MONTREAL -- Rookie Cole Caufield will play his first playoff game with the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, while veteran Eric Staal will be left out.

The first round series between the two teams is tied 1-1.

Canadiens interim head coach Dominique Ducharme said that Tomas Tatar was initially expected to be left out of the lineup, but that he had to change his plans because Staal "isn't 100%".

"And I want guys who are 100 percent," he said in a video conference.

Caufield played in the last 10 Hab's regular season games, scoring four goals and adding one assist.

He has been watching his teammates in the first two games of the series and discovering where he may fit in.

"The pace is higher and there's less space," said Caufield. "The guys are giving 100 per cent every time they show up. You have to be patient and take your chances. I hope to help the team and provide a spark."

He had previously completed his time at the University of Wisconsin with a 30-goal campaign in 31 games.

His performance at the U.S. college level this season earned him the Hobey-Baker Trophy, awarded to the league's most outstanding player.

Caufield also helped the United States win gold at the World Junior Championship.

"He's a confident kid, not arrogant," defenceman Jon Merrill said. "He's confident as a player and as a person and that's refreshing to see. He knows he can make an impact and we have complete confidence in him."

Asked to compare Caufield to another player, Merrill chose Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane.

"He has agile hands and feet and a knack for scoring goals," Merrill said. "Those are big shoes to fill, but we just hope he brings energy."

Caufield practiced with Nick Suzuki and Joel Armia Monday morning.

Ducharme confirmed that Caufield will play on Suzuki's right side. He noted, however, that the last-minute change to his lineup with Staal and Tatar meant that he would have to revise his lineup from the one presented at the morning practice.

He did indicate that Paul Byron will play centre in the absence of Staal and Jake Evans, who is still nursing an injury.

As for Tatar, the 30-year-old Slovakian has 10 goals and 20 assists in 50 games this season.

He was bothered by a lower-body injury late in the campaign and was sidelined in February by coach Claude Julien, about 10 days before his dismissal.

On Monday morning, Phillip Danault was skating with Paul Byron and Josh Anderson, Jesperi Kotkaniemi was at centre with Tyler Toffoli and Brendan Gallagher, while the fourth line was composed of Eric Staal, Artturi Lehkonen and Corey Perry.

There were no changes to the defence roster.

However, Ben Chiarot returned to the left of Shea Weber, while Brett Kulak played alongside Merrill.

The Habs were limited to three goals in the first two games of the series against the Maple Leafs, with only two of those goals coming at 5-on-5.

The Maple Leafs bounced back with a 5-1 win on Saturday without captain John Tavares.

Tavares suffered a knee injury and concussion in a scary collision with Perry in the first period of Game 1, a 2-1 win for the Canadiens on Thursday.

-- this report by The Canadian Press was first reported in French on May 24, 2021.