Habs Report: Byron Out Vs Flyers; Harvey-Pinard Recalled

The Montreal Canadiens were back at it Wednesday practicing at Bell Centre Complex in Brossard following a 2-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild. Here’s a run down of what came out of practice ahead of a Habs game against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Bell Centre Thursday:

-Paul Byron just can’t catch a break when it comes to staying healthy. After offseason hip surgery, it’s been a frustrating season of starts and stops for the 32-year-old veteran winger. He’s played in just 27 games this season and now Byron will miss another against the Flyers Thursday thanks to a lower-body injury that forced him out in the first period of the loss to the Wild Thursday. Byron’s teammates are feeling for him as this nightmare season winds down.

“He’s been gutting it out this year,” said fellow Montreal Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher who has also dealt with injuries and played in just 51 games. “It’s frustrating, obviously. You can relate to what he’s going through, and it’s not easy, so I think like a lot of us, he’s probably looking forward to the offseason to put in some work on his body and just re-energize. You feel bad for him. He worked hard to get back in the lineup. You know Pauly is going to work to get back, get healthy, and hopefully stay that way.”

-Montreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans remains out with a non-COVID related illness and is still day-to-day. Evans last played on Saturday and scored his 11th goal in a 8-4 loss to the Washington Capitals. Evans also has 13 assists in 67 games this season.

-Just prior to practice, the Montreal Canadiens announced that they had recalled forward Rafaël Harvey-Pinard from their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket and reassigned defenceman Corey Schueneman to Laval.

Harvey-Pinard scored his first NHL goal his NHL debut on December 28 in Tampa Bay and has one goal with no assists in three NHL games so far. Harvey-Pinard leads the Rocket with 51 points (19 goals, 32 assists) in 64 games and is hoping to continue that success in the NHL.

“I’m going to make the most of it. I’ll give everything I have to show the organization what I can do,” the 23-year-old winger said.

The Saguenay, QC native is also thrilled about the fact that Thursday’s game will be his home debut.

“It’s very special. I’m really looking forward to it,” Harvey-Pinard said. “I’ve been watching the Canadiens play at the Bell Centre since I was a kid. It’s such a noisy rink, I can’t wait to experience that atmosphere. It’s special to play here.”