The Montreal Canadiens have announced that forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi is out for Thursday night’s contest against the Vegas Golden Knights due to a groin injury. Kotkaniemi is considered day-to-day.
Canadiens Jesperi Kotkaniemi Out Day-to-Day
Claude Julien confirms that Keith Kinkaid will get the start tonight in Vegas.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi is out with a groin injury, so Nick Suzuki will move to center and Jordan Weal will enter the lineup.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/4FtSNkoDeR
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 31, 2019
It appears Kotkaniemi injured himself during Wednesday night’s 4-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes. He logged 13:23 minutes of ice time during the game and did not seem to leave the ice for any period of time. For now the forward will be considered day-to-day.
In 12 games so far this season, Kotkaniemi has scored two goals and added one assist for three points.
He has spent the majority of the season centring the Canadiens third line, as well as getting some time on the powerplay.
Kotkaniemi was drafted by the Canadiens in the first round, third overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
What This Means for the Future
With Kotkaniemi out, Jordan Weal will draw back into the lineup. Nick Suzuki will take over the centre position on the third line. Weal was a healthy scratch for the Canadiens against the Coyotes while Suzuki has been playing right wing on the fourth line.
In eight games this season, Weal has scored two goals and one assist.
Suzuki has scored three goals and two assists in 12 games while playing on the fourth line. He has also been playing on the Canadiens’ second powerplay unit.
Suzuki will get a golden opportunity to play his natural position against the team that drafted him in 2017. He was the major piece coming over in the Max Pacioretty trade and will certainly have some extra motivation going into tonight’s game to stick it to his former club.
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