The Canadiens will have to navigate tonight’s game against the Winnipeg Jets without Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach, according to Renaud Lavoie.
Dach’s absence was easier to see coming. He missed Monday’s practice because of an illness, as previously reported, and is listed as day-to-day.
Suzuki’s case is more serious. The Montreal captain is out with an upper-body injury, and his return is not expected before November 18 at the earliest.
“Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach are doing extra this morning. We’ll have to wait before the captain’s return.”
- Renaud Lavoie
Even with those two centers unavailable, Montreal comes in rolling. The Canadiens have won five in a row, capped by Saturday’s 5-4 win over Pittsburgh, and they’ve gone 8-1-1 over their last 10 games.
Suzuki has been a major driver of that start, putting up 12 points in 9 games with 5 goals and a +6 rating. Dach’s numbers have been quieter: 3 assists and no goals in 13 games.
The matchup also comes at a favorable time on paper. Winnipeg is mired in a nine-game losing streak, sits 28th in the NHL with a 4-8-3 record, and was just hammered 7-0 by Carolina on Sunday. The Jets have scored 34 goals and allowed 54, leaving them with a minus-20 goal differential compared with Montreal’s plus-6.
Still, a team that desperate can be dangerous, and the Canadiens can’t afford to let Winnipeg catch a break. Montreal is 4-2-1 at home, and the Jets will be looking for anything to stop the slide.
Suzuki’s absence also has a longer backstory. In an earlier report from Renaud Lavoie, he was already said to be playing at less than 100% before getting hurt. Montreal has now been without its captain for 5 of its first 14 games, even though he got off to a productive start.
Martin St-Louis has chosen Jacob Fowler to start in goal against the Jets.
So the Canadiens head into the night trying to keep a five-game streak alive while missing two centers and facing a Winnipeg team that badly needs something to go right.
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