TSN is reporting that the Montreal Canadiens have upgraded the status of center Christian Dvorak to day-to-day, meaning that the 28-year-old could play before the end of the season. The Canadiens announced on January 4th that the Palos, Illinois native would miss the rest of the season with a torn pectoral muscle, but he was a full participant in the Canadiens’ practice today and wore a regular jersey.
Dvorak was originally acquired by Montreal back in September of 2021 from the Arizona Coyotes. The trade hasn’t worked out as the Canadiens had hoped after sending a 2022 first-round draft pick and a 2024 2nd round draft pick to Arizona in the exchange. Dvorak has battled inconsistency and injury during his tenure in Montreal, particularly this season where he has missed nearly four months of action and has just three goals and four assists in 25 games.
In other Atlantic Division notes:
- Helene St. James of The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jake Walman will draw back into the lineup after being sidelined with a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old missed the last six games with the ailment and will draw in against the Tampa Bay Lightning in place of veteran Olli Maatta. Walman has dressed in 61 games this season and has averaged nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game, registering 12 goals and nine assists to go along with 150 blocked shots and 106 shots on goal.
- Buffalo Sabres forward Jordan Greenway is reportedly being evaluated for an upper-body injury according to Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Lysowski adds that the Sabres are hopeful that Greenway will be day-to-day with the ailment and can get back into game action soon. The Sabres sit seven points back of the Philadelphia Flyers for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with seven games remaining and are all but mathematically eliminated at this point in the season. In his first full season with the Sabres Greenway has contributed nine goals and 15 assists in 62 games to go along with 131 hits.
Detroit must be thinking back to the several games and points they let slip away against teams in the vey bottom of the NHL.
Last night’s game against Tampa was anything but a couple of points. How can a contender for playoff position spend 2.5 shifts and over 3 minutes locked up in their own zone. Only Lyon kept them from flushing more points down the drain. Love the 2 points, but something just ain’t right with this Redwings team.
That is a learning thing for a team like the Wings. Those games like PHX where they were shut out by one of the worst D teams in the league and basically were sleep walking through it. So sad. You have to win those games. In the future they will understand you need to come in fired up and get those points. You would hope the vets did a better job of helping that but apparently not. That is why he said he brought in the experience was to help set the winning culture. Think Yzerman will keep that in mind.