Cam Talbot is ready to return to the crease.
The Minnesota Wild goaltender will start against the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night, head coach Dean Evason said after the morning skate, according to the Star-Tribune's Sarah McLellan.
Talbot missed the last six games with an injury he sustained in Minnesota's Winter Classic loss to the St. Louis Blues at Target Field in Minneapolis on New Year's Day.
Kaapo Kahkonen was dominant while starting every game for the Wild in his absence. The backup netminder went 5-0-1 with a .937 save percentage and allowed only 14 goals over the six contests.
Talbot is 15-8-1 with a .909 save percentage in 24 games this season, but the 34-year-old has less flattering underlying numbers. He ranks fourth-worst in the NHL with minus-8.5 goals saved above expected at five-on-five to go along with minus-2.21 goals saved above average in the same situations, according to Evolving Hockey.
Despite Talbot's less than stellar play, the Wild enter Monday's action with the NHL's eighth-best record by points percentage.
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