LEWISTON — The lineup juggling continues as the Lewiston Maineiacs prepare for the playoffs with a pair of road games on the final weekend of the regular season.

Given recent injuries, returns from injuries and an ill-timed suspension, the Maineiacs will skate this weekend into Baie-Comeau and Chicoutimi with a lineup tweaked again since the team’s last game, an 8-5 loss to Gatineau on Sunday.

“All throughout the year, we’ve been dealing with injuries and guys missing,” Maineiacs’ coach J.F. Houle said. “It was tough to keep the same lines. Some guys, I thought were going to have a better year, others have done better than we thought. There’s all kinds of things that have factored in. But everybody has played with everybody, so they can’t say they’re not familiar. And our systems are pretty easy, and our players know our system by now. The chemistry shouldn’t be a problem.”

The Maineiacs cannot finish higher than seventh overall, but also cannot finish lower than eighth. The team’s opponent will be determined this weekend as Victoriaville and Moncton are in play, with each of those teams also having two games remaining.

Lewiston’s opponents this weekend are both lower in the standings, but both present a different kind of challenge. Baie-Comeau, officially eliminated from the playoffs, is playing out the string.

“It is a tougher game,” Houle said. “Mentally, for our players and their players, nothing is on the line, really. It’s just weird. It’s one of those games, you have to watch your back and you still want to play hard.”

Chicoutimi, meanwhile, is still locked in a battle for seeding and playoff positioning, and the Sags are looking for every possible point.

“Their points are going to be pretty big points, so we expect them to come out ready to play,” Houle said.

The biggest thing with which the Maineiacs are concerned now, though, is their own play, particularly in the defensive end and between the pipes.

“I think that’s a little bit of everything,” Houle said. “Our defensive zone hasn’t been very sharp. Not having Finn, who’s a plus-42, in the lineup is a big piece, and our goalies haven’t been making the key saves. I’m not going to hide it. One of them needs to step up here and take charge and play a lot better.”

Houle said he may give each goalie a game this weekend, almost as an audition for playoff time.

“I might just tell them right out that they need to step up and play well if they want to play in the playoffs,” Houle said.

Either way, he said, winning this weekend, ultimately, is the biggest goal.

“Winning both games this weekend would be nice, it would be good to carry that momentum into the playoffs,” Houle said.