The Montreal Canadiens are going to need a win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night if they hope to keep their season alive. The series to this point has been as even as any series possibly can be, but the Montreal Canadiens might get a slight advantage if Noah Dobson can return for this game.
Dobson has been out since April 11th with an upper-body injury that forced him to miss the remainder of the regular season and the first six games of this series. Dobson has been a crucial part of this blueline this season and finished his first season with the Montreal Canadiens with 47 points and an average ice time of 22:29.
While nothing is official yet, the chances of Dobson returning for this game feel pretty good, as he reportedly appeared to be close to returning for Game 6. Prior to the game on Friday night, Pierre LeBrun tweeted that Dobson was considered 50/50 for that game. It would stand to reason, especially in a game where the stakes are so high, that Dobson could return.
Who would come out of the Montreal Canadiens lineup if Noah Dobson is ready to return?
If Dobson is ready to go and set to return for Game 7, head coach Martin St. Louis will have to decide who to take out of the lineup. For the Canadiens' coaching staff, it probably comes down to two players in Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj, who have primarily been the Canadiens third pair this series.
Surprisingly, both have been pretty good on the ice this series as they have the highest Corsi For % with Xhekaj at 56.9% and Struble at 56.25%. They also have been on the ice for only one goal against this series in 5v5 situations, according to Natural Stat Trick, which is the lowest among the Canadiens' defensemen.
One of the reasons they have been effective is that the Canadiens' coaching staff has limited their minutes in this series, as both are under 70 minutes, and more than 30 minutes fewer than the next defenseman, Alexandre Carrier, at 98:46.
Between the two players, the Canadiens should probably keep Arber Xhekaj in the lineup and have Dobson replace Struble. One of the big differences between the two players is the physicality that Xhekaj brings to the ice, and he is leading the team in hits with 31. There is no question that this will probably be the most physical, and having a player like Xhekaj available would make sense.
Martin St. Louis has not liked to tip his hand with lineup changes in the playoffs, so it is unlikely anyone will officially know if Dobson is back until right before game time. However, if he is able to return, it should be a huge boost for this team and might be just enough of an advantage to win the game and advance past the Lightning.
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