What Happened
The Montreal Canadiens announced that defenceman Mike Matheson will not play Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres because of a lower-body injury. He is considered day-to-day. Matheson, 32, has one assist in five games this season while averaging 24:09 of ice time. With Matheson out, 22-year-old forward Owen Beck will make his season debut after beginning the year with AHL Laval, where he had one assist and a plus-one rating in four appearances.
Key Details
- Matheson is day-to-day with a lower-body injury
- Matheson has one assist in five games, averaging 24:09 of ice time
- Beck, 22, had one assist and a plus-one rating in four AHL Laval games this season
- Beck posted 13 goals and 20 assists in 58 AHL games in 2025-26
- Beck has 28 NHL appearances, including 15 last season when he scored his first NHL goal
- Jacob Fowler starts Tuesday after a 30-save shutout of Detroit; Jakub Dobes starts Wednesday vs. Washington
What It Means
Matheson's absence removes a heavily used defenceman from Montreal's blue line, leaving the Canadiens to cover more than 24 minutes of average ice time. Beck's call-up gives the 22-year-old forward an opportunity to build on his 28 games of NHL experience. In net, Fowler continues his run after a shutout, while Dobes is lined up for the second half of the back-to-back.
What's Next
Matheson's status is day-to-day, so his availability beyond Tuesday is unclear. Montreal plays again Wednesday against the Washington Capitals, with Jakub Dobes confirmed as the starter for that game.