Canadiens' Alexandre Carrier: Returns to practice Friday

Carrier (upper body) participated in Friday's practice session on the second defensive pairing, Marc Antoine Godin of Radio-Canada reports.

Analysis:

Carrier has been sidelined since late March due to his upper-body injury, and he was initially expected to miss 2-4 weeks. He's reached the short range of that threshold, and his participation in Friday's practice signals that he could return to action for the start of postseason play. However, the Canadiens haven't yet revealed his status for Sunday's Game 1 against the Lightning.