From the top of his 18 years, Owen Beck should certainly hope for better for his first game in the NHL. Obviously, he and his parents will remember this meeting. But they will most likely be the only ones.
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Leaving Port Hope to see their son play his first NHL game, Beck’s parents drove for nearly three hours… for not much.
Poisoned by Claude Giroux’s three-point night, the Canadiens lost 5-0 to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night at the Canadian Tire Centre. Martin St-Louis’ squad has, at the same time, suffered a third consecutive loss, a fourth in its last five games.
Back in net, after giving it up to Jake Allen for one game, Samuel Montebembeault faced 35 shots, yielding four times.
We will remember from this meeting that the Habs delivered a performance in two stages. After having the upper hand during the first twenty, they slowly died out.
“I liked a big part of our game,” said St-Louis. We had a good first half during which we missed a few chances. In the second, we received penalties. »
It was precisely during one of them, after being an accomplice to Alex DeBrincat’s goal, that Claude Giroux moved the ropes for the first time of the evening. He would do it again just 93 seconds later, giving a solid blow to the visitors’ flanks.
“They had favorable leaps. Their third goal, among other things, when the puck touched a skate, explained David Savard. That’s the kind of thing that hurt us. Especially since we hit a few posts. »
Satisfied with their lead, the Senators shut down play throughout the third period, allowing their rivals to fire just four shots on goal. And this, despite two numerical superiorities.
Beck’s Baptism
It was therefore said that the parents of Owen Beck had not had the opportunity to celebrate. It was during the meeting. As he left the locker room, the 18-year-old was warmly welcomed by around 20 friends and family members.
For his baptism in the Bettman circuit, Beck saw 9 mins 48 s of action, in the center of Christian Dvorak and Jesse Ylonen. According to his teammates, but especially his head coach, he left a good impression.
“He played extremely well. We noticed it, noted Savard. We saw of him the same thing that we had seen in the camp. He’s an extremely smart guy. »
What the staff of the Canadian had noticed in training camp, it is the qualities of Beck both in attack and defense. On Saturday, he showed it by getting in front of a Nikita Zaitsev shot, even though the Senators were leading 3-0 halfway through the third period.
“He’s a hockey player. He looked comfortable. I’m proud of him. He’s a young man with a bright future ahead of him,” said St-Louis.
After the game, Beck was returned to the Peterborough Petes, the team he plays for in the Ontario Junior League.
The Canadiens and the Senators will meet again on Tuesday. This time at the Bell Center. This will be the Habs’ last game before February 11.
What we noticed
Hard night at the office
For the eighth time in 10 games, Nick Suzuki was used for more than 22 minutes (22 mins 14 secs). He was on the playing surface for three of the Senators’ five goals. Moreover, he has only scored one goal in his last 19 games. In the last few days, he missed two practices. Is he causing an injury? Perhaps Martin St-Louis should spare him a little by subtracting him, at the very least, from the penalty kill?
Hoffman shots
He avoided heavy traffic all evening. However, the work of Kirby Dach and Evgeni Dadonov allowed him to take four shots on goal, three of them only in the first period. In addition, he hit a post in the last minutes of the match, during a numerical superiority. Moreover, this trio had its share of scoring opportunities.
A second effort from Dvorak
The Canadian’s massive attack missed the mark on three occasions, but Christian Dvorak can’t be blamed for not trying. Three times during the penalty to Mathieu Joseph, he found himself in the slot with the puck nearby. But even on his stomach on the ice, going there with a second and a third effort, he was not able to push the disc behind Anton Forsberg.
Still energy
The efforts of the fourth line of the Canadian did not transpose on the score sheet as was the case Thursday against the Red Wings. However, the three members of this unit once again brought a dose of energy to the team. Michael Pezzetta ended the night with seven hits. Again, Alex Belzile saw one of his shots hit the post.
More
Kirby Dash
Even though he was surrounded by Mike Hoffman and Evgenii Dadonov, who aren’t the most valiant wingers, he found a way to be threatening on a few occasions. He was the most used attacker by Martin St-Louis (21 mins 34 s) after Nick Suzuki.
Less
Arber Xhekaj
He finished the night at -4, the team’s worst differential. On the first goal, he fell on the Senators’ blue line, which gave them a 2-on-1 attack. On the third, Claude Giroux’s pass touched his skate to end its run behind Samuel Montembeault.
what they said
“I felt ready”
-Owen Beck
Owen Beck has arguably had the craziest 24 hours of his life. He was about to hit the ice for a Peterborough Petes practice when his general manager informed him of his recall. The next day, it was instead on an NHL rink that he set off, mane in the wind, alone for his lap of honor.
“I had a lot of good times. My solo tour of the rink during the warm-up, my first appearance on the rink and this first game in front of a bunch of people who had come to see me. It was a great experience. »
-Owen Beck
In just under 10 minutes of play, Beck hadn’t gotten a shot on net and was called to take only two face-offs. Nevertheless, he never seemed overwhelmed by events. Reliable in his territory, he even allowed himself a few climbs towards the opposing zone.
“It’s the NHL, so it was definitely fast. On the other hand, I felt comfortable. I felt ready. I didn’t panic with the puck. The experience I gained during the preseason games helped me make the pace of the game feel a bit slower. »
-Owen Beck
Despite the five-goal gap, Martin St-Louis assured that he liked the outfit of his players for most of the game. According to him, it was the third period that was a little more lacking.
“In the third, we had trouble hitting the net. I wish we had more pitches. They blocked shots and we missed the net. We had a numerical superiority, we were not able to enter their zone. The intentions were good, but we lacked execution. »
Claude Giroux actively participated in this third straight win for the Senators. He extended his streak to four games with at least one point. During this streak, he collected eight (4 goals, 4 assists).
“It’s not pleasant to see where we are currently in the standings. We know we can play even better. But at least we are building something. We play with more confidence. »
-Claude Giroux