Canadian 2 – Senators 3 (P) | A success and several questions

(Bouctouche) “Keep both feet on the ground and aim for the stars. »

These are not the last words of motivation from Martin St-Louis or one of those famous “life coaches”. Rather, they are those of the late Casey Kasem, the sweet-voiced radio host who concluded every show ofAmerican Top 40 with this sentence.

It is doubted that Kaiden Guhle, given his age, was a follower of Kasem. But he applies his advice very well, and it was seen at the end of the 3-2 overtime loss of the Canadian, Saturday, against the Senators.

Let’s start with both feet on the ground. Guhle, as we know, displays a single emotion in front of the cameras. Not that the guy is mean or unpleasant, but he approaches his job with the seriousness of a heart surgeon who has five minutes to save the patient.

Even Saturday morning, when he arrived at the JK Irving Center, he was signing autographs with his characteristic seriousness. Focused eyes, polite smile, but not necessarily the ease of a Brendan Gallagher, who distributed the “tope-la” to children. We can understand the young man not wanting to show off even before having played a game in the National League.

In short, after the match, Guhle dropped the guard for a rare time, the time for an answer. “I would be lying if I said that I don’t have a little nervousness, anxiety, he admitted, about the next two days.

“But whatever the decision, I will respect it. »

The stars now. The Canadian will cut its last players Monday morning and if there is one who has nothing to be nervous about, it is Guhle.

In a side where inexperience has been a fashionable theme, the number 21 has played like an established player. Forget his three goals; Saturday’s was the result of the generosity of goalkeeper Magnus Hellberg. And anyway, “I think more about my overall game than my goals,” he says.

Every year, in the camps, recruits fly over the first week and make the fans dream. It is in the second week that we usually see which ones can really aspire to a full-time role. And Guhle responded to all the challenges placed before him. That of Saturday: play on the right, on its opposite side.

“He improved from game to game, he had a bigger presence from game to game”, judged St-Louis, before adding a very factual sentence, if we take it literally, but which is meaningful when it comes from a coach. “He’s a hockey player. »

Guhle, he refuses to let himself be reached by the supporters and analysts who already see him in the second duo of the Habs. “I think above all about the team and improving myself. I block out noise from outside,” he says.

The questions

The catch is that on a team that finished training camp winless in eight games (0-6-2), success stories like his are few and far between. Gallagher is one; the quality of his skating and passing is astonishing for a player who seemed to be in decline six months ago. Cole Caufield, meanwhile, looks set to pick up where he left off last spring with his devastating shot.

For the rest, questions persist. However, the many injuries on the team means that some players could start the season in Montreal, even if, under normal circumstances, they would be better served by spending time in Laval.

In defense, the arrival of Johnathan Kovacevic should at least prevent Kent Hughes from artificially keeping Justin Barron in the NHL. Jordan Harris and Aerber Xhekaj meanwhile had some great times in camp. But in a more mature and healthier team, they would have the luxury of honing their craft in the American League.

Up front, it’s not so much the individual cases that leave one dubious, but rather the work as a whole. The CH scored 18 goals in 8 preparatory games, and only 11 at even strength. Kirby Dach has had several interesting streaks and his potential is enormous; but we do not know what it will give in concrete results. Jonathan Drouin was erased during the preseason games. Saturday morning, St-Louis said he hoped to see him play with a better tempo. Will he find it in time for Wednesday?

In goal, the fight for the auxiliary position to Jake Allen was not very raised. What will be the chances of victory of the Canadian when Allen is on leave?

And most importantly, with Nick Suzuki playing only one game, with Michael Matheson only playing three games and still on the sidelines, what is the real value of this team when it’s healthy?

“I would have liked to have everyone the last two games, but you focus on what you can control,” simply dropped St-Louis.

Let’s hope he gets the answer soon enough in the season.

Up: Sean Monahan

He fed Cole Caufield well all night, in addition to winning the face-off that led to the Habs’ second goal.

Down: Justin Barron

The arrival of Johnathan Kovacevic via waivers could have whipped him. Instead, he had another tough night, punctuated by inaccurate passing and poor puck decisions. It smells like the start of the season in Laval.

Match number: 4

With another goal on Saturday, Cole Caufield ends the preseason schedule with four goals in five games. His four goals were scored on the power play.

In details

The little things, waiting for the rest

Juraj Slafkovsky is one of five Canadian players to have played six of eight preseason games, a team high. He is, however, the only one of the five not to have scored. On the other hand, he continued to make his share of important plays, for example when he set the tone of the match by sending Rem Pitlick practically alone in the opposing zone, thanks to a pass of surgical precision. “He played two good games, he is involved and he is more comfortable with the speed of the game,” analyzed Martin St-Louis. Interesting detail: he was not systematically part of the power play units in the last two games. On Saturday, for example, he alternated with Evgenii Dadonov, because the latter is also employed on the penalty kill, and he had to “manage the ice time”, according to St-Louis. In other words, if he stays in Montreal, he will not necessarily be entitled to all the privileges that the young leaders often receive.

Call for help

Does Sammy Pahlsson still play hockey? We play around here, because the brave warrior of the 2007 Ducks has been retired for seven years. Except that Pahlsson is the forward with the longest average playing time per game shorthanded in NHL history. However, after the match, St-Louis somewhat tapped his foot. “We have a lot more attackers who play on the power play than guys who play on the disadvantage. We’re going to have to find guys who can handle penalties, because not everyone will be able to play on the power play. St-Louis is not wrong, but we must also take into account the absences of Christian Dvorak, Joel Armia and Nick Suzuki. In the meantime, it allowed Rafaël Harvey-Pinard to assert himself at 4 against 5. The small forward notably deprived the Senators of a certain goal in the second period, intercepting a dangerous pass in the enclave. However, several of the aforementioned injuries would have to be absent in the longer term for him to start the season in Montreal.

Did Brassard convince the Senators?

At 35, Derick Brassard still clings to the possibility of pursuing his career. Nothing is guaranteed to him, however, since the attacker participates in the camp of the Senators as a guest, in search of a contract. “When you sign a long-term contract, you have to prove that you deserve it, whether it’s two, five or eight years. It’s the same for me,” he said on Saturday morning after training. As DJ Smith gave five of his six attackers from the first two lines a day off, the door was open on the power play and Brassard took advantage of it. The Quebecer scored Ottawa’s first goal by subtly winning his battle for position in front of the net against rookie Jordan Harris. If Brassard wins his bet, he will have the chance to reach the mark of 1,000 games in the NHL in the season; he’s 49 short. An encouraging sign for him: the Senators cut six players after the game, and he wasn’t one of them.

They said