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St-Louis makes another key decision hours ahead of Canadiens-Panthers game
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The game against the Florida Panthers will be played tonight at 7 p.m. at Amerant Bank Arena, and St-Louis has made another decision.
It is the first matchup of the annual series. Florida is also coming in on the second game of a back-to-back, and Montreal clearly wants to conserve energy.
With Martin St-Louis opting not to hold a morning skate, we'll have to wait for warm-ups and the press conference for lineup confirmation.
On Monday at practice, Alexandre Texier skated on the first line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, while Zachary Bolduc was demoted to the left wing alongside Phillip Danault and Josh Anderson.
No morning skate in Sunrise, and Samuel Montembeault will get the start.
The other confirmed decision is in goal. Montembeault will be the starting goaltender, having just been recalled after a conditioning stint with the Laval Rocket.
In the American Hockey League, he posted a 2.53 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage in two games. With the Canadiens this season, he has played 15 games, carrying a 3.65 goals-against average and an .857 save percentage. At 29 years old, he carries a $3.15 million cap hit.
Up front, Juraj Slafkovsky is showing production that's turning heads. In December, he recorded 15 points in 14 games, including seven in his last three outings.
Even with the absences of Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov for the entire season, the Panthers remain afloat. They hold a 7-3-0 record in their last 10 games, and Brad Marchand is riding a seven-game point streak. He also has 48 points in 58 career games against Montreal.
In the standings, the Canadiens hold a 20-12-6 record, with Florida close behind at 21-15-2. Last season, Montreal swept all four matchups against this division rival.