Montreal Canadiens Standings: Morning skates and lineup signals before Toronto and Ottawa games
montreal canadiens standings are being framed by a narrow set of practice developments: a confirmed starting goalie for the next game, a therapy day for one forward, and key players rotating as extras across sessions ahead of back-to-back matchups.
What Happens to Montreal Canadiens Standings When Lineups Shift?
Morning skate notes from the Bell Centre and the CN Sports Complex point to immediate roster choices that will set the tone for the coming games. Martin St-Louis, head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, confirmed that Jakub Dobes will get the start in the upcoming game. The game time is scheduled for 7: 00 p. m. ET. The club held its first morning skate at the Bell Centre this month ahead of the matchup with Toronto, and had earlier practiced at the CN Sports Complex after returning from a trip through California.
- Confirmed starting goaltender: Jakub Dobes.
- Absent from practice: Oliver Kapanen (therapy day / treatment day).
- Extras in recent sessions: Patrik Laine and Alexandre Texier; Samuel Montembeault working extra drills.
These items are direct, actionable decisions from practice windows. The presence of controlled extras—players kept off the main lines during skates—suggests the coaching staff is managing minutes and evaluating combinations rather than making abrupt lineup overhauls.
What If the Missing or Extra Players Return to Full Duty?
Oliver Kapanen did not practice on Monday and was given a therapy day. His absence opened up reps for Joe Veleno on the second line in practice patterns that featured Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, Jesse Ylonen, and other regulars. The practice forward groupings included Caufield – Suzuki – Slafkovsky, Newhook – Veleno – Demidov, Anderson – Danault – Gallagher, and Dach – Evans – Bolduc, with Alexandre Texier and Patrik Laine listed as extras in at least one session. Defensively, pairings in practice showed Dobson–Matheson, Guhle–Hutson, and Carrier–Xhekaj/Struble configurations.
If Kapanen returns from treatment to regular practice availability, the immediate tactical effect will be a clearer assignment of minutes across the middle and bottom-six forwards. If he remains sidelined, the practice sequences indicate that Joe Veleno and others will continue to receive look-in opportunities. Patrik Laine has been present as an extra and has been practicing shots alongside Cole Caufield, while Samuel Montembeault has been doing extra drills, and Lane Hutson has been notably among the first players on the ice at times.
All of these variables—goalie deployment, a therapy day for a forward, extras cycling through skates—feed into short-term competitive readiness, which in turn bears on montreal canadiens standings in a tightly scheduled stretch of games.
What Should Fans and Analysts Watch Next?
Watch the roster used at game time (7: 00 p. m. ET) and whether the practice pairings translate into matchday deployments. Key signals: whether Jakub Dobes starts as confirmed by Martin St-Louis, whether Oliver Kapanen returns from his therapy day, and whether Patrik Laine or Alexandre Texier are elevated from extra status into the lineup. The team’s handling of these near-term lineup questions—maintaining consistency, mixing lines cautiously, or making changes—will determine immediate on-ice chemistry and, over the short run, influence montreal canadiens standings
