Hurricanes appear set to use watered-down lineup vs. Habs
Published
The task for the Montreal Canadiens to gain a point Wednesday night may be about to get easier.
The Carolina Hurricanes were without several key players in their morning skate and could be set to rest them with their playoff spot already locked in, with home-ice advantage against the New Jersey Devils. Montreal will punch their ticket to the postseason with a single point or better.
Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Jordan Staal, Jaccob Slavin, Jordan Martinook, Jalen Chatfield and Jackson Blake were all absent from the morning skate in Montreal.
The Hurricanes recalled forwards Skyler Brind’Amour and Bradly Nadeau and defencemen Domenick Fensore and Riley Stillman on Tuesday ahead of the matchup. Brind’Amour, the son of Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour, could be line for his NHL debut, along with Fensore.
"Obviously, it's a special moment for Skyler and myself," Rod Brind'Amour said Wednesday morning. "I've watched him all of his life, and how hard he's worked. It's nice for him to get this opportunity. It's well-deserved."
Brind'Amour did not confirm his team's lineup, but the Hurricanes worked with 11 forwards and seven defeencemen during the gameday skate, while Pyotr Kochetkov worked in the starter's net.
Kochetkov has a 27-15-3 record with a .898 save percentage and 2.59 goals-against average. He continues to trade starts with Frederik Andersen.
Should the Canadiens fail to earn a point Wednesday, their playoff fate will be determined by whether the Columbus Blue Jackets can earn a regulation win on Thursday night against the New York Islanders.