Canadiens’ home opener vs. Hurricanes forces early lineup decisions for St. Louis

In Brossard on Monday, the Montreal Canadiens’ practice quickly underlined the lineup puzzle awaiting Martin St. Louis ahead of Tuesday’s home opener against the Carolina Hurricanes. Coming off a wild 6-5 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the head coach must decide how much to alter a group that is eager for a measure of revenge after last spring’s Eastern Conference Final loss to the eventual Stanley Cup champions.

Florian Xhekaj spent part of the session skating on a line with Jake Evans and Josh Anderson. Under normal circumstances, that trio might be pencilled in without much debate. Instead, the opponent and the emotional weight of a Bell Centre opener against the team that ended Montreal’s playoff run make every decision more complicated.

Xhekaj, Kapanen, Engstrom and Montembeault pressing for spots

Several players who did not dress in Pittsburgh are now making a push. Xhekaj is looking for his first appearance of the season, and Oliver Kapanen seems ready after beginning the year day-to-day with a lower-body issue. On defence, Adam Engstrom is still waiting for a chance while Kaiden Guhle inches closer to a return, having finally practised in a full-contact jersey following off-season surgery on his adductor muscle.

In goal, Samuel Montembeault has a strong case after an impressive pre-season. Jakub Dobes struggled in the loss to the Penguins, yet he was part of the group that carried the Canadiens to the conference final. Pulling Dobes, or any skater who went through that series against Carolina, would directly touch the desire in the room to earn a shot at redemption.

Dach caught in the middle of forward competition

Kirby Dach sits near the heart of this dilemma. He has put in two solid games to start the schedule and, by all accounts, was among the hardest workers at Monday’s practice. St. Louis had previously highlighted Dach’s outing against Toronto, praising how hard he was on pucks and his mature approach. Yet Dach could still be the odd man out if both Xhekaj and Kapanen are inserted, and even one change up front might put his spot at risk.

Alex Texier looked less sharp in Pittsburgh, while Zachary Bolduc, another depth forward, had a hand in some of Montreal’s better sequences despite the defeat. On the blue line, it is getting tougher to justify keeping Engstrom out much longer, particularly if Guhle receives clearance to rejoin the lineup. St. Louis has spoken about wanting a rotation to keep everyone engaged, though he admitted that will be difficult to implement under current circumstances.

Demidov’s status and the pull of playoff revenge

Ivan Demidov’s absence from Monday’s practice for treatment and rest could have simplified the picture if his availability for Tuesday were in doubt. For now, however, his participation still appears likely, maintaining pressure on the limited openings among the forwards.

St. Louis acknowledged that giving last spring’s group a chance to answer for the playoff loss is “part of the equation,” while stressing that many other factors will shape his final choices. He declined to confirm Xhekaj’s season debut, would not discuss possible changes on defence and did not name a starting goaltender.

Montreal had beaten Carolina four straight times last season — three in the regular schedule and one in the playoffs — before dropping the next four meetings to bow out. With the defending champions in town for the home opener, the Canadiens’ bench boss faces an early-season test that blends emotional stakes with hard, practical decisions about who dresses in a highly anticipated rematch.