Canadiens’ Mike Matheson out against Sabres with lower-body injury

The Montreal Canadiens are going to be missing a key piece on their blue line on Tuesday night.

The team announced that defenseman Mike Matheson will not be in the lineup against the Buffalo Sabres and is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Forward Owen Beck will be jumping in the lineup, as the Canadiens are expected to trot out a lineup of 12 forwards and eight defensemen against their Atlantic Division rivals.

It isn’t quite known what exactly led to Matheson getting hurt. The veteran logged 23:01 of ice time across 23 shifts this past Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings. According to multiple reports, Matheson has been nursing the injury, with Montreal deciding a little rest is in order.

The 32-year-old has appeared in each of the Habs’ first five games of the season, posting an assist in the team’s win over the Toronto Maple Leafs to kick off the 2026-27 campaign. He hasn’t registered a point since, but has been given a plus/minus of -3 while averaging 24:09 of ice time per game.

While Matheson hasn’t reached the offensive production he had during the 2023-24 season, where he notched a career-best 62 points, he has been a reliable two-way defender for a Montreal team that looks to contend for the top spot in the Atlantic for years to come. He has reached over 30 points in each of the past five seasons and posted four points during last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, which saw the Canadiens reach the Eastern Conference Final.

The Pointe-Claire, Que. native is in the first season of his five-year contract extension, which carries an AAV of $6 million through the 2030-31 season.

The Canadiens (2-2-1) have had a bumpy start to the young season. The team lost three straight games after beating the Leafs. However, the Habs snapped the skid with a shootout win over the Red Wings.