Canadiens’ Noah Dobson Resumes Skating

Already with a one-game edge in the series, the Montreal Canadiens are inching closer to returning one of their top defenseman. Earlier today, Luc Gélinas of RDS reported that defenseman Noah Dobson has resumed skating.

Dobson, 26, has been out for the last few weeks with a lower-body injury. Before missing the last three games of the regular season, and the first three of Montreal’s Round One matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dobson was exactly what the Canadiens hoped he would be.

He finished second on the team in scoring among defensemen, and sixth overall, with 12 goals and 47 points in 80 games with a +5 rating, averaging 22:29 of ice time per game. Additionally, he was third among Canadiens defensemen in CorsiFor% at even strength, and had the second most takeaways on the team.

Should he return toward the back half of this series, it would undoubtedly give Montreal a larger edge over Tampa Bay. The Lightning are already without their captain, Victor Hedman, due to illness. Reports from a few days ago indicated that Hedman is doubtful to play in the Bolts’ opening round matchup.

For the time being, the Canadiens have been deploying Alexandre Carrier in Dobson’s stead. He hasn’t looked out of place, registering one assist in three games while averaging over 23 minutes of ice time, largely due to the multiple trips into overtime. Additionally, Carrier is tied for the team lead in blocked shots (10) with fellow blue liner Mike Matheson.