach's choice will be interesting.

3. If Matheson plays, who will Martin St-Louis leave out?

Arber Xhekaj doesn't deserve to be out of the lineup right now. I'm expecting to see Jayden Struble or Adam Engström in the stands… and we agree that it makes sense.

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