Habs escaped a major blow during Sunday's practice
On Sunday, the Canadiens continued their preparation for their first round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and during one of the drills Michael Frolik felt the full wrath of Brendan Gallagher. Gallagher got the puck at the point for a one-timer and he hit Frolik right in the stomach with the puck. Frolik fell to the ice for a moment but was able to get up under his own power.
#Habs Michael Frolik can confirm Brendan Gallagher's hand is back to 100% after taking the full brunt of a Gally slapshot to the gut today in practice.
**Frolik was fine btw pic.twitter.com/AxT2uN82gk� Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) May 16, 2021
Gallagher is expected to return to the Canadiens lineup for game 1 on Thursday night after missing the last 21 games with a broken thumb.
The 29-year-old was loaned to Montreal's AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, along with star goaltender Carey Price for a conditioning stint. Both Gallagher and Price will play in Laval's final regular season game on Monday night against the Toronto Marlies, with Price playing at least half of the game.
Along with Gallagher and Price, captian Shea Weber and centerman Phillip Danault are expected to return to the Canadiens lineup on Thursday. Montreal and Toronto will battle in their first playoff series since 1979. Puck drop is set for 7:30pm ET on CBC and Sportsnet.
| POLL | ||
Are you excited to see Gallagher, Price and Weber back for Game 1? | ||
| Yes | 153 | 71.2 % |
| No | 62 | 28.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
