Canadiens Game Day: Nicolas Deslauriers in lineup vs. Golden Knights

Replaces Charles Hudon on fourth line, while Brett Kulak takes David Schlemko's spot on defence for afternoon game in Las Vegas.

Montreal Canadiens Nicolas Deslauriers gets high-fives from teammates on the bench after scoring goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during second period of National Hockey League game in Montreal on March 15, 2018. JOHN MAHONEY / MONTREAL GAZETTE

LAS VEGAS — Claude Julien is making a couple of lineup changes for Saturday afternoon’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights at the T-Mobile Arena (4 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio).

Nicolas Deslauriers, who has been a healthy scratch for the last five games, gets back in the lineup on the fourth line with Michael Chaput and Kenny Agostino, while Charles Hudon will be a healthy scratch after playing in the last two games. Defenceman Brett Kulak will also get back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch for two games, taking David Schlemko’s spot. Hudon had been a healthy scratch for nine straight games before getting back in the lineup for the last two and going pointless. For the season, Hudon has 3-1-4 totals and a team-worst minus-8.

Deslauriers has 1-1-2 totals in 24 games this season and is minus-2. Deslauriers ranks second on the Canadiens with 70 hits, trailing only defenceman Jeff Petry, who has 98 but has played 12 more games than Deslauriers.

“We’re going to get a bigger presence on our fourth line against a pretty big hockey club here,” Julien said when he met with the media a couple of hours before the game. “Schlemko’s out. He’s not 100 per cent, so Kulak’s going to go in.”

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Thapa, Swaraj dwell on politics in Nepal

DPM and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa and India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj hold talks in New Delhi on Friday.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa and India’s Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on Friday discussed Nepal’s political situation, protests by the Madhes-based parties and other bilateral issues.

DPM and Minister for Foreign Affairs Thapa arrived in New Delhi on Friday to participate in the convocation ceremony of the South Asia University to be held on Saturday.

This is Thapa’s fourth visit to the southern neighbour since he assumed office in October.

“Nothing specific was discussed regarding Madhes and [boundary] demarcation,” said Thapa, adding that the meeting dwelt on overall political situation [in Nepal].

Ties between Nepal and India that went off track after the promulgation of the constitution are yet to return to normalcy, but whatever improvement was seen following Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s visit to New Delhi in February faced a major setback in May again after the Oli government decided to cancel President Bhandari’s scheduled visit.

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