Montreal Canadiens' Glen Metropolit, right, hams is up with teammate Jaroslav Spacek during a practice Wednesday, April 14, 2010 in Brossard, Quebec. The Canadiens will face the Washington Capitals in Game 1 of the first round of Stanley Cup Finals. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul ChiassonPaul Chiasson/The Canadian Press
Glen Metropolit was supposed to be out for at least another two weeks, but the checking centre could be back as early as Game 3 of the Montreal Canadiens playoffs series against the Washington Capitals.
Metropolit, who suffered a tear in a shoulder on March 27, has been skating hard for a week and said Sunday he feels ready to play. When he was injured, the team said he was to be out for 6-to-8 weeks.
"I feel good," he said. "I might be ready to go, but I've got to get clearance."
Coach Jacques Martin said it would be a game-time decision whether he would dress against Washington at the Bell Centre on Monday night. He'll be happy to see the 35-year-old back.
"He brings experience and gives us depth," said Martin. "He's a centre who can take faceoffs and he's done well for us on the power play."
Metropolit had a career high 15 goals this season, 10 of them while playing on the second power play unit.
Should he return, defenceman Paul Mara, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury, would be the team's only injured player.
The best-of-seven series is tied 1-1 after a pair of overtime games in Washington.