The Montreal Canadiens learned some very bad news on Friday morning, as a busy weekend approaches.
The team has revealed that forward Jonathan Drouin will be sidelined indefinitely and his name has been placed on the injured list as a result.
“He remains at home as a preventive measure after coming into contact with a person who has contracted COVID-19,” said the Montreal organization.
Drouin briefly returned to action last week, playing two games against the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins. The 26-year-old Quebecer has scored six goals and added 14 assists in 34 games so far this season.
For his part, forward Brendan Gallagher will miss a week of activities due to a lower body injury. The pugnacious forward hasn’t played since March 17 against the Dallas Stars. Gallagher has five goals and nine assists in 43 games this season with the Habs.
In addition, we still do not know the state of health of defenseman Jeff Petry, injured in the lower body during the game which ended 4-3 in favor of the Florida Panthers, Thursday evening.
The Canadiens are building their confidence
A dozen players took part in the team’s optional training on Friday morning at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard.
Among them were Justin Barron, Tyler Pitlick, William Lagesson, Laurent Dauphin, Rem Pitlick, Corey Schueneman, Mathieu Perreault, Kale Clague and Alexander Romanov, among others.
The Canadiens will wrap up a six-game home stint on Saturday night when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs. He will then travel to New Jersey to face the Devils there on Sunday.
According to Dauphin, the Canadian is slowly building his confidence by facing teams that aspire to great honors, such as the Panthers and the Leafs.
“We’re good in possession of the puck; we do not give it uselessly. We try to apply the same style of play as the Panthers, arriving in the neutral zone with a lot of speed and applying a very aggressive forecheck. This is what we are trying to implement here, ”said the Quebecer by videoconference.
Auditions
Like Dauphin, several players are aware that they are auditioning for a position next season. This is the case of Schueneman, who notably obtained playing time on the power play against the Panthers. The 26-year-old hockey player believes he knows what will allow him to do well.
“I have a very good opportunity. I hope I can enjoy it. I have to keep my game simple, and play the right game. Don’t force things or do unusual things. We have some very talented guys on the power play, so if I just get the puck around, then it helps my cause,” Schueneman summed up.
With the Habs’ infirmary continuing to fill up, it’s a safe bet that some experiments will be attempted by interim head coach Martin St-Louis over the next few weeks.