Nick Suzuki was back on the ice in Brossard on Thursday in full gear, and the Canadiens finally got a real sign of progress.
He skated with his stick in one hand, the right one. Not exactly game-ready, but it's movement in the right direction.
Eric Engels had already reported that the captain shouldn't be out too long. Thursday's skate lines up with that, at least so far.
The Canadiens announced on October 22 that he'd miss two to four weeks with an upper-body injury.
He's still listed as day-to-day, with a return expected no earlier than November 18.
Losing him stung on paper. He still leads the Canadiens with 12 points, and he did it in just 9 games.
He was heating up before he went down, too, with 2 goals over his last 5 games.
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Nick Suzuki returns to the ice, but one detail shows his recovery isn't over
So how has Montreal survived without him? It hasn't lost since the injury was announced, winning in Chicago, Winnipeg and St. Louis.
That run has the Canadiens at 7-3-2, second in the Atlantic, without their top scorer in the lineup.
Jacob Fowler is the biggest reason. The 21-year-old carries a .942 save percentage and blanked the Blues 2-0 on Tuesday.
The gap behind him is massive. Jakub Dobes sits at an .847 save percentage through 5 appearances.
A young goalie covering for a missing captain is like a substitute teacher getting the whole class through the exam. Nobody's complaining, but nobody wants it as the long-term plan.
Martin St-Louis needs more up front in the meantime, and Oliver Kapanen isn't giving it to him. He has no points in 5 games.
The medical room is crowded anyway. Ivan Demidov and Samuel Montembeault are both on injured reserve, each listed out until at least October 31.
The Canadiens are in Dallas tonight and host Pittsburgh on Saturday. Neither date fits Suzuki's listed timeline.
How long Fowler can keep stealing games before the captain gets both hands back on his stick is the question that matters now.
Will Nick Suzuki beat his November 18 return timeline?
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