Kyle Okposo did not participate in the morning skate due to a non-COVID illness.
"I don't expect him for tonight but he's still a possibility," Sabre coach Don Granato said.
Victor Olofsson is also absent with a non-COVID illness and did not make the trip to Montreal.
Rasmus Dahlin, who missed Sunday's loss in Columbus with a lower-body injury, is expected to play after skating with the team for the second straight day.
Here's how the group lined up this morning:
| February 23 at Montreal |
| --- |
| LW | C | RW |
| 53 Jeff Skinner | 72 Tage Thompson | 89 Alex Tuch |
| 19 Peyton Krebs | 37 Casey Mittelstadt | 24 Dylan Cozens |
| 17 Mark Jankowski | 46 Brandon Biro | 74 Rasmus Asplund |
| 96 Anders Bjork | 20 Cody Eakin | 15 John Hayden |
| LD | RD | G |
| 26 Rasmus Dahlin | 10 Henri Jokiharju | 41 Craig Anderson |
| 78 Jacob Bryson | 13 Mark Pysyk | 31 Dustin Tokarski |
| 23 Mattias Samuelsson | 45 Casey Fitzgerald | |
| 8 Robert Hagg | 4 Will Butcher | |
Craig Anderson will get the nod in goal for the second straight game. It will be his first time starting consecutive games since returning from an absence of nearly three months on Jan. 29.
Biro has been one of Rochester's most productive players in his second pro season, ranking third on the team with 36 points in 39 contests. He has not gone consecutive games without a point since Nov. 27.
"There's detail in his game right now beyond just skill," Granato said. "He's gained that maturity. To me, that's what's been impressive when I watch him."
Biro signed with the Sabres as an undrafted free agent during the 2020 offseason following a four-year career at Penn State, where he served as captain as a senior. He had five points (2+3) in 15 games as a rookie with the Amerks last season.
The Sabres are looking to rebound from back-to-back losses over the weekend. They played a tight contest against the NHL-leading Avalanche on Saturday but felt they deviated from their defensive habits in Columbus the following night.
"We just got to get back to our principles, competing," Dahlin said. "… Today we got to get back to battling hard, we got to focus on the competing side and things will be good. Every time we battle out there we play good games."
Things have changed in the 10 days since Jeff Skinner scored four goals to lead the Sabres to a 5-3 victory during their last visit to Montreal.
The Canadiens - then winless in three games under new coach Martin St. Louis - have since won three straight contests for the first time this season, including a 5-0 victory over the Maple Leafs on Monday. Quebec's COVID-19 restrictions, meanwhile, now allow Bell Centre to be half full as opposed to the 500 fans who were permitted for the Sabres' last visit.
"There's a different energy, a different adrenaline for the home team," Granato said. "… This place is known for that. The energy with the crowd and the fans can provide for their team, and that was evident watching film of the other night against Toronto."
Second-year forward Cole Caufield has scored goals in each of the Canadiens' last three wins, matching his output from his first 33 games of the season. Defenseman Jeff Petry has points in five straight contests.
Sam Montembault will start in goal for the Canadiens.
