The first of six preseason games was Monday night at the Bell Centre as the Habs kicked off game action by welcoming the Philadelphia Flyers. It was a very interesting roster of players that had plenty of things for the fans to sink their teeth in as Kirby Dach, Patrik Laine, and Lane Hutson were all in action. Those three were also the Habs’ best on the night as they were key components to the Habs securing a fun 5-0 win in the opener. If this is the style the Habs intend on playing this season, it will be a very fun season to watch.
Montreal’s lineup
Patrik Laine — Kirby Dach — Alex Newhook
Joshua Roy – Christian Dvorak — Josh Anderson
Alex Barre-Boulet – Oliver Kapanen – Emil Heineman
Jared Davidson — Lucas Condotta — Luke Tuch
Lane Hutson — David Savard
Arber Xhekaj — Justin Barron
Adam Engstrom — Logan Mailloux
Cayden Primeau Jakub Dobes
10 Thoughts
1) The start of the game saw the Habs take multiple penalties. The first was a retaliatory minor after Engstrom got rocked during his first shift. Condotta dropped the gloves and ended up with an extra two. The second penalty was Hutson who was caught flat-footed after being left on an island by a terrible pass by Anderson in the offensive zone. The Canadiens escaped the penalties thanks to strong play by Mailloux, Kapanen, and Primeau.
2) After killing two penalties, the Dach line took over and they were followed by an excellent shift by Kapanen and Heineman that led to two penalties as the Habs got a full 5-on-3 power play. They didn’t score, but they looked incredibly dangerous, likely not getting the goal because Dach and Hutson were guilty of looking for Laine a bit too much.
3) As the penalty expired, the Habs missed a pass back to the point that created a 2-on-0 that forced Primeau to make the best save of the night for the Habs. This was minutes before Davidson got caught in the offensive zone with a high stick that sent Montreal back to the penalty kill, this time for four minutes to end the period.
4) The Habs got a break in the final minutes of the period as Primeau committed an error and had a puck find its way behind him and the goal line from an awkward angle. However, the officials called Anthony Richard for goaltender interference judging that the forward pushed Primeau and the puck into the net. It was the wrong call, but the Habs will definitely take it.
5) The Flyers dominated the start of the second period as the Canadiens appeared lost in their own zone forcing Primeau to be strong in keeping the game scoreless. He got some help as Tyson Foerster hit the post when Primeau was beaten. The Dach line was the only bright spot as Newhook sent Dach and Laine on a 2-on-1 where Dach opted to shoot and hit the post.
6) Montreal finally opened the scoring as a strong forecheck by Davidson created a turnover which resulted in a partial break for Tuch who ripped home a shot to open the scoring. The rest of the second period was low-event as neither of the two goaltenders (Jakub Dobes and Cal Petersen) who entered the game at the midway point of the period saw much action. On a power play to end the period, Newhook completed a brilliant saucer pass to Laine that saw Petersen come across and rob the newest Canadiens sniper as the period ended.
7) The third period belonged to the Habs. Three minutes into the period, a Hutson pass took a strange bounce and found itself on Savard’s stick who had space to put home a strong shot and extend the lead.
8) A minute later, it was another strong play by Kapanen down low opened the slot where Barre-Boulet used his body to cut off a defender thus creating a mini 2-on-1. He used this to slide the puck to Heineman who fired home his chance to make it 3-0. Another two minutes later, it was a strong defensive play by Anderson that sent his linemates off to the races. Roy showed great presence of mind and patience before sliding it back to a streaking Anderson who buried his scoring chance.
9) With two minutes to play, the Canadiens made it 5-0 when Kapanen created space for Heineman who returned the favour to Barre-Boulet. The latter buried his shot from the slot as the Habs had two jerseys in the low slot, attacking the dangerous areas on the ice leads to results as this line clearly showed on this night.
10) The best player not mentioned anywhere else in this write-up was without a doubt Logan Mailloux. He used his frame to protect the puck, made smart passes and strong defensive plays all night long. He was a key presence on the many penalty killing presences earlier in the game. Where Hutson was all flash all night long, Mailloux showed a quiet poise and an ability to be physical without getting in trouble that should have this fan base really excited about what he can bring to this team.
HabsWorld Habs 3 Stars
1st Star – Lane Hutson
Hutson was uneven in the first period as he underestimated the speed of the game on a few occasions. As he got comfortable with the speed of the game, his hockey IQ and crazy skills were on display as he absolutely raised the crowd from their seats on multiple occasions with his play and passes. One critique I do have is that he’ll have to be willing to shoot a bit more if he wants a spot on the top power play, but I’m assuming this will come as he gets comfortable with his new role. What a player this kid has the potential to be. WOW.
Stats: 1 assist, +2, 2 PIMS, 2 shots, 3 takeaways, 20:59 TOI
2nd Star – Oliver Kapanen
Kapanen may never be a top-line star in the league, but with efforts like he had on this night, he’ll surely be a fan favourite in Montreal as a bottom-six role player. The sample size is crazy small, but his effort on this night looked like a player ready to make an impact at the NHL level. One thing is for sure, every fan of the team will be paying attention to his next match in this preseason.
Stats: 2 assists, +2, 2 shots, 2 takeaways, 8/14 faceoffs, 13:38 TOI
3rd Star – Patrik Laine
This could have really been any one of the three members of this line with Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook. In fact, I think Newhook was likely the best of the three. However, I chose Laine because if he and Dach were supposed to be rusted after seasons with fewer games, it seems like members of the fan base who were worried about Laine’s play can settle into the idea of a player of this calibre on the roster. It is entirely possible that Laine takes nights off, but when he’s on, he’s a game-breaker in a talent-realm not seen in Montreal since Alex Kovalev. When Laine got a solid ovation on his first puck touch of the game, it was clear that it energized him, and he was excellent from then on. Get excited Habs fans.
Stats: 5 shots, 2 takeaways, 16:48 TOI