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In Hainsight: Last (and First) Chance Saloon |
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Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
Tonight, the Canadiens will be playing their last preseason game against the Ottawa Senators and for some, it will be one last opportunity to impress the Habs’ brass in the hope of making the roster. Meanwhile, Rafael Harvey-Pinard will be riding shotgun with Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki for the first time ever. The former seventh round pick hasn’t exactly had an impressive training camp, but considering what he accomplished last season, it’s only fair that he gets an audition with the top dogs.
There was no morning skate today as the Canadiens were making their way from Mont-Tremblant to Ottawa, but the team still revealed the line-up which will be used tonight:
Caufield-Suzuki-Rafael Harvey-Pinard
Newhook-Dach-Slafkovsky
Heineman-Monahan-Armia
Pezzetta-Evans-Ylonen
Matheson-Lindstrom
Norlinder-Barron
Xhekaj-Harris
Montembeault
Primeau
If everything goes according to plan, Samuel Montembeault should play the whole game, perhaps an indication that he’ll be the number one goaltender this season. As for Mike Matheson, it appears the ailment which had been keeping him on the sideline is now healed, definitely good news as the start of the season nears. Emil Heineman, Jesse Ylonen, Gustav Lindstrom, Mattias Norlinder and Justin Barron will be skating for their lives tonight as the final cut approaches. On the other hand, some veterans are getting a night off tonight, which perhaps explains what the formation looks like; Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher, Tanner Pearson, David Savard, Kaiden Guhle and Jonathan Kovacevic will all be getting the night off.
As for the Sens, they’ve elected to use their B club against the Habs for a second time in as many games against the Canadiens, no Stutzle, no Tkachuk, no Chabot, no Sanderson, no Tarasenko, no Giroux, not even a Matthrew Joseph who stole the show the last time the two teams met. There’s no doubt that those who have tickets for the tilt in Kanata will be disappointed.
Tomorrow, the Canadiens’ players will enjoy a day off while the powers that be will debate who should be part of the opening night line-up. If you’re near Laval tomorrow and you fancy a nice indoor activity, head to the Sports Hobby Expo where six Canadiens players will be signing autographs; Juraj Slafkovsky, Kirby Dach, Arber Xhekaj, Kaiden Guhle, Alex Newhook and Mike Pezzetta will all be there, that’s one way to spend a day off and to please the fans all at once. The entry fee is $10 per person and the price of the autograph varies per player and item you want to have signed. Still, if you’re a collector, that’s a great opportunity. Until then, enjoy this last preseason game and watch this space to know who makes the cut.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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