Slafkovsky Misses Practice In Wake Of Wilson Hit

The Montreal Canadiens returned to the ice Friday morning after a day off on Thursday. Oliver Kapanen’s presence was a welcome sight, especially since he was a full participant, but Juraj Slafkovsky's absence was far from reassuring. The team said he was taking a therapy day, and Martin St-Louis added in his post-practice media availability that the power forward would be available for Saturday’s game. Still, one has to wonder if it was linked to his collision with Tom Wilson in Wednesday night’s game.

The Canadiens’ infirmary is getting busy, and this morning the team confirmed that Florian Xhekaj will miss two weeks with a lower-body injury. As for Mike Matheson, his status remains day-to-day. No further update on Ivan Demidov or Samuel Montembeault, as they remain out of action.

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The Sainte-Flanelle is clearly gearing up for the Heritage Classic against the Winnipeg Jets, which is a little over a week away. The players were breaking in new gear to match the vintage look of the jersey they'll wear on game day. That included Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler, who wore new pads, gloves, and blockers.

It will be interesting to see if Montembeault is ready to return by then, though, since he was said to be out of action for 10 to 14 days a week ago. The bench boss said he still hasn't decided who will be between the posts for Saturday’s tilt against the Buffalo Sabres, which is interesting because, on merit alone, Fowler should be the runaway favorite given his recent performances and Dobes’ struggles since game two of the season.

The first line’s lack of production at even strength was a point of discussion with the St-Louis, and he ventured an explication:

Their commitment to play a 200-foot game is there; I think they’re just missing a bit of swagger. With players like these, that starts with the power play. If you're clean on the power play and produce on the man advantage, it helps you feel confident offensively at even strength, and I’m confident that will come. But what I like from the first line is their commitment to the 200-foot game; we know the rest is there. They know they want more offensively, but they’re not taking any shortcuts to get it; that’s what you need from your players.

While the top line had the same production issues at even strength in the playoffs, they’re playing a much more dominant game now. The lines and pairings on the ice stayed the same, except Kapanen filled in for Slafkovsky on the top line. Watch this space tomorrow to see whether the big Slovak is available to face the Sabres and which goaltender gets the nod.

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