The Finn was wearing a shirt that indicated he could not accept contact. Armia haven’t played since January 15 after suffering an upper-body injury. Two weeks later he started skating again with the rest of the group.
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The 29-year-old winger started the new year strongly in January with four points from six games. He notably had one assist against the New York Rangers before going missing.
Jonathan Drouin was the focus of a line that was completed by Michael Pezzetta and Alex Belzile. The Quebecer, like Armia, has not played a game since January 15. Still looking for a first goal this season, he has 12 assists in 28 games.
Head coach Martin St-Louis declined to confirm at a press conference after the morning’s training session that Drouin would play in uniform for Saturday afternoon’s next game at the Bell Centre, but he did hint it was possible.
For goaltenders, Samuel Montembeault will be in the net against the New York Islanders while Jake Allen will take on the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.
Until the end
When asked what he wants his team to focus on in the second half of the season, St. Louis said he wants his players to continue making consistent efforts.
“I’m hoping for commitment to the end and for the group to progress. So far, since I’ve been here, I’m proud of the commitment and progress. […] We have to keep going, even with external pressure, we have to keep building the culture.”
Kaiden Guhle is skating again
Defender Kaiden Guhle has returned to solo skating for the first time since injuring his left knee. Recall that at the time of diagnosis, after injuring himself in a crash involving Aleksander Barkov in Florida on December 29, the CH announced the 21-year-old player would be inactive for eight weeks.