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Canadiens Injuries

Canadiens Practice Notes: Pearson & Harvey Pinard, Laval Call-Up

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4 months ago

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The Montreal Canadiens were in Brossard on Friday morning for a much-needed practice on the heels of their frustrating 6-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

There was some good news from a health standpoint, relatively speaking. Prior to the start of regular practice, both Tanner Pearson and Rafael Harvey-Pinard were spotted on the ice.

Pearson is currently recovering from a hand injury that occurred on December 9, versus the Buffalo Sabres. The recovery period was expected to be four to six weeks. Harvey-Pinard was injured on November 14 versus the Calgary Flames. His lower-body injury was expected to keep him out of action for six to eight weeks.

The situation could be worse, as Josh Anderson avoided a long-term injury despite leaving Tuesday’s game in considerable pain. Thankfully, once the numbness faded, Anderson was able to establish his knee was not severely injured.

Reinforcements

The Montreal Canadiens were forced to call up a player to replace Christian Dvorak, who will miss the remainder of the season due to a torn pectoral. It’s the second consecutive season Dvorak was forced to end his season early due to a major injury.

They decided to once again promote forward Emil Heineman. In the three games with the Laval Rocket since being sent down from the Canadiens roster Heineman has scored a goal and an assist.

More importantly, he brings shooting talent to the table, something the team lacks in its overall toolkit. Heineman only played two games for the Montreal Canadiens during his earlier call-up, though he was used sparingly, to the tune of 9:43 and 5:56 TOI, respectively.

Heineman will need a better situation if he’s to be expected to put his offensive prowess on display. Playing minimal shifts on the fourth line simply is not conducive to scoring, especially in the NHL.

It should also be noted the recall was made on an emergency basis by the Habs.

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