Canadiens Practice Notes: Guhle And Dvorak Skating

The Montreal Canadiens practiced at 10:30 a.m. ET on Friday, ahead of their matchup against the lowly Washington Capitals.

There was some good news from a roster standpoint, as two injured players were spotted skating at the team’s practice facility in Brossard.

Montreal Canadiens Practice Notes

Forward Christian Dvorak, who has missed the start of the season as he recovers from a knee injury, is no longer wearing a no-contact jersey. Dvorak last played on March 7, versus the Carolina Hurricanes.

Dvorak is not expected to play until November, which means that despite his presence at practice, we should not necessarily anticipate his return to the lineup in the very near future. According to the original recovery timeframe, he’s still over a week out from being healthy.

Le rouge lui va bien!

D-Vo's back in 🔴#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/GfK5uIN063

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 20, 2023

Defenceman Kaiden Guhle is expected to miss a little time and is currently listed as day-to-day. He was seen working on his lateral transitions, which, of course, does not require using a healthy wrist.

Guhle was on the ice in Brossard for approximately 20 minutes.

Kaiden Guhle ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/UvsHvfRM6i

— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) October 20, 2023

The rest of the practice did not feature any line combinations, which means we’ll have to know the exact setup that will face the Capitals on Saturday.

The last time the team took to the ice for a game, forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard was slotted on the top line alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. Alex Newhook took Kirby Dach’s spot as the second-line centre, flanked by Juraj Slafkovsky and Tanner Pearson. Josh Anderson, who started the season on the first line, played on the third line with Sean Monahan and Brendan Gallagher. Jake Evans centred the fourth line, playing on a trio with Michael Pezzetta and Jesse Ylonen.

The Canadiens did, however, practice their powerplay, which is never a bad idea when you consider the team has struggled with the man advantage for roughy a decade.

#Habs power-play units at practice today
First Unit
Matheson
Caufield – Anderson – Suzuki
Monahan

Second Unit
Xhekaj
Newhook – Pearson – Slafkovsky
Gallagher

— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) October 20, 2023

The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Saturday when they host Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals at the Bell Centre. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.