The Montreal Canadiens are looking to make it back to the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2019-20 and 2020-21. With this success, the Canadiens may be looking to make moves to get stronger. The team has also dealt with a rash of injuries, but one of those injured players will be returning to the lineup on Tuesday.
Kirby Dach will return to the ice for the first time since he was injured on November 15th, according to the status report delivered by NHL.com
In the game against Boston back in November, the 24-year-old forward suffered a fractured foot. He has since missed 31 games for the team.
“We just wanted to make sure we dotted all the I’s and crossed all the T’s and make sure that everything was ready to go, and we did all the preparation and got enough skates in to feel healthy and to feel good enough to play,” Dach said, according to NHL.com
The forward was having a stellar start to the campaign before going down with his injury. He had lit the lamp five times while adding two assists in 15 games. That was putting him on pace for 40 points, which would have been a career high for the oft-injured Canadiens player.
During the morning skate, he was paired with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield of the top line, with Alexandre Texier out of the lineup due to a lower-body injury.
“It’s exciting, obviously some familiarity there, played with them (Caufield and Suzuki) in the past. The team's rolling right now, so I just want to step in and do what I can do to help the team continue to win games,” Dach told the media on Tuesday, per SportsNet.
The Canadiens are currently 27-15-7 on the campaign, which places them in third place in the Atlantic Division, and just three points behind the Tampa Lightning and Detroit Red Wings. Adding Dach back to the lineup will give them some more offensive firepower as they host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.
