Dominique Ducharme Can Return to Canadiens for Stanley Cup Final Game 3

The Montreal Canadiens will get head coach Dominique Ducharme back for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. 

Ducharme told ESPN's Emily Kaplan on Saturday his mandatory 14-day isolation period after testing positive for COVID-19 will end in time for him to return to the team for the July 2 game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

The NHL announced on June 18 that Ducharme, who had been partially vaccinated after receiving his second shot nine days earlier, tested positive for the virus. 

No other players or coaches for the Canadiens returned a positive test. 

Assistant Luke Richardson has been serving as head coach with Ducharme unavailable. The Canadiens clinched their first berth in the Stanley Cup Final since 1993 with a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals on June 24. 

Ducharme was named interim head coach by the Canadiens on Feb. 24 when Claude Julien was fired after a 9-5-4 start to the season. The 48-year-old went 15-16-7 during the regular season, but the team's 59 points overall were good enough to finish fourth in the North Division. 

Since falling behind 3-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, the Canadiens have won 11 of their last 13 playoff games. 

Montreal will play the defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning in the Final. Ducharme will miss Games 1 (June 28) and 2 (June 30) in Tampa before returning to the bench for Game 3 at the Bell Centre on July 2.