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In Hainsight: It Was 3-1…and my Lines Prediction |
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Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
After being beaten twice in three days by the Leafs’ B and C team, the Canadiens were facing the real Toronto outfit last night and it was a thrilling game to watch. Matthews, Marner, Tavares, Nylander and Rielly were all dressed along with rookie wonder Matthew Knies and free agent signings Max Domi and Ryan Reaves. As for the Habs, most of the regulars were playing aside from Alex Newhook and Joel Armia who are both nursing upper body injuries…does a bruised ego qualify as an upper-body injury? Asking for a friend…
The Habs came out strong and dominated the first seven minutes or so, even scoring a power play goal early on thanks to Norlinder who is quietly inserting himself in the conversation, thanks to his solid play and other contenders having a rotten camp. Montreal was bursting with momentum when Jake Allen allowed an awful goal which any NHL goalie should have been able to stop. Admittedly, Arber Xhekaj should have closed down his guy on the play, but still, the puck shouldn’t have gotten in.
From then on, the Leafs took charge scoring a power play goal, thanks to their always dangerous man-advantage and added another goal in the later part of the second frame curtesy of former Hab Max Domi, making it 3-1. I don’t know what it is about that scoreline, but it almost looks like a curse for the Leafs going back to the bubble playoffs series. With 12 seconds to go in the second period, Sean Monahan won an important faceoff in the offensive zone and the Habs controlled the puck to get back within one through Kirby Dach with assists going to Monahan and Kovacevic, who both had a great night at the office.
Midway through the third, the Leafs’ captain John Tavares scored his second of the game, giving Toronto its two-goal lead back. Two minutes later, Kovacevic scored his first of the preseason while Dach was crowding the goaltender. Fast forward to 19:19 and with the goalie pulled, Josh Anderson tied the score to four all with his third goal of the preseason. Montreal completed the comeback win 30 seconds into overtime when Nick Suzuki tapped in a rebound after Cole Caufield rung a shot on the crossbar.
We hear it all the time, results do not matter in the preseason, but last night’s game didn’t have a preseason feel to it, both teams were really trying and with their best elements dressed, they really gave us a show. Aside from the combativity showed collectively by the Habs which was the main takeaway from this game, Kirby Dach was on top form, Nick Suzuki, even though he wasn’t all that visible, ended his night with a goal and a pair of assists while Monahan got a brace of helpers. Kovacevic and Norlinder stood out for all the right reasons and while it wasn’t Mailloux’s greatest night, he at least managed to block four shots.
We’ve now seen five of the Canadiens’ six preseason games and if it was up to me, here are the lines we’d see on opening night:
Caufield-Suzuki-Monahan: Monahan has got the hockey smarts to skate along the Canadiens’ two best players, furthermore, since he’s likely not part of the long-term plan, it’s better to use him on the wing and allow Dach and Newhook, who will likely be there for a long time, to play at center.
Harvey-Pinard-Dach-Slafkovski: There is no doubt in my mind that Dach has got all the tools necessary to become a very good center, and allowing Slafkovsky to ride shotgun with him and get top-six minutes could very well be just what the doctor ordered. If it works out, it will do wonders for the young Slovak’s confidence. As for Harvey-Pinard, St-Louis described him as an army Swiss knife that can play anywhere in the line-up, considering how well he did last season and the fact that he probably still hasn’t reached his ceiling, it’s a good idea to give him more ice-time.
Pearson-Newhook-Anderson: If the long-term plan is to have Newhook as a center, might as well start him there right now. A third line role will give him time to get used to the team’s system or concepts and there already seems to be some chemistry between Josh Anderson and him. I’d put Tanner Pearson on the left-flank because he’s experienced and safe at both ends of the ice.
Ylonen-Evans-Gallagher: It’s hard to put Gallagher and his $6.5 M cap hit on the fourth line, but given how he played during this training camp, this is the spot he deserves for now, especially since he’s got no particular chemistry with the top three center. Whether Gallagher fans want to admit it or not, Gally struggled in his first preseason game and yesterday, he was a complete non-factor. No points, no shots and a single hit, nothing to write home about. As for Evans, if Newhook pans out, the fourth line is where he’ll be until he’s perhaps unseated by Owen Beck in a couple of years. I’d complete the line with Ylonen or Pezzetta, depending on what the opponent calls for. I’d keep Ylonen up because he has to go through waivers and Heineman doesn’t, which is why I’d send him to Laval, but he’d be one of the first call-ups if there are injuries.
What do I do with Joel Armia? I waive him and if he goes unclaimed, which he will, I’d send him to Laval. I’ve seen no effort from him this preseason and he’s been a passenger for long enough, if you can’t drive the car, ride the metro to Laval, no matter how much money you make.
Tomorrow, I’ll be looking at the defensemen and goaltenders’ situation, especially since there is no on-ice training today and no media availability. Tomorrow, the team will train in Brossard from 9:00 am and head to Tremblant around 11:00 am after the media availability. When asked if there could be further cuts before then, Martin St-Louis replied that he didn’t know…and we wouldn’t have it any other way, never a dull day in Habs’ land.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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