Montreal Canadiens News

It will be Laine's first game since the Jets' season opener on January 14th, where he scored two goals with one assist. Laine was dealing with an upper-body injury when he was traded but has fully recovered and will make his Blue Jackets' debut on Tuesday. In the morning skate, Laine was skating on a line with Alexandre Texier and Cam Atkinson, as well as on the top power-play unit.

Anderson was sent home after the first period of Saturday's loss to the Flames because he was suffering from "flu-like symptoms." Anderson tested negative for COVID-19, so he is eligible to play tonight vs. the Canucks. He was on the ice for the morning skate and will skate in his usual spot with Nick Suzuki and Jonathan Drouin tonight.

Anderson was removed from Saturday's game for precautionary reasons due to "flu-like symptoms."Anderson has reportedly tested negative for COVID-19 so that's not a concern and he could play Monday vs. the Canucks if he's feeling better.

Kahkonen allowed two goals on 21 shots in the Wild's loss to the Kings on Tuesday. Kahkonen wasn't very busy but Cal Petersen was terrific at the other end, handing Kahkonen his second straight loss. With Cam Talbot still sidelined, Kahkonen will make his fifth consecutive start on Thursday and enters play at 2-2-0 with a 2.22 GAA and .918 SV%.

Kahkonen allowed four goals on 35 shots in the Wild's 5-3 loss to the Sharks on Sunday. With Cam Talbot still sidelined, Kahkonen will make a second straight start. The young Finnish netminder has played well early-on, going 2-1-0 with a 2.27 GAA and .921 SV% in three appearances. On Tuesday he'll take on a Kings team that has been surprisingly good on offence so far, averaging 3.33 goals per game (7th in the NHL).

Kahkonen allowed four goals on 35 shots in the Wild's 5-3 loss to the Sharks on Sunday. With Cam Talbot still sidelined, Kahkonen will make a second straight start. The young Finnish netminder has played well early-on, going 2-1-0 with a 2.27 GAA and .921 SV% in three appearances. On Tuesday he'll take on a Kings team that has been surprisingly good on offence so far, averaging 3.33 goals per game (7th in the NHL).

Blais replaced Kyle Clifford in the lineup on Saturday but Clifford will draw back in against his former team on Saturday.

Both Laine and Dubois were not happy in their current situations so swapping the two makes sense for both sides. Laine is currently on IR with an upper-body injury but given the mandatory 14-day quarantine, he should be fully healed once that's completed. Laine was outstanding in his first two seasons, scoring 90 goals in his first 155 NHL games, however he has just 60 goals in 151 games since. In Columbus his centre quality isn't going to improve, so it may be difficult for him to get back on that 40-goal pace we saw early in his career.

Byron was hit by a Shea Weber shot late in Thursday's win in Vancouver. With Byron unavailable for Friday's practice, Michael Frolik skated in his spot on the fourth line.

Laine is set to miss his fourth-straight game on Saturday and the move to IR is simply a formality. It is retroactive to when he was hurt, which was January 14th, so he's eligible to be activated whenever he is ready to return to the lineup.

This isn't surprising, considering head coach Paul Maurice listed him as doubtful on Wednesday. Laine skated briefly on Wednesday, so he isn't expected to be sidelined long-term.

Laine returned to the ice on Wednesday but head coach Paul Maurice still has him as doubtful to go Thursday in Ottawa. With Laine out on Tuesday, Kyle Connor was back with Mark Scheifele and Andrew Copp was elevated to the second line.

Kahkonen went 3-1-1 with a 2.96 GAA and .913 SV% in his first five career NHL games in 2020. The 2014 fourth-round pick was really good in the AHL before getting promoted, going 25-6-3 with a 2.07 GAA and .927 SV%, so he’s certainly a capable backstop and makes for a solid spot start option vs. an offensively challenged Ducks team.

Blais was suspended for two games for his hit on Devon Toews in the season opener but is expected to be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Sharks. Blais is expected to replace Kyle Clifford on the fourth line.

Laine received treatment on Tuesday morning but head coach Paul Maurice says he's still not ready to play tonight. With Laine out, Andrew Copp moved into the top-6 in the third period of Monday's loss and the Jets are expected to stick with that configuration tonight in Ottawa.