Normally, the game is to identify the seven differences between two drawings. But on Tuesday night at the Bell Center, it will be necessary to play with the seven similarities.
The Canadian will return to the Tampa Bay Lightning for the first time since last summer’s final. However, with the amount of injuries in the Habs, in addition to players like Jon Merrill who left during the offseason, only seven players who played in the final last summer will be in uniform.
These seven players will be Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Jake Evans, Artturi Lehkonen, Ben Chiarot, Alexander Romanov and Brett Kulak. Jake Allen, goalkeeper starting from the CH on Tuesday, was also there, but he spent the entire series on the bench.
“Is this a rematch?” They are not the same numbers. We know that we are facing a good team tonight, it’s a good challenge, ”admitted Dominique Ducharme.
They are not the same numbers in the opposing camp either, but when the “survivors” of last summer are called in particular Andrei Vasilevskiy, Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Mikhail Sergachev, Steven Stamkos and Anthony Cirelli, it does not There is not exactly danger in the remainder.
Speaking of absentees, it does not calm down for the Canadian. Ducharme has confirmed the absences of defender Jeff Petry and striker Joel Armia. Both must undergo extensive examinations, the coach said.
Without Petry, newcomer Kale Clague should not miss opportunities to show off on the power play. Chris Wideman and Ben Chiarot are essentially the only other expected defenders in the CH squad who have played regularly on the power play this season.
Norlinder in Laval
Mattias Norlinder could also have had his power play chance, but the Swede was ceded Tuesday morning to the Laval Rocket.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Mattias Norlinder
Ducharme said the Swede will play the next three matches there, which will take place Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. “He’s going to play these three games and then there will be discussions between the organization, him and his agent to see what is best for his development,” he said.
The idea of sticking to a three-game segment holds up perfectly. After these three games, the Rocket will play only 2 games in 16 days.
Three options are on the table for the future: the Canadian, the Rocket or Frolunda. The Rocket is indeed an option. “From the 1er December, he can stay in Laval for the rest of the season, ”recalled the head coach.
Everything suggests that the “Montreal” option is the third and last on the list, in light of Ducharme’s comments. “It’s a big fit for him, in a North American hockey style, on a North American rink. He needs playing time, mileage. ”
However, it will be necessary to see if the immediate needs of the Canadian will dictate the decision. In recent years, the team have been caught giving positions to Victor Mete and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, in situations where the team simply had no other viable options. Looking back, it seems pretty clear that these decisions have harmed the development of the two buddies.
However, with Petry and Joel Edmundson injured, the CH is running out of options. Will the decision be based on the immediate needs of the team?
“Ideally, it wouldn’t be,” replied the coach. But we play tonight and we play Thursday. If things continue to tumble… We need players who have NHL contracts and there aren’t that many left. We are going to touch wood, because in an ideal world, that would be a decision for its development only. ”
Reunion with Perry
It was said that there would only be seven players from the Canadiens’ lineup in the final who will play on Tuesday night. We lied: there will be eight. Except that the eighth will be in the visitors’ locker room. It’s Corey Perry.
“Guys like that… You watch them when you’re little and you find yourself next to them in the locker room.” It doesn’t really make sense !, admitted Cole Caufield on Tuesday morning. He was a guy I was inspired by. It will be weird to face him, but there are no friends on the ice. I won’t give him any presents tonight. ”