Martin St-Louis gives Canadiens a day off before crucial 3 games in 4 nights



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Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko (86) plays the puck and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle (21) defends during the third period at the Bell Centre.

Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

The day after a highly emotional clash against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Martin St-Louis and the Montreal Canadiens made a decision.

Coming off Cole Caufield’s famous 50th goal, head coach St-Louis opted to make a last-minute change to his team’s schedule.

While players were initially expected to hit the ice at the Brossard sports complex this morning for a practice session, the plan ultimately shifted: full day off for everyone.

Journalist Stu Cowan confirmed the news on X.

“The Canadiens have cancelled a practice that had been scheduled for Friday morning in Brossard,” he noted to inform fans of the schedule change.

The decision makes complete sense when you look at the schedule awaiting the team to close out the current regular season.

The Habs are about to enter an extremely demanding stretch physically.

Schedule change ordered by Martin St-Louis and the Montreal Canadiens

As Cowan also pointed out in his post, the Habs will first host the Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday night at the Bell Centre.

After that, the team will immediately fly to New York to face the New York Islanders on Sunday, before wrapping up their campaign Tuesday in Philadelphia against the Philadelphia Flyers.

It’s a heavy stretch of three games in four nights, including travel.

Considering the playoff-level intensity displayed last night against Jon Cooper’s squad, giving players a full day of recovery and treatment appears to be the smartest strategy to ensure they have a full tank of energy heading into the weekend.

The Montreal Canadiens will conclude their regular season next Tuesday after clinching a spot in the 2026 NHL playoffs.

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Martin St-Louis gives Canadiens a day off before crucial 3 games in 4 nights

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