The worst is confirmed for Florian Xhekaj and two more Canadiens players

Florian Xhekaj lasted only a few minutes at Canadiens practice this morning, and Montreal's injury picture just got murkier.

RDS reporter Patrick Friolet saw the young forward grimace the moment he tried to pick up speed. He left the ice visibly bothered.

Xhekaj was already listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed issue, expected out until at least Tuesday. Today was a test. He didn't pass it.

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And he wasn't the only one missing. Oliver Kapanen and Michael Matheson both sat out the session for what the club called a therapy day.

The team framed it as maintenance. But two regulars skipping practice the day before Buffalo visits Montreal tends to get people talking.

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Kapanen is coming off a 22-goal season in 82 games. That's real depth scoring, and the Canadiens can't afford to lose any more of it right now.

Matheson's start has been rough regardless. The veteran defenseman has one assist through five games and went minus-3 over that stretch.

Demidov and Montembeault absences leave Canadiens badly exposed

This is where the timing stings. Ivan Demidov is on injured reserve with a lower-body issue and isn't expected back until at least Oct 31.

Samuel Montembeault is also on IR with a lower-body injury. He isn't expected back before Oct 20.

That leaves Jacob Fowler and Jakub Dobes splitting the net. The 21-year-old Fowler has answered with a .938 save percentage and a shutout already on his ledger.

The rest of the picture isn't as pretty. Montreal sits at 2-2-1 with a -4 goal differential, sixth in the division.

Martin St-Louis has watched his group give up 19 goals in five games. And that's with Matheson healthy on the blue line.

So who fills the gaps?

Xhekaj's sample is tiny: two games, minus-4. But depth is depth, and St-Louis is running low on it.

Dressing him Tuesday after what happened this morning would be a bad call. A forward who can't accelerate in practice won't win many puck battles against a real forecheck.

Testing a sore body at practice is like test-driving a car with the check engine light on. You learn something. It's rarely good news.

Buffalo isn't arriving in great shape either. The Sabres are 2-3-0, losers of two straight, and playing Florida this afternoon before heading to Montreal.

It's the first meeting between the clubs this season. Puck drop is 6:30 p.m., and the Canadiens head to Washington the very next night for a back-to-back.

If Matheson and Kapanen are back for the morning skate, today becomes a footnote. If not, Kent Hughes may have to start making calls before that road trip begins.

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