Habs winger will drop down to second line with Alex Newhook and Joel Armia after missing the last three games with upper-body injury.
Juraj Slafkovsky will return to the lineup Tuesday when the Canadiens play the Seattle Kraken at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS).
Slafkovsky missed the last three games with an upper-body injury. In the six games he has played this season, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound winger has 1-5-6 totals.
Slafkovsky will slot in at left wing on the second line with Alex Newhook at centre and Joel Armia on right wing as head coach Martin St. Louis keeps the No. 1 line of Nick Suzuki between Cole Caufield and Kirby Dach together.
Dach moved on to the No. 1 line after Slakfovsky’s injury and had 1-3-4 totals in the last three games that Slafkovsky had missed. Suzuki had 3-3-6 totals in the last three games, while Caufield had two goals, giving him eight on the season. The New Jersey Devils’ Nico Hischier, with nine goals, is the only NHL player with more goals than Caufield.
After being held without a point in the first two games this season, Suzuki is on a seven-game point streak during which he has 3-8-11 totals.
The Canadiens (4-4-1) will be looking to extend their winning streak to three games against the Kraken (4-4-1), who are 0-2-1 in their last three games.
“I feel good,” Slafkovsky said after taking part in the Canadiens’ morning skate at the Bell Centre. “There’s no issues. I don’t feel any pain, nothing. I’m healthy, 100 per cent, ready to go.
“First of all, it has nothing to do with my shoulder, as you all guys think,” Slafkovsky added when asked about his injury. “My shoulder (is) completely fine … it was something else. I won’t tell you, obviously. A weird injury … I haven’t heard about anything like this before. But it’s all good now and I think I’m able to play.”
With Slafkovsky returning to the lineup, Michael Pezzetta will be a healthy scratch.
Slafkovsky said he has no problems losing his spot on the first line to Dach.
“You sit out three games and they got going, they got pretty good chemistry,” Slafkovsky said about the No. 1 line with Suzuki between Caufield and Dach. “I’m completely fine with that. I’m happy to be back and happy to compete again.”
Samuel Montembeault will start in goal for the Canadiens, who won both games against the Kraken last season. The Canadiens beat the Kraken 5-1 in Seattle last season and 4-2 at the Bell Centre.
Defencemen Justin Barron and Kaiden Guhle, who have been sidelined with upper-body injuries, both took part in the morning skate but aren’t ready to play yet. Barron will miss his third straight game and Guhle will miss his fifth.
St. Louis said he expects both Barron and Guhle to make the upcoming road trip that has the Canadiens playing the Capitals in Washington on Thursday and the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Saturday.