Anderson, Slafkovsky, and Matheson miss Canadiens practice

Montreal Canadiens' Josh Anderson (17) and Juraj Slafkovsky (20) were not at practice on April 28, ahead of game five. Noah Dobson (53) skated with the team after not playing for weeks. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

Forwards Josh Anderson and Juraj Slafkovsky, along with defenseman Mike Matheson, were absent from the Montreal Canadiens’ practice on Tuesday.

Anderson and Slafkovsky both remained on the ice after delivering—or taking—checks on Sunday during Game 4 of the first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The series is tied 2-2.

• READ MORE: Lightning take fourth nail-biter, beat Canadiens 3-2 in Montreal to even series

Game 5 will take place on Wednesday in Florida.

Defenceman Noah Dobson also skated with Matheson and director of hockey development Adam Nicholas an hour before practice. He completed a few drills and took some shots.

Dobson suffered an upper-body injury while blocking a shot during a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets late in the season. He missed the final two games of the regular season and the first four games of the series against the Lightning.

The Habs had initially stated that his condition would be reevaluated after two weeks, on April 12. The organization did not provide any additional details on Tuesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 28, 2026.