After a week in quarantine and minimal practice time, Monday night was the debut of Eric Staal for the Montreal Canadiens as they took on the Edmonton Oilers. Playing on a line with Jonathan Drouin and Tyler Toffoli, it was immediately clear that Dominique Ducharme had plenty of faith in the veteran centre. It also meant that Jesperi Kotkaniemi was bumped down the lineup, giving the Canadiens an incredible line of talent down the middle.
In net was Carey Price, who appeared to be no worse for wear after leaving practice that morning after taking a shot off the hand.