Renaud Lavoie reports that Nick Suzuki is back in the Canadiens lineup tonight against the Mammoth.
It's the answer Montreal was waiting on. The captain sat out Tuesday's overtime loss to the Jets, and Wednesday brought little optimism from Martin St-Louis.
Lavoie said Suzuki is back in action tonight, and the report arrived hours before puck drop.
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Suzuki is listed as day-to-day with a hand injury, so tonight is a return and not a clean bill of health. The Canadiens have been watching his status closely, and Martin St-Louis's doubts about Suzuki's condition were on the record only a day ago.
The timing matters. Montreal is 9-3-3, sitting second in the Atlantic Division, and has lost its last game 4-5 in overtime.
The Canadiens have still piled up points without him. Their last 10 reads 7-1-2, which says plenty about the depth of this group.
But the production Suzuki brings is hard to replace. He has 5 goals and 7 assists in 9 games, and he's a +6.
Why this return changes the Canadiens' week
Suzuki has played 9 of the Canadiens' 15 games. That leaves a lot of minutes that went to someone else, and the top six has felt it.
It also arrives with other worries around the room. Alex Newhook's practice absence on Wednesday added to the concern, and Ivan Demidov's situation was part of that same conversation.
Getting the captain back is the best news Montreal could have asked for, and it should be treated carefully. A hand injury that was still day-to-day this week is not one to test by piling on minutes in the first game back.
Tonight is also Montreal's chance to bounce back after a loss that came in overtime. The Canadiens have been strong on the road at 5-1-1, but they'll be at home for this one.
Watch how St-Louis uses Suzuki on the power play, where he has one goal and one assist this season. His workload tonight will tell fans plenty about how healthy he really is.
Should the Canadiens ease Nick Suzuki back in with a hand injury still listed day-to-day?
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