Juraj Slafkovsky is back on the first line

The Montreal Canadiens are in Anaheim ahead of tomorrow's game against the Ducks.

To prepare for the match, Martin St-Louis's men trained early this afternoon.

Right off the bat, it's worth noting the absence of Mike Matheson. With the trade deadline just a few hours away, questions could have been raised (even though seeing Matheson traded would have been a huge surprise), but the Canadiens announced that he would be undergoing treatment today.

Defenseman Mike Matheson (therapy day) will not be participating in today's practice.

Defenseman Mike Matheson (therapy day) won't be participating in today's practice.

— Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) March 5, 2026

That said, it should also be noted that Martin St-Louis has made some changes to his offensive lineup. Seeing clearly that the second line had been struggling recently, the Canadiens coach decided to shake things up.

Juraj Slafkovsky is back on the wing with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, while Alex Newhook rounds out the second line with Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov.

Kirby Dach now finds himself on the third unit with Zachary Bolduc and Jake Evans.

The fourth line (Anderson – Danault – Gallagher) is the only one that remains unchanged:

These two lines are now official.
Bolduc-Evans-Dach
Anderson-Danault-Gallagher https://t.co/7oA5kyK54D

— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) March 5, 2026

I don't hate it.

The second line has been struggling since returning from the Olympic break… and Martin St-Louis probably wants to move Slafkovsky back to the first line to get him going again. He hasn't been giving enough in recent games, and we all want to see more from him.

And anyway, we know what the three of them (Slaf, Suzuki, and Caufield) can do because they've played together in the past.

But it's also a well-deserved promotion for Newhook. He's been playing great hockey since his return to the game, and now he'll have the chance to prove himself on a more offensive line.

I can't wait to see how it works out with a fast forward like Newhook and a talented player like Demidov on the second unit…

Overtime

I tend to believe that Sheriff Arber Xhekaj is likely to be back in the lineup tomorrow night (if he isn't traded before then).

Jayden Struble hasn't necessarily been spectacular in his last few outings, after all…

And in goal, we can expect Samuel Montembeault to get the start against the Ducks. Monty tomorrow, Dobes Saturday against the Kings… that would make sense.