Xhekaj scored a goal on three shots in Friday's 4-3 win over the Red Wings.

Xhekaj ended a five-game point drought with his game-tying goal in the third period, which was his first tally of the season. The 23-year-old defenseman didn't do much on offense early on -- all five of his points have come over the last 15 games. He's added 33 shots on net, 43 PIM, 31 blocked shots, 76 hits and a minus-5 rating through 29 outings overall. Xhekaj looks set to continue playing a physical role in the Canadiens' bottom four, though he may have to compete with Jayden Struble for the last spot in the lineup since Alexandre Carrier was brought in a swap that sent frequent scratch Justin Barron to Nashville.

Laine scored a power-play goal on three shots, added two PIM and logged two hits in Friday's 4-3 win over the Red Wings.

Laine has scored all seven of his goals this season on the power play. His tally Friday was clutch, giving the Canadiens the lead for good at 12:02 of the third period. Laine is at eight points, 27 shots on net, six hits, eight blocked shots and a minus-6 rating over eight appearances. A little more even-strength production would help from a sustainability standpoint, but fantasy managers who waited for Laine to recover from a knee injury have been reaping the rewards early and often since his return.

Wallstedt will start Saturday's road game in Winnipeg, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Marc-Andre Fleury took a narrow 2-1 loss to Utah on Friday, so Wallstedt will work the second half of a back-to-back. In his season debut last Sunday, Wallstedt stopped 24 of 27 shots in a 3-2 loss to the Golden Knights. He's also struggled in the AHL, but the Wild will continue to give the top prospect some looks until Filip Gustavsson (lower body) can play again.

Heineman scored a goal on two shots, dished an assist and went plus-2 in Friday's 4-3 win over the Red Wings.

Heineman has four points over his last four games. He scored the opening goal at 7:09 of the first period, his first tally since Dec. 1. The 23-year-old has seven goals, 12 points, 33 shots on net, 72 hits and a minus-3 rating over 31 contests. Heineman's recent success may make him of interest to fantasy managers in deep formats, but he doesn't have enough of a track record or a large enough role for widespread appeal.

Evans scored a shorthanded goal on two shots, added an assist, logged two hits and went plus-3 in Friday's 4-3 win over the Red Wings.

Evans was involved in both of the Canadiens' goals in the first period. He's collected a career-high three shorthanded points already this season as he continues to show his value as a penalty killer and defensive forward. The 28-year-old has two goals and five helpers over nine outings in December, giving him a total of six goals, 18 points, 26 shots on net, 45 hits and an even plus-minus rating through 32 appearances this season.

Montembeault allowed three goals on 28 shots in Friday's 4-3 win over the Red Wings.

Montembeault picked up his second win in a row and his fifth victory in his last eight games. He's had ups and downs in that span, but he's generally been good at keeping the Canadiens competitive this season. Montembeault improved to 11-13-2 with a 2.93 GAA and a .901 save percentage over 26 appearances. Cayden Primeau is likely to get a start at home in Saturday's rematch with the Red Wings.

Luukkonen is slated to start on the road versus the Bruins on Saturday, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.

Luukkonen is slated to be back in the crease after being pulled from Friday's game versus the Maple Leafs. He surrendered four goals on 13 shots before being replaced by James Reimer early in the second period. It appears that quick hook was to keep Luukkonen fresh -- per Hamilton, head coach Lindy Ruff did not place the blame for Friday's 6-3 loss on his goalie.

Neighbours was held out of the remainder of Friday's game versus the Panthers after taking a hit from Sam Bennett in the third period, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports.

Head coach Jim Montgomery indicated this was a precautionary move. Neighbours will be evaluated further Saturday, leaving his status for Monday's game versus the Red Wings up in the air.

Wedgewood will start Friday's road game versus Anaheim, Ducks PA Announcer Phil Hulett reports.

Wedgewood lost his last start, giving up three goals on 22 shots against Utah. The 32-year-old has won three of five outings with the Avalanche, including one shutout, and he's allowed just nine goals since he was traded from the Predators. Wedgewood has a favorable matchup Friday, though the Avalanche are playing the second half of a back-to-back.

Lundkvist will play Friday versus the Rangers, per the NHL media site.

Lundkvist has missed two of the previous three games due to the illness. He took line rushes alongside Miro Heiskanen, but Lundkvist has typically seen bottom-four minutes this season, so it's unclear how much usage he'll get in this contest.