(Montreal) It happened during a commercial break, so viewers were deprived of this moment. The Canadian presented a montage of the finest moments of Paul Byron’s career, in tribute to the young retiree. All followed by a warm ovation from the crowd.
The montage obviously included the famous goal that Byron scored on his knees, in match no 1 of the Canadian’s first round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2021. Certainly the most striking goal of his career, achieved shorthanded, his specialty.
Sean Monahan of course looked up. The veteran was an 18-year-old rookie when he joined the Flames in 2013, and he was then working alongside a 24-year-old Byron, who was trying to establish himself in the National League.
“He was a good player, a good person and he’s a good friend,” Monahan said. I was young when I played with him and I admired him. It’s a special evening for him. He’s had a long career, ups and downs, and he’s faced a lot of adversity. It was a nice mark of recognition. »
We move forward 10 years, and here we are with the 2023-2024 Canadian, who reconnected with his fans by winning 3-2 over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday at the Bell Center. Knowing the weakness of the opponent on paper, it is important to maintain a certain reserve on the conclusions to be drawn from this first victory of the year for the Habs.
But the more we watch Rafael Harvey-Pinard go, the more this impression emerges that the CH has a Byron in the making, the healthy Byron from 2015 to 2018, the one who was capable of occupying almost all the roles, as long as It didn’t require putting on a bib and big leg warmers, while scoring twenty goals a year.
Monahan hasn’t been the most vocal on the subject. “They have things in common, that’s for sure. They are two good players, the type of player who helps you win matches,” he limited himself to saying.
Harvey-Pinard recognized himself in the former number 41 of the CH, because he occupies the same chair.
He had the role I have now with the team: not necessarily in the first two lines, but plugging holes, playing shorthanded, creating turnovers, being good on the forecheck. The way he built his career, he’s a good example for me.
Rafael Harvey-Pinard, on the subject of Paul Byron
His impact on the penalty kill was particularly notable in the match. He had two shots, two scoring chances: a two-on-one with Jake Evans, and a breakaway. And it was four against five that he got on the scoresheet, pushing a puck towards the neutral zone to launch Monahan on a breakaway.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Sean Monahan and Brendan Gallagher celebrate Tanner Pearson’s goal.
“He reads the game well, he blocks passes, he sacrifices himself to block shots,” Monahan said of Harvey-Pinard. When you’re smart and you have a good stick, you’re tough to play against. »
In the midst of reconstruction, the CH can choose from the many projects to tackle. In a recent interview with Eric Engels of Sportsnet, Martin St-Louis indicated that the coaches consciously decided to focus on five-on-five play. For what ? “Because we weren’t ready to win,” he revealed, explaining at the same time why the numerical advantage was not a priority either.
But the day will come when these phases of the game will become important again, especially if this team wishes to play matches which still have a stake in the standings late in the season. That day, he will need better performances on the penalty kill, where Montreal comes in at 31e rank (out of 32) for two years.
When that day comes, the presence of a Harvey-Pinard in the squad will become even more beneficial.
Blocked shots
Speaking of the penalty kill, the Canadian was perfect in seven chances against Chicago on Saturday. Of course, a five-man offense that has Ryan Donato on its first unit isn’t exactly devastating.
Nevertheless, CH held on, particularly at the end of the match, when Mike Matheson and Nick Suzuki blocked shots in quick succession, while Monahan was in the penalty box. Their grimaces of pain seemed very sincere, seen from seven stories high.
It’s my fault we found ourselves in this situation. The team got up, Matt and Suzy [Matheson et Suzuki] sacrificed themselves. We had several penalties, but the team stood up.
Sean Monahan
That said, we risk here a prediction, which has not been submitted to peer review: if the Canadian offers seven numerical advantages to his rivals, he will lose more matches than he will win.
In the meantime, the most optimistic will see opportunities for the quartets to rehearse. But Martin St-Louis doesn’t ask for that much. “We made adjustments in the way we administer penalties,” said the head coach. You definitely want to practice, but it would be fine if we only did it in training! »
On the rise: Samuel Montembeault
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Sam Montembeault during the game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.
He and Jake Allen struggled in camp. Allen didn’t offer anything very reassuring Wednesday in Toronto. Montembeault was much more convincing.
Down: Arber Xhekaj
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Arber Xhekaj hits Corey Perry during the game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.
He is doing well offensively, but his defensive game remains imperfect. He was also lucky not to put his team in trouble during his dispute with Corey Perry.
The match figure: 26.5%
Connor Bedard is already standing out with his puck possession plays. Imagine when he wins more than 26.5% of his faceoffs – that’s his record after three games.
In details
And then, this Bedard?
The Montreal public gave Connor Bedard the treatment accorded to big stars. From the first time he touched the puck, boos echoed from all four corners of the Bell Centre. And it continued on each of his next possessions. ” I loved it ! said the young man at the end of the evening. Everything is more fun when the crowd is involved. » Overall, number 98 had a decent match, nothing more. “He had the puck all night,” remarked Corey Perry. Bedard has indeed stood out offensively – as evidenced by his 12 shot attempts – but the connection with his teammates is definitely not on point. It was especially obvious on the power play: more than once, his partners seemed disoriented when they saw him roaming the opposing zone in possession of the disc. Head coach Luke Richardson saw the same thing. “He still needs to assimilate our team concepts, and his teammates need to learn to work with him. It has special qualities, so we have to find the best way to use them. » Bedard was the most used attacker of the two teams (22 min 40 s) and picked up an assist at the very end of the match.
Dach falls in battle
” Not yet !?! “, undoubtedly shouted tens of thousands of Habs supporters at the start of the second period when the team announced that Kirby Dach, injured in the “lower body”, would not return to the game. In the first period, the center player was hard tackled by Jarred Tinordi, to the point of falling onto the Hawks bench. He spent a few minutes on the CH bench, with a member of the club’s medical staff near him to whom he seemed to be pointing at his knee. He then attempted to skate during a commercial break, but quickly limped back to the locker room. Dach missed 24 games last year due to injuries, and at only 22 years old, he already has a serious history in this area. To date, he has never played more than 85% of his team’s games in a full season. His case will be re-evaluated on Sunday, and we should know on Monday if he will be absent for a longer period.
Cozy ceremony
The organizing committees of the Olympic Games and the Super Bowl can rest easy: no one from the Canadian stole their ideas for the local launch of the 2023-2024 season. The pre-match presentation was indeed rather ordinary. A dynamic video showing off last season’s exploits was quite successful, but the player introductions were the antithesis of pacing. The players entered into four groups – the goalkeepers, the defenders, the attackers then the captain and his deputies. For long beats, everyone seemed to be wondering what to do in the middle of the ice. Arber Xhekaj and Cole Caufield received the loudest applause, but it was head coach Martin St-Louis who was cheered the loudest. During the match, newly retired Paul Byron and perennially injured Carey Price also received warm greetings.
Simon-Olivier Lorange, The Press