Devils 2 – Canadian 1 | The importance of proper nose breathing

It’s only September, and the time hasn’t come to draw big conclusions yet, but we’re going to do it the same way.

Because the Canadian was in his first preseason game, Monday night at the Bell Center, against the New Jersey Devils. Which always marks a kind of ritual, unavoidable, year after year: that of underlining how such a player will be a flop, how much such another will deserve a place in the Hall of Fame on the basis of these first 60 minutes of a calendar that doesn’t even count.

So we’re not (so much) going to jump on this train… if only to point out that in the long term, not right away, but in the long term, the Montreal defense could look like something good. Very well.

This is what we must remember from this defeat of the Canadian by a score of 2-1, which allowed us to notice Kaiden Guhle.

If what we saw of him on this rainy Monday evening becomes a habit, the young man will become someone. An obvious flair for the net, an ease in carrying the puck, an ability to read the play well in front of him, in short, qualities that are all already very obvious. There are still small details to be settled, such as consistency and progression and maturity, but for the time being, this 20-year-old defender seems to be off to a good start.

“He doesn’t panic, we saw that,” noted goaltender Jake Allen, who played the first half of the game. He doesn’t try to do too much. He moves well with the puck, he blocks shots. He understands why he is here and what is at stake. »

No one is going to expect Guhle to be nominated for the Norris this season, but at the very least if young defenders like him could get a bit of a boost a little faster than expected, it would at least allow this team to become a bit competitive.

“It is certain that I want to bring an element of offensive game to this team, answered the young man Monday evening. It was on this aspect of my game that I worked all last season. If I see that I can take an opportunity on the ice on offense, I’ll do it. »

Martin St-Louis is perfectly aware of the importance of breathing well through the nose in September.

“It’s a sample too small, reminded the coach of the Canadian. One match is not enough, so we will continue to evaluate our players. You have to gather as much information as possible to try to make the best decisions, for the club, but also for the player. »

Meanwhile, it’s not just the young defenders who are attracting attention; also 28-year-olds like Mike Matheson, who spent just over 25 minutes on the ice Monday night. Martin St-Louis admitted that it’s a lot (“on the other side, Severson played 25 minutes too, so maybe I’m not crazy…”), but this kind of thing can happen in real life. a defense as young as this.

By the way, this Matheson remains unknown, no doubt because he has played in the shadows all his life, but he too displayed some fine qualities on this Monday evening, including a little surly side that we did not know him .

“It’s important for me to keep working on my game,” he explained. I want to continue to play in my own way, while working with the youngest. »

And Juraj Slafkovsky, in all this? The statistics tell us of a game without a point, a penalty for having jostled the goalkeeper and a single shot on goal. Not good, not bad, just the first preseason game for an 18-year-old guy who, of course, still has a lot to learn.

“I lost a few pucks, I can do better than that, conceded the young striker at the end of the evening. I have to play better and also throw more often. »

This is the takeaway from this first audition, for him and for everyone else his age or thereabouts: the calendar says September, and there will be other opportunities to get carried away. For good and bad reasons.

In details

Beck: not just face-offs

The level of competition may increase, but Owen Beck continues to distinguish himself step by step. After enjoying a good rookie tournament, the 18-year-old played a strong game at the start of the preseason calendar. In numbers, it read as follows: three shots on goal, another that hit the post head-on, and 59% on face-offs. After the game, Martin St-Louis was asked if a player in particular had caught his attention and he immediately named Beck. “A very good game for a youngster,” said the head coach. There is maturity in his game.” His talent in the face-off circle was known, but with his shot on the post, he reminded us that he had quite a quickdraw. Beck still had moments when he looked more like a rookie, for example in his second appearance, when he tried to tackle Kevin Bahl, a defender of… 6 ft 6 in and 230 lb! Rather it was Beck who ended up on his back, “and that was a good wake-up call! “, to specify the hope of the Canadian.

A fight between Montembeault and Primeau

Who will be Jake Allen’s assistant this season in front of the Canadiens net? Seeing Cayden Primeau struggling during his recalls last season, it was logical to believe that the former 7th round pick could spend at least one more season in the American League in Laval. But St-Louis is not ready to hand over the keys to the city to Samuel Montembeault. “We know Jake will be here. I wouldn’t say it’s in the cement between Montembeault and Primeau. We will evaluate, they will have a chance, “said the coach after the game. Primeau got the first chance on Monday, playing the second half of the game. The American yielded twice on 13 shots. Hard to blame him on the first goal, which the Devils scored on the power play thanks to a nice pass against the tide from Jesper Bratt to Tomas Tatar in the slot. On the second goal, he was thwarted by a bad jump on a skate, but the puck slipped through a thin opening left by Primeau on the short end.

New role for Pezzetta

Nine seconds. That’s the total time Michael Pezzetta played shorthanded last season. In a single preseason game on Monday, he spent 2 min 17 s on the ice in this situation. In morning practice, the charismatic forward said he saw playing shorthanded as a way to increase his time this season. For a player like him, with a precarious status due to the surplus of attackers, this is a not so bad idea. Pezzetta was on the ice for Tatar’s goal, but seconds before the net he had shown courage by throwing himself in front of a Bratt shot.

They said

Rising

Kaiden Guhlé

The qualities are there, it’s obvious. It remains to be seen what this will do in the long term.

Falling

Mattias Norlinder

He will have to be noticed a little more than that to claim a regular position.

The number of the match

5

The number of shots on goal for Cole Caufield, a high in the game