Canadiens: Kapanen Back At Practice

Because it's an opportunity when there's a break in a schedule like that, especially early on and when we didn't have the opportunity to do it during training camp. It's to…I know we have a very tight-knit group, but it's to have opportunities to get even tighter. It doesn't guarantee it, but if you don't do it, you don't even have the opportunity. So we've got some activities here where we can have some fun, and we're working at the same time.

As for practice itself, the coach explained that it wasn't so much about teaching as it was about working, putting in effort, and raising the heart rate. After missing the first game of the season, centerman Oliver Kapanen was back on the ice, wearing a normal jersey and fully participating in the session. Will he be back in the lineup this weekend? That remains to be seen, as the coach said he didn't know yet.

Alex Newhook played well in Kapanen's spot on Tuesday, but the line he formed with Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov failed to put points on the board. Still, the Newfoundlander spent over 16 minutes on the ice, including 2:31 on the penalty kill and 1:24 on the power play. He had three shot attempts, only one of which got to the net, and he landed three hits; more importantly, he won seven of his nine draws for a 77.8% success rate.