The Montreal Canadiens held practice on Thursday, March 5, 2026, following a day off, as they prepare for a back-to-back set against the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings on Friday and Saturday.
Head coach Martin St-Louis shook up his forward lines during the session, reassembling the team’s original top line from the start of the season. Juraj Slafkovsky joined Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield for drills.
Slafkovsky has recorded two assists in three games since the Olympic break, posting a minus-4 differential.
Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov were reunited with Alex Newhook, who they previously played alongside in October before an injury sidelined him for several months.
Kirby Dach, who had been playing on the first line recently, was moved to a trio with Jake Evans and Zachary Bolduc.
Alexandre Texier continued to play on the fourth line with Joe Veleno and Patrik Laine. Veleno returned to practice after recovering from a virus, while Laine continues to practice with the team as he could be traded before the March 5th trade deadline at 3:00 PM EST.
Goaltender Samuel Montembeault is expected to start against the Ducks, after suffering a loss in overtime to the New York Islanders last Thursday.
Montembeault has a 10-8-3 record this season.
Mike Matheson was the only player absent from practice, receiving treatment according to a team announcement.
Canadiens Lineup at Practice:
| FORWARDS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Caufield | Suzuki | Slafkovsky |
| Newhook | Kapanen | Demidov |
| Bolduc | Evans | Dach |
| Anderson | Danault | Gallagher |
| Laine | Veleno | Texier |
| DEFENSEMEN | GOALTENDERS | |
|---|---|---|
| Hutson | Dobson | Montembeault |
| Guhle | Carrier | Dobes |
| Struble | Xhekaj |
