The Habs will likely have a pair of new faces in their lineup tomorrow in
Ottawa as both Ryan White and Andreas Engqvist have recently been called up,
while Mike Cammalleri and Jeff Halpern are both confirmed as out for that
contest. So, what do the new guys bring to the table?
Most of us are familiar with White after his stint with Montreal last season
and having nearly cracked the lineup out of training camp. He can hit and
play defence, plus is versatile enough to play on the wing and at centre.
Unfortunately, his offensive game has not progressed this year. After
scoring 17 goals in just 62 games with the Bulldogs last season, he has only
popped home 2 in 28 contests this year despite spending significant time on a
scoring line. However, this shouldn’t be too alarming to fans in terms of
what he can provide now, as it is the positive aspects mentioned earlier that
earned him this call up. Just don’t expect to be seeing him on a scoring
line while he’s with the Habs.
As for Engqvist, he was a mystery to many when his name was announced as the
callup late Wednesday afternoon. Like White, his strength is his defensive
ability, though despite his 6’4 frame, he is not particularly physical. He
has been Hamilton’s go-to player for key faceoffs, both 5-on-5 and on the
penalty kill. Having played in last year’s World Championships (1-3-4 in 9
games), he has some experience playing on a bigger stage, so there shouldn’t be
too many 1st game jitters for the 22 year old Swede.
Of course, provided that Max Pacioretty can’t go tomorrow (he skated with the
team Thursday, made the trip to Ottawa, and is listed as questionable), the Habs
will have brought up 2 defensive replacements for a pair of top-6 (offensive)
forwards. As sad as it is to say, this may be one of those times where all
of the frequent line changes and defensive players playing on scoring lines may
come in handy. Thursday’s practice lines were as follows:
Pacioretty – Gomez – Gionta
Eller – Plekanec – Kostitsyn
Darche – Desharnais – Pouliot
Pyatt – Engqvist – Moen
If Pacioretty can’t go, there’s a really good chance that one of Pyatt or
Moen may once again find their way onto Gomez’s wing, assuming that the Habs
will want to have Engqvist and White play together on a defensive 4th line,
while keeping the 2nd and 3rd lines together as constructed. Either way,
there will be much more of a defensive feel to this roster over the next little
while.