Kaiden Guhle and Brendan Gallagher will not be in uniform tonight

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Kaiden Guhle and Brendan Gallagher will not be in uniform tonight
Credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Tonight, the Canadiens face off against the Panthers at the Bell Centre. And when we learned earlier this morning that Kirby Dach and Alexandre Texier had been cleared by the doctors, we expected a revamped lineup for the game.

But we had to wait until warm-ups to get answers. And brace yourselves: there have been some major shakeups.

First off, on offense, Dach and Texier are in uniform. Brendan Gallagher and Joe Veleno will be left out. Word on the street is that Veleno is sick, not injured.

That said, there's also been a change on the blue line. And it's none other than Kaiden Guhle who won't be playing tonight.

Adam Engström will take his place in the lineup.

Guhle's case is quite unique given that he's been able to play up until now. That said, he didn't participate in practice this morning, and it's possible he's nursing an injury.

With a playoff spot secured (and the quality of the depth), the team has the luxury of resting its injured players so they'll be ready for the playoffs.

It's worth noting, however, that in addition to changes in the roster, there have been significant changes to the line combinations. For example, Oliver Kapanen is no longer the center on the second line.

Instead, he's on the wing of the fourth line (with Phillip Danault and Josh Anderson). Alexandre Texier replaces him on the second line.

Dach, meanwhile, is on the wing of Jake Evans' line, which is rounded out by Zachary Bolduc. And of course, the first line remains unchanged.

The Habs have the luxury of depth, and they're taking advantage of it to shake up their lineup against the Panthers tonight.

Will the changes pay off? We'll find out shortly.


In a nutshell

– What do you think?

– That would be something.

– Enjoy the show.

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