Martin St-Louis’ decision to stick with the same lineup could impact two players’ confidence

The saying is well known in the hockey world: you don’t change a winning lineup.

After the convincing win against the Sabres, the Canadiens’ head coach is rolling out the exact same forward lines and defensive pairings in Minnesota.

That means Alexandre Texier is once again missing in action due to a lingering lower-body injury.

His absence continues and forces the organization to test its forward depth for another game.

As for Jayden Struble and Sammy Blais, the decision is purely a coaching one, as they’ll be watching from the press box.

They’ll have to stay patient while waiting for another opportunity.

It’s a pretty direct message to the players in uniform: performance dictates decisions.

Struble, in particular, must be finding the wait long, but the defensive group was solid in front of Dobes on Saturday.

Still, there’s a flip side to the “don’t change a winning lineup” approach: sitting players for multiple games in a row can work against them.

Samuel Montembeault needs game action to stay sharp—practice reps can’t fully replace the pace, reads, and mental load of real minutes. And for Jayden Struble, long stretches in the press box can slow development, because timing and decision-making are built through repetition, not observation.

St-Louis is clearly rewarding results, but he’ll also have to make sure the players on the outside don’t lose their edge—because the team will eventually need them again.

The most notable situation remains Samuel Montembeault, who once again finds himself stuck at the end of the bench.

It’s not a removal from the lineup in the strict sense, but for a goalie used to being the number one, it’s close enough.

Jakub Dobes gets the vote of confidence to face the Wild, confirming the new hierarchy that’s been settling in recently.

Safe to say his 38-save performance on Saturday weighed heavily in the coach’s decision.

It’s an important night for the group, which wants to head into the Olympic break on a positive note.

By keeping the same personnel, the team is hoping to recreate the intensity and defensive commitment shown in the last outing.

It remains to be seen whether Texier will be able to return after the break, as his energy is still clearly missed by the club.

More details to follow.

Also read on Montreal Hockey Fanatics :
Canadiens unveil lineup for game against the Wild tonight and provide update on Texier’s status