Habs Daily: Suzuki Injury Impact, New Forward Lines, Slafkovsky

Here are the Montreal Canadiens and NHL news items from Friday that you may have missed.

With Suzuki out of the picture for up to a month, the Canadiens will be forced to ice a new lineup. Oliver Kapanen, who has not scored a goal in the NHL since March 28, will take Suzuki’s place on the first line for the time being, while Alex Newhook, Phillip Danault, and Jake Evans, who scored a grand total of 31 goals combined last season, will serve as the remained of the pivots. It’s fair to say, Montreal’s lack of centre depth has once again reared its ugly head.

To make matters worse, Juraj Slafkovsky was forced to leave practice following an errant puck that hit him square in the jaw. The good news is that he is not expected to miss any time.

With the injury to Suzuki, the Canadiens have recalled forward Owen Beck from the AHL, just a few days after they had loaned him back to the Laval Rocket.

Two injured players spent a lot of time on the ice in Brossard. Both Matheson and Florian Xhekaj spent the better part of an hour running drills, which indicates they’re getting close to a return to play.