It looks like the Montreal Canadiens may make a lineup change tonight and it may not be the one most expected.
There’s an air of mystery about the Montreal Canadiens’ lineup ahead of tonight’s all-important Game 5. On Friday morning, Arber Xhekaj was not among the healthy scratches on the ice, which could indicate he’ll be in tonight, but Jayden Struble wasn’t skating either. Normally, when one goes in, the other goes out, but there might be another scenario at play here.
During Game 4, Kaiden Guhle fell awkwardly in the corner and looked like he was clutching his knee for a little while. He eventually got back up and finished his shift, but when he saw the opportunity to go off, he leaped onto the bench to make sure he got off.
He didn’t leave the game, but as anyone who’s ever had a knee injury will tell you, it usually feels much worse the next day when it has really swollen, and you find yourself with less amplitude in your movement.
There’s been no indication that Guhle could miss the game, aside from the fact that neither Xhekaj nor Struble skated this morning, but this is the playoffs. Teams do not advertise their lineup plans during the postseason.
While losing Guhle would definitely not be good news for the Habs, it’s worth remembering that in the first six games of the first round, Xhekaj and Struble were both in the lineup because of Noah Dobson’s injury. They fared rather well. Of course, the Carolina Hurricanes do not really play a style that is very Xhekaj -friendly, but the hulking defenseman might just be ready to rise to the occasion after missing the first four games of this series.
No other changes are expected to the Canadiens’ lineup since Brendan Gallagher, Oliver Kapanen, and Patrik Laine were all on the ice this morning, which seems to indicate that Joe Veleno will play.
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