MONTREAL | The year 2022 is nothing too new for the Canadiens. On this first day of the year, the CH added the names of Alexander Romanov and Jake Evans on the COVID-19 protocol.
Despite an outbreak of positive cases inside the locker room, the Habs will end their trip to the southern United States with a game against the Florida Panthers at 1 p.m. at FLA Live Arena.
“There have been discussions with the NHL, it is the league that has the last word,” whispered Dominique Ducharme a little over an hour before the game. We have a match. I will not give up on my players, I have 18 players to lead. After today’s match, we’ll see what happens. “
“I don’t have the arguments,” he continued. I wasn’t talking to the league. They know our situation, they told us that we were playing. There is not another argument. The match will be at 1 p.m. “
Geoff Molson likely pressured NHL officials to postpone this meeting, but he did not have the final say. Earlier this season, the Los Angeles Kings already played a game with just five defensemen and eleven forwards.
Gallagher absent
Injured in the lower body against the Hurricanes in Raleigh, Brendan Gallagher will jump his turn against the Panthers. Slowed down by a virus in the last match, Jonathan Droun will be back in the squad.
To illustrate the ridiculous aspect of this game, Ducharme will trust forward Cam Hillis against the Panthers. He has no other option. Hillis has walked between the Trois-Rivières Lions in the ECHL and the Laval Rocket in the American League this season.
On the blue line, the Canadian will do with David Savard, Brett Kulak, Kale Clague, Sami Niku and Corey Schueneman against one of the good teams in the NHL, the Panthers.
CH currently has sixteen inactive players due to Covid-19. Artturi Lehkonen, Laurent Dauphin and Mike Hoffman received their leave since they completed their ten-day quarantine, but they did not find their teammates during this journey. Éric Raymond, the goalkeeper coach, is also on the sidelines.
The players on the COVID-19 protocol
Artturi Lehkonen (December 18)
Laurent Dauphin (December 19)
Mike Hoffman (December 20)
Tyler Toffoli (December 27)
Jake Allen (December 27)
Ben Chiarot (December 27)
Joel Edmundson (December 27)
Jeff Petry (December 27)
Chris Wideman (December 27)
Paul Byron (December 29)
Cayden Primeau (December 29)
Louie Belpedio (December 30)
Gianni Fairbrother (December 30)
Brandon Baddock (December 31)
Alexander Romanov (January 1)
Jake Evans (1er janvier)