Montreal captain Nick Suzuki will return to the lineup Thursday night against the Utah Mammoth as the Canadiens look to rebound from Tuesday’s historic loss to the Winnipeg Jets. Suzuki was ruled out for two to four weeks after defenceman Michael Kesselring’s shot struck his left hand in the third period of Montreal’s 2-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 20. The 27-year-old centre missed his first six contests after playing in 546 consecutive regular-season games to begin his career. The Canadiens (9-3-3) managed well without their captain, winning five straight games before falling 5-4 in overtime to the Jets in an epic collapse. Winnipeg rallied from 4-0 down with 2:39 remaining in regulation, making for the latest four-goal comeback in NHL history. Jakub Dobes will get the start as Montreal looks to respond against the visiting Mammoth (10-6-0). Suzuki will rejoin wingers Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky on the Canadiens’ first line. After producing 101 points in 2025-26 — and winning the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward — the London, Ont., native has five goals and seven assists through 12 games this season. Ivan Demidov remains out with a lower-body injury despite reaching the end of his two-to-four-week recovery timeline. The 20-year-old winger, who led all rookies in points with 62 last season, hasn’t played since the Canadiens’ second game on Oct. 3. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2026.
