63 Matthew Peca C

Peca was in the active lineup and had one blocked shot and two hits over 10:50 of ice time in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Jets.

Peca hadn't suited up in over a month -- 15 consecutive healthy scratches dating back to Feb. 25 -- before taking the ice on the right wing of the fourth line Saturday in Winnipeg. An injury to Paul Byron (upper body) and coach Claude Julien's decision to scratch Jesperi Kotkaniemi opened an available spot for Peca, who has 10 points while averaging 10:31 TOI over 39 games.

Peca started in place of the suspended Paul Byron on Friday and had two hits over 11:51 of ice time in a 4-1 win over Columbus.

Byron will miss the next two games, so there could be more opportunities for Peca, who has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 27 games. Coach Claude Julien told Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette that Peca got the nod over Charles Hudon because of his penalty-kill ability.

Peca and Charles Hudon rotated at left wing on the third line during Thursday's practice, Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette reports.

Paul Byron's three-game suspension opens the door for Peca or Hudon, both of whom are more familiar with the press box than the ice over the past month. Peca has been a healthy scratch the last four games and eight of the last nine, while Hudon has sat for 11 of the last 12. Given Byron's contributions, including time on the penalty kill, Peca is a more apt fit as a replacement, but both players should get an opportunity.

Peca had a goal, an assist and four shots on net in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Senators.

Peca returned to the fourth line Thursday after a three-game stint as a healthy scratch and scored in a win over Carolina. He played so well against the Hurricanes that coach Claude Julien kept him in the active lineup Saturday and for a second straight game, Peca scored Montreal's first goal. He later added an assist on Jonathan Drouin's empty-netter. Montreal's fourth line is generating offense, so until Julien feels he needs Nicolas Deslauriers' muscle, Peca will remain in the starting lineup.

Peca scored a goal, had two shots and blocked a shot in Thursday's 6-4 win over Carolina.

Peca, who had been healthy scratch the previous three games, replaced Nicolas Deslauriers on the fourth line. That was one of the changes coach Claude Julien made following an embarrassing 7-1 loss to the Wild on Tuesday. Peca's second-period marker evened the game at 1-1 and sparked Montreal's offense. He brings an element of speed to the fourth line, though he can't replace Deslauriers' muscle.

Peca was a healthy scratch for Wednesday's game against New Jersey.

We surmised changes were looming for the fourth line following Monday's loss to the Capitals. That unit -- Peca, Charles Hudon and Nicolas Deslauriers -- were on the ice for two of Washington's four regulation goals, and no fourth-liner had more than 8:46 of ice time. "We just need a better performance from our fourth line," coach Claude Julien told Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette after Wednesday's morning skate. "It's not just the center position, it's all three guys have to be better. The way that they're getting scored on for a fourth line has to be better." Michael Chaput, called up from AHL Laval on Wednesday, took Peca's spot on the fourth line.

Peca had a goal on three shots and added a shorthanded assist between 13:54 of ice time in Thursday's 6-5 overtime loss to Buffalo.

Peca scored his first goal in a Montreal uniform and registered his second multi-point game. He's centered the fourth line this season, so scoring opportunities have been limited, but he was given a season high in ice time Thursday -- more than three minutes above his season average (10:28).

Peca was back in the lineup Monday and had two assists in Montreal's 7-3 win over the Red Wings.

Peca had started the first three games before Tomas Plekanec replaced him Saturday, but there was a need Monday when Andrew Shaw caught the flu bug. He served as a winger on the fourth line and assisted on goals by Plekanec and Charles Hudon.

Peca was replaced on the fourth line by Tomas Plekanec at Friday's practice, Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette reports.

Peca started the first three games but it looks like he might take a seat Saturday night against the Penguins. In Plekanec, coach Claude Julien has a good faceoff man who can help improve the team's winning percentage (38 percent) on draws. Peca went 1 of 6 in Thursday's loss and is just 33.3 percent in the dot for the season.

Peca is minus-1 while averaging 10:54 of ice time and winning 41.7 percent of his faceoffs over the first two games.

Peca is centering the fourth line between Charles Hudon and Andrew Shaw. The 25-year-old center signed with Montreal, which was looking to play a fast-paced game, something that appealed to Peca. "They just stressed that they wanted to play a more fast-paced game, a little more relentless kind of in-your-face hockey," he told Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette. "So when they told me that I was pretty excited because that's kind of what I pride myself on - being hard to play against and playing fast. So I knew system-wise it was going to be a good fit for me." With Hudon and Shaw on the wings, Peca has a couple of offensively capable forwards. Each winger has scored a goal, and Shaw gets regular minutes on the second-unit power play.

Peca (groin) will be in the lineup for Saturday's preseason finale against the Senators.

Peca was bothered by a groin injury earlier this week, but that's evidently no longer an issue. The 25-year-old pivot, who notched two goals and five points in 10 games with Tampa Bay last campaign, will likely open the season skating in a bottom-six role if he's able to secure a spot on the Opening Night roster.

Peca is day-to-day with a minor groin injury, John Lu of TSN.ca reports.

Peca's injury isn't believed to be serious, so it shouldn't keep him sidelined for long. The 25-year-old forward will hope to return to the lineup for Montreal's preseason finale Saturday against the Senators.

Peca scored a power-play goal and added an even-strength assist in Wednesday's 5-2 preseason loss to the Panthers.

The 25-year-old got off to an impressive start in his bid to crack the Habs' opening-night lineup. Peca never got much of a chance in Tampa Bay, scoring three goals and seven points in only 20 NHL games over the last two seasons, but his 134 points in 204 career games for AHL Syracuse since 2014-15 suggest he could provide a bit of offense in a bottom-six role if he does break through with Montreal.

Peca inked a two-year, $2.6 million contract with the Canadiens.

The 5-foot-8 forward has played 20 career NHL games over the last two seasons with Tampa Bay, scoring three goals and seven points. Peca did total 13 goals and 46 points last season with AHL Syracuse as well. With Montreal re-signing Tomas Plekanec and trading for Max Domi, it remains to be seen where Peca will fit on the roster for next season.

Peca -- along with nine other players -- was promoted from AHL Syracuse on Thursday.

Peca spent the bulk of the season in the minors, where he racked up 46 points in 63 outings. The 25-year-old also logged 10 games for Tampa Bay, in which he snagged a pair of goals and three helpers. With the Crunch eliminate from the Calder Cup Playoffs, the Lightning made their "Black Aces" call ups. In addition to Peca, the team brought in Erik Cernak, Connor Ingram, Matthieu Joseph, Dominik Masin, Mitchell Stephens, Ben Thomas, Carter Verhaeghe and Alexander Volkov.

Peca was sent back to AHL Syracuse on Thursday, Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports.

With the Lightning taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the series and comfortable with the forward group, the club opted to send Peca back to the minors to assist AHL Syracuse in its upcoming playoff run. Peca will likely rejoin the Lightning if the team is still alive when the Crunch has completed its campaign, but he remains unlikely to draw into the lineup barring another injury among Tampa's forward ranks.

Peca was called up to the big club roster Sunday, Joe Smith of the Athletic reports.

A standout with AHL Syracuse, Peca scored a pair of goals and five points in 10 NHL games during the regular season. It's unlikely that the 5-foot-8 forward suits up during the playoffs, but Ryan Callahan's injury could open the door for an opportunity.

Peca was reassigned to AHL Syracuse on Wednesday, Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Peca was rendered a healthy scratch for the prior two contests, so he'll be better off in the minors, where he can pick up substantial playing time. The rookie has shown well in limited NHL action this season -- he's averaging 13:40 of ice time -- having accumulated two goals and three helpers over 10 games. He's mostly been deployed with the AHL's Crunch, though.

Peca scored a goal and added two assists against the Flames in a 7-4 win Thursday.

After playing sparse minutes since being called up, Peca played 17:29 in this game. Maybe it's because he's actually been producing results. The 24-year-old rookie now has a three-game point streak.

Peca was called up from AHL Syracuse on Sunday.

With Ondrej Palat (undisclosed) sidelined indefinitely, Peca should crack the lineup at least a few times. The 24-year-old forward has eight goals and 31 points in 42 games for AHL Syracuse this season, so he could be worth a look in deeper leagues or dynasty formats.