Canadiens’ Alex Newhook to play first game since November

A long-awaited return is for a player poised to help the Montreal Canadiens in their push for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It was announced on Wednesday that forward Alex Newhook is expected to be in the lineup on Thursday night, when the Canadiens take on the New York Islanders in their first game back from the Olympic break.

It will be Newhook’s first game back since suffering a freak injury on Nov. 13. In a game against the Dallas Stars, the 25-year-old became entangled with Stars defenseman Ilya Lybushkin. Newhook lost his footing before crashing hard into the endboards. It was later announced that he had suffered a fractured right ankle, which required surgery. Newhook’s return to the lineup comes a little ahead of schedule, as he was projected to miss four months.

Newhook had been playing well in the early weeks of the 2025-26 season. In 17 games of the season, Newhook has scored six goals and six assists for 12 points, good for fifth on the team in scoring at the time. There’s no question, the Habs have missed the St. John’s, N.L. native, as their depth down the middle has been tried and tested for the past few months.

In the 40 games that Newhook has missed, Montreal has gone 22-12-6, certainly not a bad record, but with the surging Tampa Bay Lightning and the ever-competitive Detroit Red Wings, it has been tough for the Canadiens to stay at the top of the Atlantic Division.

Newhook is in his third season with the Habs. After posting 34 points in 55 games in 2023-24, his production took a dip last year, scoring 26 points in 82 games, but he was a part of helping the team snap its four-year playoff drought.

The Canadiens (32-17-8) are tied for second in the Atlantic, six points back of the first-place Lightning.