Connect with us

Canadiens Postgame

Canadiens Instant Recap: Prospects Lead The Offensive Charge

Published

5 months ago

on

By

montreal canadiens owen beck

The Montreal Canadiens were in Toronto on Saturday night, hoping to avenge their embarrassing loss to the Maple Leafs earlier in the week. Despite icing a lineup with much less established NHL talent than they did in the previous game, the Habs controlled the momentum, earning a 4-2 win in the process.

Let’s dive into the highlights!

Keanu Reeves

It remains to be seen where Zachary Bolduc will end up in the lineup once the regular season begins, but his style of play should give him the inside track on some of the competition. He plays with fantastic pace, exactly what head coach Martin St-Louis wants to see from his players.

Speaking of which, the 22-year-old showed flashes of speed as he registered an early assist in the first period. Full marks to Alex Carrier for the timely pinch, not to mention Alex Newhook for the always-important opening goal of the game.


Rookie Opportunities

If we’re being perfectly honest, even though teams suggest every player has the potential to earn a roster spot with a great showing at camp, it’s not true.

Players like Sean Farrell and Riley Kidney are unlikely to make the opening-night lineup, even if they manage to score two goals per game, but they can improve their standing on the prospect call-up priority list.

Both players took advantage of their powerplay usage on Saturday night to register their name on the scoresheet, while also giving the Canadiens a 2-0 lead midway through the second period.

Farrell wasn’t done there. He made his mark in the third period, taking advantage of an Alex Belzile rush and a loose puck to score his second goal of the game.

Happy Learned How To Putt, Uh Oh!

Lane Hutson will probably never score 30 goals in the NHL. His shots, for the most part, are designed to produce rebounds and second-chance scoring opportunities. That being said, he focused on improving his shot during the off season, and the early results seem to suggest his velocity has improved, as evidenced by his excellent shot on the powerplay that gave the Habs a 3-1 lead.

It’s testament to his dedication to the craft. All Hutson wants to do is improve his impact on a nightly basis, with the ultimate goal of helping his team win.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Additional Notes

  • It’s not a direct competition between Owen Beck and Oliver Kapanen, but I don’t quite understand why some believe Kapanen has the inside track when evaluating their NHL readiness and long-term value. Kapanen needs top six minutes to produce at this point in his career, as was the case last year in Sweden. Beck, on the other hand, can play up and down the lineup, has already shown he can produce in a professional setting in North America, and he’s found success at every stage of his career, regardless of the assignment. I may be wrong, it happens a lot, but I don’t see Kapanen as a legitimate NHL option, at least not yet. To put a fine point on my needlessly negative note, Beck happens to be younger, and he requires very little instruction, which is a coach’s dream.
  • Addendum: I probably don’t need to be so negative about a prospect’s NHL chances. I’m going to try to pass this one off as realistic, rather than negative. Hopefully it flies, but it will be a tough sell, since Kapanen had a fairly good game on Saturday.
  • I would like to retract my previous statement in regard to Hutson’s goal-scoring ability in the NHL. It’s still a long shot, but I don’t want to be the guy who is quoted by a million Habs fans while they deliriously celebrate Hutson’s 30th goal of the season some time in the 2031-32 season.
  • It’s always impressive to see a referee take a puck to the face, and quickly shake it off. I once cancelled a meeting downtown because my lips were chapped, and I couldn’t find my favourite lip balm. Burt’s Bees, all the way.
  • The Toronto Marlies beat the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, and the Laval Rocket took their revenge versus the Leafs on Saturday. God, I love hockey.
  • It’s worth noting that Farrell is waiver-eligible. The risk of a waiver claim is always oversold, but it would be a shame if the Rocket were to lose Farrell’s services this season.
  • At the beginning of the HNIC broadcast they mentioned Hutson gets hit a lot. I’m not expecting them to be experts in this case, but the only active Canadiens defenceman who absorbed fewer hits per 60 last season was Mike Matheson. In other words, no, Hutson does not get hit a lot. Statistically speaking, very few opponents manage to land hits when he has the puck.
  • Don’t be surprised if the Canadiens announce a rather long list of training-camp cuts in the near future. Update: The Canadiens have indeed made their most recent round of cuts. 34 players remain at camp.

The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Tuesday, for their penultimate game of the preseason. They will face the Senators in Quebec City, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.

All Habs statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.

Related Topics:

MHN in your inbox

Enter your email address and get all of our articles sent directly to your inbox