Joel Armia is hoping to be back in the lineup Thursday night when the Canadiens play the San Jose Sharks at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio).
The Canadiens had a day off on Monday and Armia didn’t practise with his teammates on Tuesday, but he was back on the ice Wednesday morning at Brossard’s Bell Sports Complex.
Armia missed the last two games with a lower-body injury he said he suffered during last Thursday’s 4-0 win over the Minnesota Wild at the Bell Centre. Armia took part in the pre-game skate Saturday in St. Louis before deciding he wasn’t able to play in the game, which the Canadiens won 5-2. Armia also sat out Sunday’s 4-3 loss in Minnesota.
“I think if I feel like this, the way I felt today in practice, I should be ready to go,” Armia said after Wednesday’s practice about the possibility of facing the Sharks.
Armia has 4-1-5 totals in seven games this season — including two power-play goals — and is plus-3 while averaging 16:43 of ice time.
Tatar injured at practice
Tomas Tatar left Wednesday’s practice early after taking a shot off the foot.
“He got hurt just near the end of practice,” coach Claude Julien said. “He took a puck on the foot. I can’t tell you more than that. He’s being examined right now and we’ll hopefully have good news sooner than later. But right now I have nothing more than that.”
Tatar had 3-4-7 totals in nine games and is plus-2.
Juggling lines
Early in practice, Armia was rotating with Nick Suzuki at right wing on a line with Max Domi at centre and Jonathan Drouin on left wing.
After Tatar left the ice, Suzuki changed from a white practice jersey to a red one to take Tatar’s spot at left wing on the No. 1 line with Phillip Danault at centre and Brendan Gallagher on right wing.
Domi and Drouin started last season on the same line, but were broken up by Julien in January and haven’t been back together since.
“It was great,” Domi said after practice about being runited with Drouin. “We were having fun, for sure. Obviously, we both love playing together. It was super-exciting. We have fun playing together, we’re very close off the ice … we spend a lot of time together. We think the game very similar as well.
“That being said, even going back to last year we know we can be better as a pair and as a line in our own zone and more responsible,” Domi added. “We want to have that responsibility and we’re trying to grow as a line and as a team. Our kind of role in that is being better in all areas of the ice. Definitely taking a step forward, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement and it’s something we’re both aware of and we’re both going to keep working on.”
As far as who might be the third member of their line, Domi said: “I t’s either going to be Suzy or Army — one or the other. Both of them can shoot. Both are pretty big, strong bodies. Either way it will be good.”
The lines
Here’s how the lines and defence pairings looked at Wednesday’s practice:
Tatar – Danault – Gallagher
Drouin – Domi – Suzuki/Armia
Lehkonen – Kotkaniemi – Byron
Cousins – Thompson – Weal
Mete – Weber
Kulak – Petry
Chiarot – Fleury
Reilly – Folin
Get used to it
Julien told reporters after practice that they should get used to his line juggling because it’s going to be a regular thing this season.
“It’s going to happen all year because we have a lot of depth in our lineup and we have a lot of different combinations,” the coach said. “We’re fortunate enough that we’re capable of using it and that’s what we’re doing right now.”
When asked if the coaching staff bounces around different possibilities for the lines, Julien said: “ I don’t know a coaching staff in the league or any leagues that don’t do that. You discuss. I don’t stand there and say: ‘Hey, coaches, by the way these are my lines today.’ We have discussions and we all want our own opinions in there and then at the end of the day we put lines together. The final decision belongs to me, but it doesn’t mean I don’t listen to what they say because they have valid points and those discussions is what creates a good coaching staff.”
Byron still looking for first goal
The Canadiens’ Paul Byron is still looking for his first goal this season with only two assists after nine games.
Julien’s not overly concerned about Byron’s play.
“Paul is definitely not hurting us,” the coach said. “He’s still a player. But I think people are used to seeing him do more, so are we. I guess that’s the part that he’s trying to find right now. I don’t think it’s a big adjustment. When Paul plays the game, you normally notice him. At the end of the night, you say he either had a breakaway with his speed or he threw a big hit or great backcheck or a battle here or there. I think right now in my discussion with him, too, he says at the end of the night: I don’t feel like I’ve accomplished those kind of things. So there’s no doubt he’s trying to find his game. We know that he’s a very useful and important player on our roster when he’s playing that way. For us it’s working with him.
“The good thing about it is when a guy recognizes and is able to, I guess, look at his game and understand what he’s not doing or what he’s doing wrong,” Julien added. “And Paul, in my discussion with him, assessed his game perfectly. He says: ‘You know what? I’m out there, not hurting the team, but I don’t think I’m bringing as much as I’m used to bringing.’ I said: ‘You’re absolutely right.’ So we’re on the same page there and it’s just a matter of working through it. We’ve talked and hopefully he finds his game and brings it to that next level that allows him to make a big difference in our team.”
Byron fills unique role
Byron has been on the fourth line much of this season, but was bumped up to the third line at practice Wednesday with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Artturi Lehkonen. Byron will never complain about what line he is on and takes great pride in his ability to move up and down the lineup.
“It’s always been my role,” he said after practice. “It’s kind of what’s made me unique and given me that kind of niche in this league is the fact that I can play up and down the lineup. Even in any game, I can play up and down. It can be an injury, a guy not playing well, it could be off the power play, penalty kill, momentum shift swings, those are all areas of my game I think I’ve been really good at in the past and it’s just something I need to focus on going forward. We get scored on, be that guy that wants to go out there and get the momentum back, be a difference-maker, go drive, go battle, go get your team some energy and good things will come from that.”
What’s next?
The Canadiens have a morning skate scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard before facing the Sharks Thursday night at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio). The Canadiens then have a practice scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday in Brossard when they will prepare to face the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., CBC, SN1, CITY, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio).
Next week, the Canadiens hit the road for three games against the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday (10 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio), the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday (10 p.m., TSN2, RDS) and the Dallas Stars on Saturday (7 p.m., CITY, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio).
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