{"id":439022,"date":"2026-02-01T02:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T02:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/439022\/"},"modified":"2026-02-01T02:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T02:08:14","slug":"canadiens-make-last-second-lineup-change-vs-sabres-as-alexandre-texier-ruled-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/439022\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadiens make last second lineup change vs Sabres as Alexandre Texier ruled out"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\t \"Jan <\/p>\n

Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Martin St-Louis confirmed major news regarding Alexandre Texier that completely changes the dynamic of his lineup against the Sabres.<\/p>\n

The Canadiens\u2019 head coach is forced to juggle his lines at the very last minute.<\/p>\n

An unexpected injury will keep the French forward out of the lineup for tonight\u2019s matchup.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a cold shower for Texier, but this absence opens a huge door for other players seeking ice time.<\/p>\n

Joe Veleno takes advantage of this opening to rejoin the lineup after having cooled his heels in the press box.<\/p>\n

The Red Wings\u2019 2018 first-round pick (30th overall) could help the Habs.<\/p>\n

However, the real story grabbing attention is not Veleno\u2019s return, but the domino effect at the top of the lineup.<\/p>\n

Martin St-Louis has decided not to do things halfway to compensate for this loss.<\/p>\n

Kirby Dach is being vaulted directly onto the team\u2019s top offensive unit.<\/p>\n

“Forward Alexander Texier will not play in tonight’s game due to a lower-body injury. Joe Veleno will replace him in the lineup.” – Canadiens<\/p>\n

Kirby Dach completes the Suzuki and Caufield duo with the Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-4 center will have the heavy task of complementing the dynamic duo of Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.<\/p>\n

The objective is clear: use his size and reach to create space and retrieve loose pucks for his wingers.<\/p>\n

We know Dach has magician\u2019s hands, but he now has to prove he can keep up with the pace of the team\u2019s two best players.<\/p>\n

This combination offers an intriguing mix of playmaking vision, elite shooting, and physical presence.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a risky gamble for St-Louis, as it disrupts his other lines, but the situation demanded it.<\/p>\n

For Joe Veleno, the pressure is different but just as intense tonight.<\/p>\n

He must show that he is more than just a replacement player capable of filling a hole on a Saturday night.<\/p>\n

The Canadiens\u2019 brass will be watching his response to adversity very closely.<\/p>\n

Tonight, this isn\u2019t just a regular-season game \u2014 it\u2019s a full-scale laboratory for the future of Montreal\u2019s offense.<\/p>\n

Previously on All Montreal Hockey<\/p>\n

POLL<\/p>\n

2 HOURS AGO|35 ANSWERS<\/p>\n

Canadiens make last second lineup change vs Sabres as Alexandre Texier ruled out<\/p>\n

Will Kirby Dach record at least one point on the first line tonight?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images Martin St-Louis confirmed major news regarding Alexandre Texier that completely…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":439023,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5103],"tags":[2002,265,971,5,4687,412,264,21,5147,4,975],"class_list":{"0":"post-439022","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-montreal-canadiens","8":"tag-alexandre-texier","9":"tag-canadiens","10":"tag-cole-caufield","11":"tag-hockey","12":"tag-kirby-dach","13":"tag-martin-st-louis","14":"tag-montreal","15":"tag-montreal-canadiens","16":"tag-montrealcanadiens","17":"tag-nhl","18":"tag-nick-suzuki"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/115992940657544029","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=439022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/439023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=439022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=439022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=439022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}