We may have talked about all imaginable ways about this miserable season and, consequently, looking to the future, the very concept of the future remains rather vague for the Canadian.
Updated at 0:08
The idea we have of it is part of a relative continuity of the present. Obviously, we suspect that Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Alexander Romanov will take the reins of this formation… but it’s already been done a bit. With their 427 games played in total, season and playoffs included, they have a leg firmly established in the here and now.
Around them gravitate a large number of moving parts, of which it is not known whether they will still be attached to the ship in three months or in three years. Will Carey Price be Carey Price again? What does management have in store for Brendan Gallagher and his contract-ball? Will Rem Pitlick score the winning goal that will give CH its 25and Stanley Cup? If so, will it be in two years? In five years ? And so on.
There is also the future in what is most abstract. Jordan Harris’ college career has been over for less than a week. Will he save the defense of the Canadiens? What about Kaiden Guhle? Do the countless comparisons between Shea Weber and him hold water? And so on (bis).
That’s a lot of questions whose answer boils down to “maybe, maybe not”.
Finally arrives on the scene Justin Barron. In his third game in the NHL, his very first in a tricolor uniform, he was not the big star of his team, losing 3-2 to New Jersey after an interminable shootout session.
It would of course be rude to immediately sculpt a bronze bust of him in front of the Bell Centre. But he embodies, this season in any case, the first real piece of the future, the real one, that CH supporters can see at work.
Good impression
Those who daringly shunned the Oscars in favor of a good old Canadian-Devils duel were not disappointed. The 20-year-old defender left a “good first impression”, according to his coach.
“I think he managed his game very well, detailed Martin St-Louis. He used his partner well, he defended himself well. »
Barron himself recalled that it was not his real NHL baptism, a moment he rather experienced last December, when he was a member of the Colorado Avalanche. So he left behind the nervousness that accompanies such an experience.
Go for it. But the ease he showed on Sunday is impressive.
Paired with Joel Edmundson, he spent almost 18 minutes on the ice, more than Corey Schueneman and Chris Wideman. Defensively, he didn’t embarrass himself, which is certainly worthy of mention when you consider that the line he faced the most assiduously was that of Jack Hughes.
Offensively, we saw in him a freedom and creativity that no one else has on this team. At least five against five: Wideman finds its relevance in the power play, but it pretty much stops there. Several times, Barron used his flair to support the attack when the situation called for it. Especially halfway through the match when Rem Pitlick, after having circled the opposing territory, saw the young man rushing towards the enclave. It earned the new number 52 a AAA-quality scoring chance, which unfortunately ended in an off-target shot.
Surprise (or not): it is also him that St-Louis sent to start the extension with Suzuki and Caufield. He also obtained three presences at three against three, totaling 2 min 49 s
“I was just thrilled to be there with two such good players,” Barron humbly said after the game. It’s good that my coach trusted me. »
Acclimatization
Arrived in Montreal last Tuesday, the day after the trade that sent Artturi Lehkonen to the Avalanche, Barron could have played two more games if the coaching staff had wanted it. Instead, we preferred to give him time to acclimatize to his new environment and to the system – sorry, to the concepts – of the game. Before and during the match, Edmundson and the other defenders took him under their wing.
What he accomplished did not escape anyone. Goalkeeper Samuel Montembeault praised his “calm” with the puck, which he does not “get rid of” unnecessarily. On the contrary, “he takes the time to make a good game”.
“If he was there to start overtime, it’s because he deserved it,” added Rem Pitlick. Martin St-Louis confirmed it.
“At all levels where he played, he was an offensive guy,” said the coach. You put these guys in that kind of scenario, with lots of time and space, and they’re going to do things offensively. I wasn’t surprised he was doing well. »
Before everyone freaks out, it’s worth remembering that the sample is thin and, yes, Barron will make mistakes. Maybe in large numbers.
But he remains the first incarnation of a brighter future for the Canadiens. An unfinished product, but certainly more promising than a player who has not yet been drafted… or someone who hasn’t been seen playing except in a montage broadcast on YouTube.
Getting rid of Jeff Petry is a problem for the organization. Because the demand for the unfortunate character does not seem delusional, but above all because the succession was, until recently, non-existent on the right side.
Justin Barron may not be the new Jeff Petry. But he nevertheless gives the idea of a life after him.
In details
Bourde of Montembeault
The television cameras have already caught nasty words on the lips of Samuel Montembeault. This time, no incriminating evidence, but one can suspect that Quebec’s religious heritage took it for the cold at the end of the first period. Pressed by striker Yegor Sharangovich, the goalkeeper attempted an audacious backhand pass in the direction of Alexander Romanov, located on his left. It is rather on the blade of the stick of Jack Hughes that the puck fell. The American did not let himself be prayed for to score in the second. It was a shame for the Quebecer, who had so far kept his team alive by stopping the many salvos directed at him. Besides, he had a strong game, with 30 saves on 32 shots. “I made an old pass on it, it was not even close,” admitted the native of Bécancour. With the healthy return of Jake Allen, Montembeault has dropped a rank in the hierarchy of goalkeepers in the organization. So he wanted to look good against the Devils, especially since the next game will likely go to Allen. “It was my game, it was important that I play a good one,” he said.
Ylönen’s shot
In all reports about him, Jesse Ylönen is praised for the power of his shot. However, it is not a tool that Canadiens supporters often see in action. It should of course be noted that the Finn only played his ninth career game in the NHL on Sunday, and his eighth this season. His ice time is therefore limited. But with just 15 shots in 2021-22, and 8 hitting the target, one would expect more of the one described as an instant threat when he hits the mark. His only goal, scored on December 14 in Pittsburgh, also followed a cannonball. Freshly recalled from the American League, Ylönen showed what he was capable of on the Canadiens’ first goal: when a power play had just ended, he showed off a magnificent slapshot on reception that Josh Anderson swerved behind Nico Daws. Martin St-Louis, after the game, praised the “heavy” shot from the winger, to whom he would have “liked to give a little more ice”. If Ylönen is able to make it a habit, he should be busier.
Improved with the Devils
The New Jersey Devils will miss the playoffs for the ninth time in ten years. The problems are (still) numerous, especially in front of the net, and the team could well fish among the first three next July. But this long campaign will not have been only dark. The awakening of the formation’s key attackers is neither more nor less than spectacular. Jesper Bratt had never scored more than 35 points in a season. He should, unless injured, double (!) this total, he who scored his 65th point against CH. Jack Hughes is also having a thunderous campaign: 54 points, including 24 goals (2 Sunday evening), far ahead of his 31 points from last season. Nico Hischier is also heading for a personal high, as is defender Damon Severson. There are still a lot of pieces missing from the Devils puzzle, but offensively, it’s taking shape nicely.
They said
It was our third game in four nights, our second in two nights. I think we were flat in the first half, but the more the match progressed, the more we improved. We lost 2-0, we came back and that gave us the wind in our sails. It took us until the very end before we equalized, but we were able to do it, and we showed it.
Martin St Louis
It was great to play with Joel Edmundson. He helped me stay calm, it seems he has a ton of experience. I think I played better as the game progressed.
Justin Barron
I’ve watched a lot of highlights on YouTube in my life, and I’ve probably seen 500 million times the top 10 of the best feints in shootouts. I used this fake a few times, but if I drove into the post, it was because I thought I was going on my backhand!
Rem Pitlick
He dropped the puck, I didn’t expect that! I lowered my hands too quickly and the puck went over me. It was a nice gesture on his part, and he is a good player: if I make a mistake, he will make me pay for it.
Samuel Montembeault, on Jack Hughes’ goal in the penalty shootout
Rising
Laurent Dauphin
At the center of the fourth line, the Quebecer has again managed to generate the attack. He was even used on the power play. He no longer plays every game, but he seizes the opportunity again.
Falling
Josh Anderson
He of course scored a goal, his first in 10 games, but his laziness penalty cost his club a second-half goal. He wasn’t on the ice late in the game when the Canadiens were trying to tie the game.
The number of the game
3
Excluding the goal scored in an empty net, it was the third time in three games that the Canadiens scored in the last four minutes of the third period. It gave a winning goal on Saturday and an equalizing goal on Sunday.