Defenseman Jeff Petry was back with the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday morning at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard.
Petry, who has been having a fairly difficult season so far with just two assists and a minus-7 rating in 27 games, joined his teammates for the first time in 2022. He did not take part in a meeting since Dec. 16 against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The American was noted for his comments after a 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in mid-December, he said in particular: “It seems that we are looking all the time where the others are. It’s as if we didn’t have a structure on the ice, ”which had been interpreted as a disavowal of the strategies of head coach Dominique Ducharme.
The sponge seems since to have been passed, and if all goes well, Ducharme had indicated Monday that Petry could be in uniform for the resumption of activities of Montrealers. Petry had been under the league’s protocol for COVID-19 since December 27.
The Canadian will take over on Wednesday night against the Boston Bruins. It will then be the first game of a double program that will then transport him to Chicago, against the Blackhawks, Thursday night.
Meanwhile, forwards Tyler Toffoli and Josh Anderson also practiced with their teammates, but they wore contact-free jerseys. Toffoli had one hand surgery in mid-December, and in his case it was the first time since that episode that he had skated with his teammates.
Forward Michael Pezzetta was also back on the ice. Pezzetta, who has scored one goal and two assists in 21 games this season, had been under NHL protocol for COVID-19 since January 5. It is not yet known whether he will be able to face the Bruins.
In the meantime, the Canadiens put emphasis on special teams and fine-tuned their power play during practice. The Montrealers are 32nd and last in the league in this regard with a starving efficiency rate of only 11%.
The Habs have not played a meeting since January 1, against the Florida Panthers, due to health restrictions imposed by the government to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canadian training in training:
Hoffman-Suzuki-Lehkonen
Drouin-Dvorak-Armia
Dauphin-Poehling-Caufield
Paquette-Vejdemo-Pezzetta
Extra contactless: Anderson-Toffoli
Chiarot-Savard
Kulak-Petry
Niku-wideman
Schueneman
Allen
Montembeault
