Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki, remained on the ice following Tuesday’s morning skate, indicating he will remain out of the lineup against the Winnipeg Jets.
Suzuki, who hasn’t played since Oct. 20 due to a hand injury, appeared to be trending towards a return as the centred the top line in practice on Monday. He and Kirby Dach put in extra time on after Tuesday’s session, a sign both will sit against Winnipeg.
Dach is currently dealing with an illness. He has three assists in 13 games this season.
Suzuki has missed the past five games after blocking a shot with his hand on Oct. 20 in a 4-3 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks.
He was originally given a recovery timeline of two-to-four weeks, which ended his ironman streak of skating in 546 consecutive regular-season games since cracking the NHL in 2019-20.
The reigning Selke Trophy winner, the 27-year-old centre scored 29 goals with a career-high 101 points in 82 regular-season games last season before adding 16 points in 19 postseason contests.
Before the injury this season, Suzuki had five goals and 12 points in nine games.
Demidov still in walking boot
It appears a return to the lineup is not close for injured forward Ivan Demidov.
The 20-year-old winger is still wearing a boot on his right foot and has not returned to skating.
There was no new update on his status Tuesday, which marked a full month since he last played.
Demidov has only played two games this season and hasn’t suited up since Oct. 3. He posted 19 goals and 62 points in 82 games as a rookie last season, adding three goals and nine points in 19 playoff games.
Fowler starts vs. Jets
Jacob Fowler will look to continue his red-hot start to the 2026-27 season as he gets the start Tuesday.
The 21-year-old American has a 7-1 record alongside a 1.84 goals-against average, a .932 save percentage and two shutouts over eight games this season.
Montreal holds a 9-3-2 record entering play Tuesday while Winnipeg (4-8-3) has dropped nine straight games.