Canadiens’ Martin St Louis hints at lineup change facing elimination vs. Hurricanes

Arber Xhekaj hasn’t suited up for the Montreal Canadiens since Game 7 against the Buffalo Sabres in Round 2, and he played just two minutes in that do-or-die victory.

But with the Habs once again facing elimination against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, it sounds like Martin St. Louis could be considering a lineup change ahead of Friday night’s Game 5 at Lenovo Center.

Xhekaj did not participate in Montreal’s morning skate, and St. Louis told reporters — including Sportsnet’s Eric Engels — that he “wouldn’t be afraid to give him minutes tonight.”

The Canadiens have been thoroughly outplayed over the last three games of the series. Although two of the losses required overtime, Montreal never looked competitive in Wednesday’s 4-0 defeat at the Bell Centre.

Now, for the third consecutive series, the Habs are staring down elimination in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The difference this time is Montreal won’t have the luxury of playing a winner-take-all Game 7, which it did against both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres earlier in the postseason.

Meanwhile, forwards Brendan Gallagher, Oliver Kapanen and Patrik Laine all remained on the ice late following Friday’s morning skate, typically an indication they will be scratched.

St. Louis admitted that keeping Gallagher out of the lineup has been the hardest decision he’s had to make as a coach.

“We’ve played without Gally in these playoffs and I feel like we’ve found a way to collectively replace that a little bit,” the bench boss said, per Engels. “I don’t think it falls on one player, I think it’s just a group mentality. It’s a mindset. We want to compete, and we wouldn’t be here without a high compete level.”

Gallagher last played in Game 7 against Tampa Bay, and has now missed the entire second round as well as the East Final. Engels questioned whether Montreal should continue sitting the veteran forward when players like Alex Texier and Kirby Dach have struggled in the series.

“Those two players have combined for zero shots on net, four penalty minutes and a minus-3 in declining minutes,” Engels wrote.

Regardless of who enters the lineup, the Canadiens desperately need to generate more offense against Frederik Andersen. Montreal managed just 43 shots combined between Games 2 and 4 — the fewest across a three-game stretch in postseason NHL history.

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