The day after a 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers at Sunrise, the Montreal Canadiens return to action against the Sunshine State's other power, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
But it will be without Christian Dvorak. The attacker is injured in the upper body, so CH has to play with 11 attackers and seven defenders. This brings Johnathan Kovacevic back into the lineup after his absence in the last two games.
Dvorak, a regular at the infirmary, must undergo further medical examinations to determine the severity of his injury.
Martin St-Louis' team will try as best as they can to contain the dangerous Nikita Kucherov, who is the National Hockey League's top scorer with a record of 25 goals and 34 assists and 59 points in just 36 games.
Kucherov is not a player that Canadiens fans hold in their hearts. We'll remember him making fun of them after the Lightning won the Stanley Cup by beating the Habs in five games in the 2021 Finals.
Samuel Montembeault will be in front of the CH goal, Jake Allen was in the starting line-up on Saturday.
With a win, the Canadiens would move within three points of the Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils, who both have 40 points, in the playoff race. The Capitals would be the second team drafted from the East if the playoffs began on Sunday.
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