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Here are the players who hit the ice:
Vejdemo returns to the lineup
In his pregame press conference, head coach Dominique confirmed that Lukas Vejdemo would be back in the lineup to replace Christian Dvorak, who was injured in the game against the Minnesota Wild.
That'll be Ducharme's lone lineup change for Thursday. Cayden Primeau will be making a third consecutive start in goal.
Video: Dominique Ducharme's pregame press conference
Vejdemo, who last played on January 12 in Boston, has been relied upon for penalty kill work with the AHL's Laval Rocket and outlined his strengths when he spoke to the media following morning skate in Brossard.
"I think I'm a smart player. So, I try to read plays and be in the right spots, and then I've also used my skating to forecheck and not let them set up that easily," shared Vejdemo, who has one goal in four games with Montreal to go along with six goals and seven assists in 22 contests with the Rocket this season. "That's what I usually do in Laval and that's what I'm going to try to do here if I play P.K. too, to use my strengths."
Video: Lukas Vejdemo on his return to the lineup
The Swedish forward was called up to the Canadiens in late December, which means he hasn't played a game in front of fans at the Bell Centre yet in 2021-22. He'll have to wait a little while longer to do so, too; while the Ducks game will be the first Habs home contest in over a month, it'll be played in an empty building due to current coronavirus restrictions in place in the province of Quebec.
After sitting out the last six games, Vejdemo is happy to draw back into the lineup above all, but would certainly rather do it in front of a full house.
"I haven't played for a while, so I'm just excited to play tonight. For sure, it's different. But, at the same time we're here to win a game. The first couple of minutes it's going to feel weird, but then you get into the game and it's kind of normal, even if we're going to miss the fans, of course," admitted Vejdemo, the Canadiens' third-round pick (87th overall) in 2015. "But, when you're in the game you have to focus on trying to win."
The Habs-Ducks matchup gets underway at 7:00 p.m. at the Bell Centre.
