Marc Dumont
Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis gave his team the day off on Monday, and yet there was some relatively encouraging news on the injury front, as defenceman Noah Dobson was spotted skating in Brossard.
Dobson, 26, is dealing with an upper-body injury that occurred after he blocked a shot with his left hand on April 11, versus the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Voici les premières images de Noah Dobson qui patine depuis le retour de sa blessure à Brossard.@DLCoulisses #GoHabsGo #Dobson #NHL pic.twitter.com/hvrvf2PA8D
— Patrick Guillet (@PatGuillet) April 27, 2026
At the time of his injury, the team announced they’d reevaluate Dobson after two weeks, which is exactly when he resumed skating. Since then, the Canadiens said they’d offer an update within the next 48 hours.
Potential Noah Dobson Impact
It remains to be seen whether Dobson will be able to jump into the lineup for any of the remaining games versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, with Game 5 set for Wednesday, Game 6 on Friday, or Game 7 on Sunday, but suffice it to say that the Canadiens have clearly missed Dobson in the first four games of the series.
The top four has struggled to control the shots, and while the Canadiens have done a good job controlling the high-danger scoring opportunities, they were outchanced by a very wide margin in Game 4.
Heading into Game 4, the Habs had only allowed the Bolts to generate a grand total of eight high-danger scoring chances in three games, some of the best defensive hockey the team has offered since St-Louis took over as head coach.
But Game 4 was a complete reversal of fortunes. The Lightning held a 9-2 advantage in high-quality shots, with the Mike Matheson and Alexandre Carrier pairing outchanced 0-7 at even-strength.
Of course, once Dobson is available, one defencemen will have to be removed from the lineup, and while the temptation to simply send Arber Xhekaj or Jayden Struble to the press box may be strong, it should be noted they’ve provided excellent hockey on the third pairing, better than any other combination throughout the season.
While formulating the new pairings upon Dobson’s return, the Canadiens must avoid throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
On that note, given that he’s yet to start taking shots, his return to play can’t yet be considered imminent.
Le défenseur a passé environ 25 minutes sur la patinoire, où il a effectué quelques exercices de maniement de rondelle. Il n’a toutefois décoché aucun tir au filet.
— Patrick Guillet (@PatGuillet) April 27, 2026
Il était accompagné d’Adam Nicholas.@DLCoulisses #GoHabsGo #Dobson #NHL pic.twitter.com/vgDkeO6kHx
