Alexandre Texier did not participate in today’s practice

Last night, a few minutes before the Canadiens vs. Sabres game, the Habs announced that Alexandre Texier would miss the game.

The Frenchman has a lower-body injury and will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis.

So you won't necessarily be surprised to learn that he missed practice today in Buffalo. The Canadiens themselves shared the news in an article.

Today's lineups (almost the same as yesterday)

And yes, Hutson and Dobson were paired together again

Read ↓ #GoHabsGohttps://t.co/phhrr3CAdJ

— Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) February 1, 2026

What you need to know is that there's a good chance Texier will be sidelined until the Olympic break. That's what Renaud Lavoie mentioned last night on TVA Sports during the pre-game show.

Reminder: the Habs play tomorrow (in Minnesota) and also have a game scheduled for Wednesday against the Jets (in Winnipeg). That said, if Texier doesn't play between now and then, it makes you wonder if his participation in the Olympics will also be compromised…

It should be noted that the offensive trios and defensive duos were the same as yesterday's practice this morning. It looked like this:

Kirby Dach was still on the wing on the first line, while Patrik Laine was the extra player.

Samuel Blais rotated on the fourth line. No surprises here… and I expect the same lineup to face the Wild tomorrow night.

I find it hard to believe that Martin St-Louis will change a formula that has been working so well.

It's also worth noting that Jayden Struble was the extra defenseman at this morning's practice. The defenseman hasn't played since January 22… and that's “normal” in a sense, since Arber Xhekaj has been playing well lately—even though he wasn't used much by Martin St-Louis last night.

I can't wait to see how Martin St-Louis plays his cards for tomorrow's game. 

Overtime

Speaking of which…

It will be interesting to see who the coach chooses as goalie against the Wild. Jakub Dobes deserves to play since he has been really excellent this week.

But Monty will have to play at some point, too…