Jonathan Drouin will not participate in the Canadiens’ game on Saturday against the Avalanche, and obviously not in Monday’s game in Minnesota either. The forward has an upper body injury and has returned to Montreal for further evaluation.
Posted at 5:13 p.m.
Drouin did not finish Thursday’s game in Las Vegas, making no appearance in the final 12 minutes of the game.
No other details have been released about his injury.
PHOTO LM OTERO, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Samuel Montembeault
Samuel Montembeault is also on the sidelines. In a medical report delivered just before Dominique Ducharme’s press briefing, the Canadiens’ vice-president of communications, Chantal Machabée, revealed that Montembeault suffered a “minor injury” to his upper body, and that he will not be in uniform on Saturday.
Cayden Primeau will therefore get the start, and his assistant will be Michael McNiven, recalled from the reserve team.
Montembeault has been bombarded with 104 shots in his last two outings.
Defenseman Jeff Petry and forward Josh Anderson are doubts for the duel against the Avalanche. A decision will be made shortly before the game, which begins at 7:00 p.m. (ET).
Finally, M.me Machabée announced that Paul Byron and Brendan Gallagher will not join the team during the trip, but that they should train with their teammates when they return to Montreal.
The Habs will wrap up their seven-game road trip on Monday.