While Martin St-Louis is going all out to play as many of his veterans as possible this pre-season, the visiting sides have done nothing but that. The Philadelphia Flyers that showed up on Monday night were mostly destined for the AHL, and the same can be said about the New Jersey Devils tonight.
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The NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement provides the framework for the pre-season games, and section 15.4 (c) states that each team must dress at least eight veterans for such a game. The definition of veteran for that particular purpose is special, to say the least. Each of the veterans must meet at least one of the four following criteria:
– a forward or a defenseman who has played in 30 NHL games in the previous season;
– a goaltender who either dressed in 50 or more NHL games or for 30 games in the previous season;
– a first round draft choice from the most recent year’s Entry Draft (sounds like a contradiction to me); or
– any player who has played one hundred (100) or more career NHL games.
It’s a very loose definition, but it explains the lineups visiting teams have given Habs fans so far.
No matter how teams match up on paper, though, games are won on the ice, and neither side did anything to skate away with the win in the first frame. After 20 minutes, both sides put eight shots on the net and visited the penalty box without harm. Owen Beck had the best scoring chances with shots from in close alone in the slot, but Jake Allen stood tall. Nick Suzuki also knocked on the door during the power play, but the Devils’ goaltender made an acrobatic save to frustrate his former captain.
Related: Pregame: Montreal Canadiens vs. New Jersey Devils
The most noticeable player in the first frame was Filip Mesar, but not for the right reasons; he coughed up the puck at the end of a power play to cause a 2-on-1, got called for slashing, and dumped the puck in without conviction instead of skating it in and making a play with it. He just didn’t seem to be very confident. He managed to get five shots on goal by the end of the game, but another three attempts did not make it. The coach said in his post-game availability that he felt Mesar had progressed well compared to last year’s camp.
Meanwhile, St. Louis unsurprisingly deployed his first line on the power play, with Mike Matheson as the sole blueliner and Joel Armia completing the quartet. Not much was created, but the fact that Caufield wasn’t in his usual spot was intriguing, to say the least. Should we expect Laine to join the first man-advantage unit come season start? It would certainly explain the change in deployment.
The second session wasn’t much more convincing, aside from the fact that Michael Pezzetta could break the deadlock on a one-timer with assists from Xavier Simoneau and William Trudeau at even strength.
Kurtis MacDermid then tried to wake his side up but only managed to get himself sent to the box for a double minor as the Canadiens stayed disciplined. Montreal was unable to increase its lead, though, and while there was a lot of good passing, they still lacked a finishing touch.
Slafkovsky and Caufield both got good opportunities in that frame but couldn’t bury them. If a goal were good for Josh Anderson’s confidence yesterday, the same would likely be true for the diminutive sniper who had his own struggles early on last season. Practice makes perfect, however, and perhaps the winger should pepper more shots on the net as he did earlier on in his career.
St. Louis proudly says Caufield is now a hockey player, a more complete player. However, there’s a balance to strike between playing a complete game and denaturing a skater; it’s a fine line, really.
Samuel Montembeault came off the ice at 8:15 and left in the second stanza, having stopped all 11 shots he had faced by then, looking very much in control, just like Cayden Primeau had the night before. Connor Hughes then took over and finished the job, shutting the door on the Devils as well.
Montreal scored two more goals in the third, one when Suzuki deflected a William Trudeau point shot and the other, Pezzetta’s second of the night, in an empty net. Two goals in one night for the rugged winger is impressive since he had all three in 61 games last season. It was a 3-0 win against a team that shouldn’t have caused the Habs that much trouble.
The power play ended its night with no goals in eight opportunities, and by the end of the night, Caufield was back in his usual spot on the man advantage.
After Oliver Kapanen shone last night, the best young forward tonight was, without a doubt, Owen Beck. Beck repeatedly managed to get in the right space to take good shots on net and got an assist on Pezzetta’s second of the night. The coach summed it up by saying the youngster plays a good 200-foot game.
Related: Canadiens vs. Flyers: Unlikely Heroes Lead Montreal to Victory
As for David Reinbacher, the bench boss said it was important he didn’t compare himself to other first-round picks. His exact words were, “Comparison is a thief of joy.” It seems obvious that some more patience will be needed before the former fifth-overall pick is ready for the NHL, but there’s no rush. There are plenty of blueliners in town as it is.
William Trudeau had a good outing on the blue line, picking up two assists and shining thanks to his mobility, but I don’t think it will be enough to make him climb up the ladder.
The Canadiens have a day off tomorrow, and there won’t be a medical update on Kaiden Guhle until Thursday. There will also be no cuts for at least a couple of days. Montreal’s next tilt will take place in Toronto on Thursday night.
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