Martin St-Louis set to scratch three players vs Islanders after major lineup shakeup

We can agree that the final stretch of 25 games promises to be rock’n’roll for our Montreal Canadiens.

It’s finally back to business at the Bell Centre after the Milan Olympic break.

Let’s call it like it is, Martin St. Louis’ group is currently in the playoff picture. However, this morning’s practice in Brossard caused quite a surprise among Habs fans.

The speedy forward was skating on the fourth unit alongside Jake Evans and Alexandre Texier.

Let’s be honest, this return forces the head coach to make painful decisions to comply with the 23-player roster limit.

Zachary Bolduc, Patrik Laine, and Joe Veleno were the odd men out, left without a fixed line during drills.

There’s no two ways about it, seeing Zachary Bolduc on the sidelines for the first time this season has people talking around town. The young Quebecer could even be headed to Laval.

It was also noticeable that Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky wasted no time getting back on the ice.

The two stars return from Europe highly motivated to secure a playoff spot.

Martin St. Louis’ defensive puzzle

On the blue line, Arber Xhekaj appears to have won his internal battle against Jayden Struble for now.

The big defenseman will form the third pairing with Alexandre Carrier, leaving Struble in the stands as the extra.

Lane Hutson continues to anchor the second duo with Noah Dobson, a combination generating significant offensive production.

The quick and efficient transition game is becoming this team’s trademark.

As for the crease, no official announcement has been made regarding Thursday night’s starter at the time of writing.

However, we know that Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobes will split duties over the weekend.

The race for positioning in the Atlantic Division is set to be fierce through April.