Canadiens' Tyler Toffoli back in lineup after having hand surgery

The Canadiens announced (Twitter link) that winger Tyler Toffoli will return to the lineup Tuesday night, signifying that he has been activated from injured reserve. He has missed the past six weeks due to a hand injury but despite that, he slipped to only third in team scoring as he has 17 points in 26 games. Montreal doesn’t need to make a corresponding roster move to bring him off IR with the placements of Cole Caufield and Joel Armia in COVID protocol earlier Tuesday. Defenseman Kale Clague was also activated from COVID protocol into the second roster spot.

More from the Eastern Conference:

• Panthers prospect Justin Sourdif was traded to the Edmonton Oil Kings from Vancouver at Monday’s WHL trade deadline. A third-round pick in 2020, the winger has 32 points in 24 games this season and now goes to an Edmonton squad that is gearing up for a long playoff run. Florida has already signed Sourdif to an entry-level contract, one that will slide this season and begin in 2022-23.
• Islanders winger Kyle Palmieri hasn’t suffered a setback, but head coach Barry Trotz told reporters, including Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link), that his lower-body injury hasn’t been recovering as anticipated. He pegs the veteran’s health around 80% to 85%, so it would appear Palmieri will be out for a little while longer.  The 30-year-old has struggled considerably this season with just one goal and six assists in 25 games.
• Capitals assistant coach Scott Arniel has been placed in COVID protocol, reports Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic (Twitter link). He’ll be away from the Caps for at least the next five days as a result.