The Montreal Canadiens are pulling out all the stops for their do-or-die Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night.
Head coach Dominique Ducharme announced pivot Jesperi Kotkaniemi will be scratched in favor of Jake Evans, according to Joshua Clipperton of The Canadian Press. Additionally, Alexander Romanov and Brett Kulak will draw in on defense for Erik Gustafsson and Jon Merrill.
The Canadiens are also promoting Tyler Toffoli to the top line and bumping up Josh Anderson to the second line. Here's the projected lineup:
Kotkaniemi, the 2018 third overall pick, has recorded five goals and three assists in 19 games this postseason. However, he's scored just once in his last 12 contests.
"It's nothing against (Kotkaniemi) or anything else, but we have depth and we have options," Ducharme said, according to TSN's John Lu.
"Again, it's not punishment ... sometimes as a hockey player you face these moments," Ducharme added. "He's a good team guy and understands the situation even though nobody wants to sit."
Evans morphed into a lineup fixture until suffering a concussion on a hit by Mark Scheifele during Round 2. He's skated in just one game since then.
Meanwhile, Romanov and Kulak have skated in two and 11 games, respectively, in these playoffs.
Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.