Canadiens Notes: Laine, Reinbacher, more

The Montreal Canadiens returned home from Ottawa following a 6-5 overtime victory against the Senators on Saturday night. Cole Caufield sealed the win with the franchise-leading 12th career overtime goal. Martin St. Louis said after the game that the Senators dominated the final two periods and that his team didn’t deserve the win.

The team hits the ice at the CN Sports Complex on Monday as they prepare to host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday and the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, before visiting the Boston Bruins on Saturday.

Habs Notes

Here are some stories to watch this week.

After Josh Anderson, Kaiden Guhle and Jake Evans returned from their respective injuries, more familiar faces continue to progress toward a return. While the club has not provided any precise timeline, all signs point to Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine being on the cusp of slotting in. They both practiced in regular jerseys in Ottawa on Friday, and Dach took reps on the second power play unit.
The team can activate one player without any issues because the active roster is at 22. To make room for a second addition, management needs to open a roster spot via trade, or an assignment to Laval.
A social media post from Laine’s spouse hinted that Kent Hughes has already told the winger he should expect a trade before the deadline. It is difficult to see how Laine fits in with what the Canadiens are trying to build. Last season, Laine played an important role on the power play with 15 goals. This year, the club has added skilled players that reduce his importance on that facet. The 27-year-old is in the final year of the contract that carries a $8.7 million cap hit.
Ivan Demidov, Oliver Kapanen, Zachary Bolduc, and Lane Hutson are the only skaters on the roster that are waiver exempt. Based on Saturday’s deployment, Samuel Blais appears as the odd man out. The Habs placed Blais on waivers at the end of training camp, and the Maple Leafs claimed him. He returned to the organization in November when Toronto placed him on waivers to make room on their roster.

Rocket Notes

The Laval Rocket were at Place Bell for three games. On Wednesday, the Belleville Senators (Ottawa) won 3-2 in overtime, and on the weekend, the Manitoba Moose (Winnipeg Jets) swept Laval with 2-1 shootout win on Friday, and 3-0 the following day. Saturday’s game stopped with 1:12 left in the third period when a fan suffered a medical emergency in the stands. The team announced on Sunday that the fan passed away.

This week, the Rocket pack their bags for their longest road trip of the season. The six-game road trip begins with back-to-back games against the Abbostford Canucks (Vancouver) beginning on Tuesday, followed by two games against the Calgary Wranglers starting Saturday.

Here are notes from the weekend.

After leaving a good impression in Montreal, Jacob Fowler made 27 saves in his first AHL start since December 6. Earlier in the week, the AHL announced that Fowler, Adam Engstrom, and Laurent Dauphin will join Pascal Vincent at the All-Star Classic.
Joshua Roy made a surprise return to the lineup on Friday against the Moose. On January 6th, the team announced a four-to-six week absence for the forward due to an upper body injury. Ten days later, Roy returned and had a good weekend playing on a line with Owen Beck and Jared Davidson. Vincent used him on the top power play unit and on the penalty kill.
David Reinbacher had a difficult week. On Wednesday, he made two turnovers during the overtime with the second one leading to the Senators clinching goal. Reinbacher struggled on the weekend against the Moose, looking nervous managing the puck.