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Here are the players who hit the ice:
Paul Byron and Brendan Gallagher were notably back in full-contact jerseys for the first time since resuming skating this week.
During his pregame press conference Dominique Ducharme ruled the pair out for Saturday but did indicate he was confident about a return on Sunday.
"Today was a bit like their final test to make sure everything is under control and they're in good shape, so there's a good chance they'll play] tomorrow," explained the Canadiens head coach.
Byron has not played since July 7 of last year after undergoing hip surgery following the 2021 playoffs, and his return has been a long time coming.
"I'm not going to lie; it's been hard watching a lot of games. You're on the sidelines, but you know you can help. You want to be with your teammates, even when you lose the games, you want to be a part of it. Everything we've done has been together, it's a group, it's a bit of a family in here, so to be on the sidelines is not a good feeling," admitted Byron, who played through the injury during the most recent postseason. "It's obviously been a pretty long recovery for me, and I'm really excited to get back. I've spent a lot of time with the medical staff, a lot of practices by myself, and I feel like I can bring some new energy to the team, bring a boost, and hopefully have a big second-half push here for our team."
[Video: Paul Byron on getting close to a return
For Gallagher, it's a nine-game absence that's coming to an end, the second multi-game stretch the 29-year-old has spent in the infirmary this season.
"It's never easy being out of the lineup. You like to pride yourself on being there for your teammates, so I'm looking forward to getting the chance to go to battle with them again," acknowledged Gallagher, who also missed seven games in December. "It's been a long time, and I'm happy it's all coming to an end; hopefully tomorrow night I get back in the lineup and get back to just playing."
Video: Brendan Gallagher on what Paul Byron brings
Game-time decisions to come
Ducharme also indicated during his morning brief that the team could go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen on Saturday.
While the Canadiens have iced seven D previously this season due to personnel issues, in this case going with the extra blue-liner would be by choice.
"One of the things with the Oilers is the number of minutes Connor] McDavid and [Leon] Draisaitl play. That could make it a game that we play with 11 forwards, because one way or another, we'll want to play certain players more often to maintain certain matchups," described Ducharme of the decision that will be made during warmups.
[Video: Dominique Ducharme's pregame press conference
Delay of game
Absent from Saturday's skate were forwards Joel Armia and Cole Caufield, who were due to be back in Montreal after completing the NHL's COVID-19 protocol, but had their flights delayed on Friday.
The pair are now scheduled to arrive in Montreal during the afternoon, and are questionable for Sunday's game.
The Habs-Oilers matchup gets underway behind closed doors at the Bell Centre at 7:00 p.m.
