Martin St-Louis Announces Lineup Changes Ahead of Tonight's Game vs the Pittsburgh Penguins

In a press conference held minutes ago, head coach Martin St-Louis confirmed that defenseman Justin Barron has been scratched from the lineup for the first time this season (while healthy).

This opens up an opportunity for Arber Xhekaj, who will be back in the lineup tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Considering what we've heard about Barron and his secured status as a regular player for the Canadiens, it's surprising to see Martin St-Louis "already" turning his back on him. But we're excited to see the Sheriff back in uniform.

He'll have a lot to prove and will undoubtedly try to keep Barron in the stands!

See the official confirmation.

Let's not forget that Martin St-Louis's team has a matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road at 7:00 p.m.

Samuel Montembeault will be in goal for the Canadiens.

Full press conferences are available here:

Justin Barron, 22 years old, is a 6 foot 2, 198-pound right-handed defenseman. He was a first-round pick for the Colorado Avalanche in 2020 (25th overall) and has accumulated 1 point in 8 games this season with Montreal.

He also has a minus-5 rating.

Arber Xhekaj, 23 years old, is a 6 foot 4, 240-pound left-handed defenseman. He was undrafted and has accumulated 0 points in 8 games this season with Montreal.

He has a minus-6 rating, but his impact on the ice obviously goes beyond statistics.

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