The Montreal Canadiens can expect a little reinforcement on offense on Saturday afternoon when the Dallas Stars visit the Bell Centre.

In fact, striker Alex Newhook was back in training with his teammates on Friday. He missed his team's final 27 games due to a sprained ankle.

The possible return of the 23-year-old athlete will be welcomed by the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge after the exchange with Sean Monahan, who was sent to the Winnipeg Jets.

“He’s close [d’un retour au jeu]said head coach Martin St-Louis at a press conference. He could play tomorrow [samedi].”

“He is a combative player and we know he has an attacking side. He will help us. At the same time, the pilot continued, he was a player who had been absent for a long time. He needs to get back into the swing of things, and that might take a while. We’ll get there and we’ll see.”

In an encouraging sign, Newhook played on the Habs' first power play unit with Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Mike Matheson.

“I feel good and hope to be able to train tomorrow [samedi]», For his part, Newhook indicated.

Frustrating

Newhook was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche last summer and began to feel comfortable with his new roster as he stepped into action. He made no secret of the fact that he found the situation quite frustrating.

“It's hard when you have to be on the sidelines for a long time,” said the Newfoundland native. “It’s a mental challenge but you have to get through it and focus on getting back in shape.”

Newhook said he feels “100%” recovered. If that weren't the case, he wouldn't have risked returning to the icy surface. The first round pick (16^e (overall) in the 2019 draft had collected 13 points, including seven goals, in 23 games before being on the sidelines.

The network in Montembeault

The Canadian will play two games in as many days. After the stars, the St. Louis Blues will be visiting the metropolis of Quebec.

St-Louis announced that Samuel Montembeault will start in goal in the first of these two meetings. The Quebec goaltender is in the starting lineup for the second straight season after making 37 saves in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals.

The last time CH and the Stars met on January 2nd, Montembeault was outstanding in a 4-3 win in Dallas.

In summary

Jake Evans missed training. Instead, he enjoyed a day full of treatments. The 27-year-old center has not missed any of his team's 50 games since the start of the season.

Exactly two years ago, the Canadian fired Dominique Ducharme and hired St-Louis as interim coach. A few months later, the Laval resident received the full-time position.

“It’s happening quickly,” said the 48-year-old on this topic. The last two years have passed quickly. If you enjoy serious work, it goes quickly.”

Today's press conferences: