Cole Caufield is unanimously recognized by his teammates as a bit of a joker. As much as he can close up like an oyster in front of a pile of microphones, he has the gift of making his peers laugh in his interactions with them.
Read our live coverage
Check out the match summary
It even happens sometimes during games. For example, on Tuesday, in the third period of the Canadiens’ thrilling – to put it mildly – 3-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils.
Owen Beck had just had a golden opportunity in the slot. The forward pounced on a puck that appeared on his paddle and fired a right knee shot up the ice, but Nico Daws made the save.
It was Beck’s third shot of the game, also his third scoring chance. Hence his exasperated look as Caufield tried to bring some sunshine into his life.
“It’s progress, it’s something to build on. It’s like playing golf, hitting a big tee shot down the middle of the fairway and then missing the green on your approach shot. That was my feeling tonight.”
So the conversation with Caufield was, “Exactly that. The tee shots are good. Just need to work on the approach shots!”
Beck was still smiling as he recounted his conversation with Caufield. After all, “getting three quality chances at this level in a game is not easy.”
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Xavier Simoneau (43), Michael Pezzetta (55) and Owen Beck (62)
Would he have given the same answer last year? The question arises, because the Ontarian admits that he was not in the same frame of mind at his 2023 camp.
Let’s recall the context. Drafted at the beginning of the 2e tour in the summer of 2022, he showed up to camp “with no expectations” a few months later. “I just played my way and it went well. I was one of the last guys cut and I guess that created expectations for my second camp, and that’s what created the butterflies.”
At this second camp last year, he was much less visible, with the result that no one really believed in his chances. He had only played two of the CH’s six preparatory games, compared to four of the eight in 2022.
Beck doesn’t hide it: last year, he felt “pressure. Now that I’ve taken a step back, I know that whether I’m in Montreal or Laval, it will be the best situation for my development. So I’m just thinking about playing my way like I did at my first camp and come what may.”
What happened Tuesday was a rather convincing outing despite limited usage (12:19). Martin St-Louis used him in tough missions (three minutes shorthanded and at 5-on-6), and Beck did his job. He also got an assist on Michael Pezzetta’s goal into an empty net.
However, it was, like the day before against the Flyers, a diluted opposition, since Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Dougie Hamilton, among other pillars, stayed at home.
Perhaps that’s why St. Louis stuck to a sober assessment of the 20-year-old. The head coach liked his “complete game. He got hits. He plays a 200-foot game.”
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Owen Beck (62)
Rare doubled
Beck was the third lineman, but it was a member of the fourth line, Pezzetta, who earned the first star, thanks in part to his two goals.
His four minutes played in a numerical inferiority, however, attracted more attention after the match. Firstly, because in normal times, he is not used in this phase of the game; secondly, because it is much more by showing himself to be versatile than by scoring goals that he will cling to a position.
He knows this very well since he said after the game that he attended all the pre-game meetings of the power play last year. “I pay attention, I watch when they are on the ice, and if I am not playing, I observe to understand the power play. [des autres clubs]. When I get my chance, I want to have an advantage over the others.”
If it was Beck and Pezzetta who caught our attention in this duel, it was firstly because the two trios of veterans did not do much that would fill 800 words in a daily newspaper. Secondly, because the day before, Oliver Kapanen had launched hostilities among those trying to dislodge a veteran from the formation.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Michael Pezzetta (55) of the Montreal Canadiens and Curtis Lazar (42) of the New Jersey Devils
“We play similar styles. If you play your best, I think there can be room for both, but I’m not in the heads of the management,” Beck recalled.
Whatever one might say about the quality of the opposition after these two games won by a total score of 8-0, the CH leaders have reason to be encouraged to see this sacrosanct internal struggle generate results among the aspirants to a position. Camps like the one in 2017, where Claude Julien had railed against his players who made his decisions “easy” – in the bad sense of the term – seem to belong to a bygone era.
On the rise: Jayden Struble
Without realizing it, he was the Canadiens’ most used player at even strength. He responded by delivering robust play without falling into indiscipline.
Down: Logan Mailloux
Technically, he is the only one who could be down since he is the only one who was also playing on Monday. Without having been awful, he sometimes missed his shot by trying the home run.
Quote of the day
“It’s not easy for the players, playing two games in two nights.” – Martin St-Louis, with the teasing look of a guy who knows full well that 19 of his 20 players for Tuesday’s game were off the night before.
In detail
Five against four, a lot to do
Martin St-Louis clearly didn’t want to talk about the power play on Tuesday night. And for good reason, since his trusted men had a miserable night in that regard. The Habs had more than their share of chances, however, with 10 minutes 51 seconds at five-on-four and two full minutes at five-on-three. The result: 12 shots on target, but nothing very conclusive. In fact, the second wave, made up of Filip Mesar, Sean Farrell, Brendan Gallagher, Florian Xhekaj and Logan Mailloux, looked considerably better than the first, made up of last season’s big guns – Mike Matheson, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky – who were joined by Joel Armia. We’re willing to believe that Kirby Dach or Patrik Laine will replace Armia when things get serious, but against the New Jersey Devils, the execution of the first unit looked a lot like last year’s, with a lot of puck movement but very few decisive plays. “We used up a lot of penalties and we’re going to work on the power play,” St-Louis said dryly. There will be no shortage of work.
The Young Defenders Bulletin
It would be remiss if a day went by without mentioning the young defensemen auditioning at the Habs training camp. Three candidates caught the eye Tuesday. William Trudeau didn’t necessarily have a historic game, but he nevertheless left the Bell Centre with the second star, after collecting two assists, including one on a perfect pass to Nick Suzuki who brilliantly deflected the puck behind Nico Daws. The Quebecer said he was pleased with his zone exits and felt he “showed [son] physical side”. Paired with Mike Matheson, David Reinbacher looked pretty good. Well served by a sober game, he made very few mistakes. He was also the most used player on his club while shorthanded (5 min 1 s). As for Logan Mailloux, he made life difficult for himself a few times, notably by multiplying daring backhand passes. This didn’t seem to move either his coach or Samuel Montembeault. “He worked hard, it’s not easy to play two games in two nights at the start of camp,” argued the goalie. “I find that he often came out with the puck from his battles in the corner.”
The goalkeepers are still perfect
Apparently, Éric Raymond, the CH goalie coach, was grinning after the game. It’s easy to see why. His protégés were perfect for a second game in a row. After Cayden Primeau and Jakub Dobes the day before, this time it was Samuel Montembeault (11 saves) and Connor Hughes (13) who shared the shutout. The Quebecer was particularly brilliant at the start of the game, while the Devils had some high-quality chances in the first period, especially on the power play. Montembeault said he was happy to have been able to make his mark quickly, but he especially paid tribute to Hughes, a 28-year-old Ontario goalie hired during the summer after a few years spent in Europe. “He’s got good size and moves well,” he analyzed. “It wasn’t easy for him to come on in the middle of the game after an hour and a half on the bench. With a five-on-three to start, he was able to warm up his legs. He did a good job.” Like the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, the Devils did not deploy their A team. The fact remains that the CH goalies have still not given anything after two preparatory games.