Golden Knights – Canadian | More question marks

Will play, will not play? The presence of Nick Suzuki, Jonathan Drouin and Brendan Gallagher, Saturday night against the Vegas Golden Knights, remains uncertain.

Guillaume Lefrançois
Press

Dominique Ducharme indicated that a decision will be taken before the game about his three crippled attackers.

Suzuki was the only one of the three to set foot on the ice on Saturday morning for a more optional workout. Only six skaters participated (Suzuki, Jake Evans, Michael Pezzetta, Adam Brooks, Alexander Romanov and Sami Niku) in addition to the two goalies.

Gallagher and Suzuki still played in Thursday’s game, but not Drouin, who is still recovering from a puck he received in the head, in Tuesday’s game.

Whatever happens, Cédric Paquette is guaranteed to return to the squad, now that he has served his two-game suspension for an illegal checking he handed out to Trevor Zegras last Sunday.

“It happened quickly. I thought he would go behind the goal, so I wanted to bar his way. And he changed direction. I don’t think it deserved two games, ”said Paquette. As the incident occurred at the very start of the game on Sunday, the Quebecer essentially missed three games.

This was his second NHL suspension. An energy player, Paquette assures us that the sanction will not change the way he plays.

Like newcomers David Savard and Christian Dvorak, Paquette did not know the hoped-for start. He particularly pulled off faceoffs, where he won only 29.8% of his confrontations. The number 13 is however hopeful of forming an energetic trio, with Pezzetta and Alex Belzile on their wings.

“Both are in the same style as me. We work hard, we play robust and we are reliable defensively. It’s easier to play with players who are like you, so you know what to expect with the puck and that makes it easier. ”

Jake Allen will defend the Montreal net, while Sami Niku will be left out again. Ducharme has indicated that his defender duos will remain intact. The head coach will therefore have to hope that the tandem formed by Savard and Brett Kulak is less messy than it was on Thursday.

No news

Besides, Ducharme had nothing new to say about Joel Edmundson. He was awaiting news later today, but revealed that the injury to the great defender was similar to that suffered by Mike Hoffman at camp. Hoffman was hit in a knee and missed the first three games of the season.

Finally, the Canadiens’ vice-president of public affairs and communications, Paul Wilson, announced that Carey Price would not meet with the media until doctors give him permission. “It’s important to follow the post-care process, which is to prioritize the family and integrate the work environment, to the letter,” Wilson explained. Price is expected in the entourage of the team on Monday.

Lehkonen’s emotion

In addition, this is the first visit of the Golden Knights to Montreal since the famous game of June 24, game that the CH won in overtime to advance to the Stanley Cup final.

It was therefore a good opportunity to ask the author of the winning goal, Artturi Lehkonen, to come back to this moment that he will probably never forget. Already concise in his words, the Finn did not want to sink into nostalgia, with a team showing a 3-9-0 record.

“It’s been what, three months? It was a special moment in my career, obviously, but today is another game and I have to focus on that. Lehkonen replied.

Note that this is the last goal he scored, since he was then shut out in the final. In 12 games this season, Lehkonen has been limited to one assist. However, he leads the Canadiens (among players who have played at least four games) in puck possession rate. The Habs control 60.1% of shooting attempts when Lehkonen is on the ice 5 against 5, and 59.5% of the chances of scoring, according to Natural Stat Trick. In terms of goals, the team is however in deficit in his presence: one goal scored, three goals allowed.