The Canadiens’ lineup tonight: five less-than-ideal options

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
The Canadiens’ lineup tonight: five less-than-ideal options
Credit: YouTube

This morning, it became clear that Jakub Dobes would be in the lineup for tonight's game against the Canes. That was the word before the Habs put the brakes on, saying nothing is official… but it's going to happen.

In reality, Martin St-Louis didn't want to confirm anything about his lineup because the playoffs are approaching. The coach wants to get into playoff mode.

That's what he said this morning.

But in reality, when you look at it, we can all agree that it's not the identity of his goalie he's trying to hide: it's the composition of his lines.

On offense, Martin St-Louis has five options to finalize his lineup. And all five options are… less than ideal.

  • Josh Anderson practiced in a non-contact jersey yesterday. Normally, a guy coming back from an injury gets a regular practice before jumping into action.
  • Joe Veleno put in extra work after today's practice. The guys who are playing don't do extra work in the morning.
  • Patrik Laine. No need to explain why that's not a realistic option, right?
  • Playing with seven defensemen (and only 11 forwards, therefore) has never been the coach's preferred option, and he's struggling to get six guys on the ice right now.
  • Calling up a guy from Laval and using a recall slot after not having him skate with the others in the morning? That's… unlikely.

If you want my opinion, Anderson will be back. I get that it's better to see a guy skate in a regular jersey before he comes back…

But MSL said it: we're in playoff mode. And sometimes, you have to push the machine into playoff mode.

No option is perfect right now. That likely contributes to the fact that the coach wants to keep a bit of mystery surrounding his lineup.

We'll see in due time.


In a nutshell

– Ouch.

– Too bad.

– Caleb Desnoyers is ready for the challenge in Utah. [Ratings]

– Heads up.

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