Josh Anderson Demoted as Martin St-Louis Shuffles Canadiens Lines Before Senators Clash
As the Canadiens' final preseason game approaches this Saturday, Montreal continues to test its line combinations, and a surprise appeared during the latest practice.
Brendan Gallagher, often placed on the third and fourth lines in recent seasons, has regained a prominent spot by taking the role on the second line alongside Joe Veleno and Kirby Dach.
This change puts Josh Anderson in a more delicate situation, as he has dropped down to the fourth line.
Josh Anderson Demoted to Fourth Line With Patrik Laine and Jake Evans
Here are the lines:
Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovsky
Veleno - Dach - Gallagher
Newhook - Kapanen - Demidov
Laine - Evans - Anderson
Blais - Beck - F. Xhekaj
Matheson - Dobson
Guhle - Hutson
A. Xhekaj - Carrier
Engstrom - Struble
Montembeault
Dobes
Kahkonen
Veleno - Dach - Gallagher
Newhook - Kapanen - Demidov
Laine - Evans - Anderson
Blais - Beck - F. Xhekaj
Matheson - Dobson
Guhle - Hutson
A. Xhekaj - Carrier
Engstrom - Struble
Montembeault
Dobes
Kahkonen
For Anderson, the bad news is clear. While some expected him to stabilize the second or third line, he now has to play on the fourth, alongside Jake Evans in practice.
As for Patrik Laine, he receives a slight improvement. Yesterday, he was on the fifth line, a role that was practically non-existent in the lineup.
This time, the Finnish forward was moved to the left of Evans and Anderson, giving him at least a regular presence in the rotation. I truly believe he needs to perform better at 5-on-5-and quickly.
As mentioned earlier today, Zachary Bolduc has sustained a lower-body injury and considered day-to-day.
For the defensemen, nothing has changed. Noah Dobson and Kaiden Guhle stayed with the regulars, a sign that the coaches want to provide stability to their defensive pairings.
After the session, Martin St-Louis confirmed another important detail: Samuel Montembeault will start on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators in the final preseason game.
I'm happy to see Montembeault get another opportunity to prepare for the first regular-season game.
As for the lines, I think Anderson will need to quickly regain his power-play identity if he doesn't want to remain stuck on the fourth unit.
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