Martin St-Louis is keeping the same lineup that beat Toronto, and that means Jakub Dobes will get the start when the Canadiens face the Penguins.
The Canadiens made the call after St-Louis said in his press conference that he would not alter the group that won 3-2 against the Maple Leafs last Tuesday. The move matches what had already been seen in the two practices held in Pittsburgh this week.
Oliver Kapanen, Florian Xhekaj and Adam Engström are the scratches. Kapanen, who took part in Thursday’s practice, will have to wait a little longer before getting back into the regular lineup.
Xhekaj will also watch from the stands, extending a season-long situation that has already played out several times. Engström completes the trio, even though he may have been hoping for a chance before Kaiden Guhle returns.
The forward lines are set as follows: Caufield - Suzuki - Kreider, Slafkovsky - Newhook - Demidov, Texier - Danault - Dach, and Bolduc - Evans - Anderson.
On defense, the pairs will be Matheson - Dobson, Hutson - Carrier, and Struble - Xhekaj.
Dobes starts in goal, with Montembeault listed behind him.
For the Canadiens, it’s the straightforward logic that drives a lot of professional sports: if the lineup just got the job done, leave it alone.
Kapanen’s absence stands out because he played all 82 games last season, a run of durability that made his initial scratch a surprise.
Xhekaj’s camp made a different kind of noise. He turned heads in training camp, capped by a dominant fight and plenty of praise from Kent Hughes and St-Louis. But the emotional arc he’s been living through this week will continue outside the lineup for now.
Engström is in a different spot, viewed as one of the organization’s future regular defensemen over the longer term.
For now, all three will have to wait, likely until Guhle returns, before getting another shot.
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Even without a deal getting across the line, the episode adds more context to how Montreal has been operating under Hughes and Gorton, especially with the organization still balancing present-day upgrades against the bigger-picture plan. The deadline chatter also sits alongside the broader swirl of rumors around Matthew Knies and the shifting landscape in Toronto, where management changes can alter the way trade talks unfold. For the Canadiens, the takeaway is clear: they were in the hunt, and the price tag was substantial. [Read more 🡒]