Canadian-Devils | From Chicoutimi to Newark, reunions

(NEWARK, NJ ) Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Dawson Mercer could have written a chapter in the history of the Chicoutimi Saguenéens together.

In March 2020, the “Sags” came to 3^e rank in the QMJHL. They had just signed six straight wins, and eight in 10 games. Harvey-Pinard had 78 points in 62 games. Freshly acquired from Drummondville, Mercer had 18 in 16 games. Then, overnight, the global pandemic put a damper on their season.

“I’m talking about it in Chicoutimi, the fans come to see me, tell me that we could have won the Cup. It would have been incredible to win that in front of my family,” Harvey-Pinard said after the Habs’ morning practice on Tuesday.

We will never know, collectively, what they could have accomplished. But individually, the two accomplices will find themselves on an NHL rink in the evening on Tuesday, during the duel between two of the 30 original teams, the Canadiens and the Devils.

Mercer is on an interesting four-goal streak in his last three games. Natural center, he is employed in the wing of the excellent Nico Hischier. With 34 points in 56 games, he is on track to surpass his 42 points from last year when he was a rookie. However, it is in his differential that we note the greatest improvement, from -25 last year to +14 this season.

Some players disparage this stat, but Mercer finds it “important”.

“Last year was my first year and it was an apprenticeship. This year, I wanted to be a player who makes a difference. I became a better player on 200 feet,” he believes.

Mercer is a choice of 1^er tower,18^e overall in 2020, and he never made it through the American League. His career path is therefore the complete opposite of that of Harvey-Pinard, drafted in 7^e tour, at age 20, and who played 142 games in the American League. The Quebecer is not yet established in the circuit like his former teammate, but he too will be employed within the first line on Tuesday and he will play a 13^e straight game. Both its production and its use suggest that it is approaching permanence.

A leader

“It’s amazing to see what he’s doing,” exclaimed Mercer. He works like a dog. He’s an excellent leader. I only played half a season with him, but we saw the potential. He won the Memorial Cup in Rouyn, then he had success in Chicoutimi. He has leadership. It’s good to see him succeed. »

The two, however, have very different collective experiences. The Habs are condemned to a difficult end to the season with another 10 players in the infirmary. The Devils point to 3^e rank in the general classification. They’re playing for .705 (37-14-5), a colossal improvement from their 2021-22 campaign of .384 (27-46-9).

The factors for improvement? Lindy Ruff started with the progression of the offensive core, namely Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt.

“We knew we had the elements offensively. Then we added Dougie Hamilton, Erik Haula, John Marino, Ondrej Palat. We improved our defense and we played well defensively. It starts there, and the growth of all of our elements has gotten us to where we are. »

Quotes from St-Louis

Martin St-Louis amused his audience of journalists Monday in Brossard by releasing a quote from which he did not know the origin: “Comparison is the thief of joy”. A hard idea to translate, which basically says that comparisons prevent you from being happy.

“We didn’t hear that one. Not yet,” said Nick Suzuki, made aware of his coach’s statement the day before.

“He starts most team meetings with a sentence he has seen pass, said the CH captain. I like this. He’s smart, he does a lot of research. It keeps us on our toes. When he talks, everyone listens and you need that from the head coach. »

“It’s about finding perspective in what you’re going through,” explained St-Louis. I’m inspired by quotes and stories and sometimes you can incorporate them into your daily life, so that you have a good day. »

St-Louis then clarified that his quote came from former President Theodore Roosevelt, before a colleague pointed out to him that the origin of the quote is a matter of debate.

” Are you sure ? I have a good source, an English teacher who listens to me religiously. I’m going to ask him to check his sources! »

In short

Vitek Vanecek was the Devils’ starting goaltender and it’s a good thing for them, since his assistant, Mackenzie Blackwood, was injured during practice and returned to the locker room prematurely. His status for Tuesday’s game is uncertain.

John Marino also represents a question mark. The defender, 2^e at the Devils for the time of use (21 min 28 s) is ill and did not participate in the morning practice.

As expected, Kaiden Guhle took part in the CH drill, but with a jersey that suggests he can’t take hits yet.

Training expected on Tuesday