Romanov will be a surprise scratch for Game 1 of the postseason, as the Canadiens go with Jon Merrill on the third pairing. In addition to Romanov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Cole Caufield will both be scratched as well.

The Canadiens have started a rotation on their third pair, so tonight Romanov will replace Victor Mete and skate with Brett Kulak. After a hot start to the season, Romanov has been held pointless in his last six games.

Romanov was selected in the second-round (No.38 overall) in 2018 and is expected to make the leap into the NHL in 2020-21. The 20-year-old Russian blueliner has spent the last two seasons in the KHL, where he's played a limited role and tallied just 11 points (1G / 10A) in a combined 86 games for CSKA Moscow. However, while playing against players his own age in the 2019 and 2020 World Juniors, Romanov had two goals and 12 assists (14 points) in 14 games. Due to the current pause of the NHL season, the start date of the contract has yet to be determined.