Canadiens Game 29: Caufield Healthy, Drouin Returns

The Montreal Canadiens (14-12-2) head to the nation’s capital to face the Ottawa Senators (12-14-2) on Wednesday night. The puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM ET.

The Senators have struggled through the start of the season, though it should be noted they’ve produced a winning record recently, with 6 wins, 3 losses, and one overtime loss in the last 10 games.

Brady Tkachuk leads the Senators in all aspects of the game. The Senators captain has 12 goals and 19 assists in 28 games, followed by Tim Stutzle, who has 10 goals and 17 assists.

Unfortunately for the Senators, Stutzle will not be in the lineup tonight, as he’s expected to miss at a week of action with a shoulder injury.

Tim Stützle will be out at least a week with his injury.

The good news is he didn’t suffer any structural damage in his shoulder. It’s being listed as a contusion right now.

Appears the Sens may have dodged a bullet here.

— Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) December 14, 2022

The Senators will also be without skilled forward Josh Norris, who has missed all but five games this season due to yet another shoulder injury.

Cam Talbot is expected to make the start for Ottawa. He has a 6-7 record this season, with a 2.55 goals-against average and a very respectable .917 save percentage.

Habs Angle

The Canadiens are coming off an exciting win over the Calgary Flames on Monday, a game in which Jake Allen made 34 saves as he powered his team to a 2-1 shootout victory.

Despite his strong outing last game, Samuel Montembeault is expected to get the start over Allen on Wednesday night.

The biggest news is the health status of sniper Cole Caufield, who absorbed a rather big hit on Monday from Trevor Lewis. Caufield had to leave the game, but he made the trip to Ottawa and is expected to be in the lineup to face the Senators.

Caufield est là et il est encore taquin (il fait des taquineries) donc tout est beau 🔵⚪️🔴 pic.twitter.com/ADhWN62LKz

— Marc-André Perreault (@MA_PerreaultTVA) December 14, 2022

The Canadiens received more good news on the injury front, as Jonathan Drouin is expected to return to the lineup following an absence that lasted several weeks.

Rem Pitlick will make his way to the pressbox to allow for Drouin’s addition to the lineup.

Canadiens Injuries

• Sean Monahan (2 weeks)
• David Savard (day-to-day)
• Brendan Gallagher (2 weeks)
• Carey Price (LTIR)
• Paul Byron (LTIR)

Ottawa Senators Injuries

• Tyler Motte (day-to-day)
• Tim Stutzle (1 week)
• Josh Norris (IR)
• Artem Zub (IR)
• Jacob Bernard-Docker

Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup

Ottawa Senators Projected Lineup

Tkachuk – Brassard – Giroux

DeBrincat – Pinto – Batherson

Lucchini – Chartier – Gambrell

Defence:

Chabot – Zaitsev

Sanderson – Hamonic

Brannstrom – Holden

Goalies:

Talbot

Forsberg

Special Teams

Game Notes:

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