Good to see you out there, Shea!

EDMONTON - Shea Weber's teammates were thrilled to have him join them for practice at Rogers Place on Monday afternoon.

It marked the Canadiens captain's first on-ice session with the rest of the group this season, as he continues to recover from arthroscopic surgery to repair a meniscal tear in his right knee.
"As a team, we're so excited to have him out there," said Max Domi, following the practice session in the Alberta capital. "When you have Shea Weber on the ice with you, it kind of gives you a little extra boost and definitely a boost in confidence, so we're very lucky to have him. It's good to see our captain back out there and we can't wait to see him in game action soon."

According to head coach Claude Julien, the 33-year-old defenseman's timeline to return to the lineup still hasn't changed.
The procedure, which was performance on June 19th, called for a five-to-six month recovery period. That essentially means that Weber is on track to return in the not so distant future.
He has yet to be cleared to participate in contact drills, though, so there are still some hurdles to clear.
"The fact that he's skating with us is encouraging for everybody," said Julien. "He's skating well. But, the other part of his rehab is not over yet. From what I'm being told, we're sticking with the schedule that was put in place at first."

While the six-time All-Star has been unable to suit up and chip in on the ice, his impact certainly has been felt in the Habs' locker room so far this season.
"He's always got this presence about him. He's a veteran player that's been in the League for a long time. He's a great teammate and a great leader," praised Domi. "He has a lot of experience with playoffs and regular season games, and he's played against and with some of the best players in the world. What else can you really ask for in terms of someone to learn from?"
Assistant captain Brendan Gallagher is certainly in agreement there.
"Everyone knows what he's capable of doing as a player, but the attributes that come with him off the ice, the leadership qualities, he's got this ability to kind of bring the group together, which is what you're looking for," explained Gallagher. "He obviously understands the difference between right and wrong, and he pulls people in positive directions. It's exciting to have him back. He's getting closer and closer. I know he's pretty excited as well."
Bring on the Oilers
The Canadiens open their three-game Western Canada road trip on Tuesday night against the Oilers, who've lost four games in a row.
Nevertheless, Gallagher isn't one to look past any opponent - even when they're struggling.
Given the offensive weapons Todd McLellan's squad boasts up front, including captain Connor McDavid, along with fellow snipers Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, taking the Oilers lightly would be a mistake.
"They have the top player, top two player, top three in the world. Whatever you want to say, he's pretty damn good," said Gallagher of McDavid, who leads Edmonton with 23 points (10g - 13a) in 17 games. "We've got to try and do our best against him. They've also got a lot of players around him that are going to contribute as well. It's definitely going to be a challenge for us, and hopefully we can be up to the task."

Unfortunately, the Canadiens haven't fared well in Edmonton in recent years, winning just once in their last four visits.
"That's surprising. I've got a lot of Oilers fans in the family. They normally let me know that stuff," cracked the 26-year-old right-winger, who was born in the City of Champions. "Maybe we better not lose again because I don't want to hear it from them. We'll try and change that."
As for who would get the call in between the pipes on Tuesday night, Julien indicated that he wasn't prepared to divulge the identity of his goaltender just yet.
Antti Niemi picked up the win in the Habs' previous outing on Saturday night against the Vegas Golden Knights at the Bell Centre.