The Montreal Canadiens will welcome back a couple of notable names on Saturday as they visit the Boston Bruins.
Forward Alexandre Texier and defenceman Arber Xhekaj will return to the lineup, the team announced.
Texier comes back after missing two games due to a lower-body injury. His brief absence came just days after the 26-year-old inked a two-year, $5 million extension to stick with a Canadiens team that first signed him in November after his release by the St. Louis Blues.
In 27 games with Montreal this season, Texier has racked up seven goals and nine assists, and is a plus-seven in that span. He's already cracked the top 10 on the Canadiens roster for goals and plus-minus.
Xhekaj slots back in after being held out as a healthy scratch the last two games. The fourth-year blue-liner has put up just one goal and one assist through 45 appearances and holds a minus-seven mark this season.
Meanwhile, Sam Montembeault will start in net for the Habs, getting his 20th nod of the season as they look to bounce back from a streak-busting loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. The Canadiens enter Saturday's matchup with a 28-16-7 record, good for third in the Atlantic Division.
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