(Los Angeles, CA) Can he play? Will he need more time to recover from his injury? Will it even be exchanged during the day?
The mystery surrounding Joel Edmundson will continue for a few more hours. In the morning training of the Canadiens in Los Angeles, where the team will face the Kings in the evening, Edmundson looked like a defender ready to return to training. At the end of the session, when all the players were gathered in the center of the ice, he was treated to a volley of sticks on the ice, the usual sign announcing a return – that of Kaiden Guhle, last Tuesday, had been greeted in this way, for example.
Nevertheless, the Habs maintain that a decision will be made at the time of the meeting regarding his presence or absence. In accordance with the club’s internal policy, he was therefore not made available to meet the journalists.
Edmundson, remember, resumed full training on Monday after a month of recovery from an “upper body” injury. Whether he plays or not, Thursday night the focus is on him, some 24 hours from the end of the NHL trading period. The veteran has been the subject of a slew of rumors since the start of the season, but his medical condition has made it difficult to complete a deal.
Martin St-Louis obviously didn’t have a great appetite to discuss the situation. Is the refusal to confirm his presence attributable to uncertainties related to Edmundson’s health? “It must, yes,” he replied. If he is in uniform, is it possible for seven defenders to be called upon? ” That could be. We’ll cross the bridge when we get there. »
As Charles Tisseyre would say: fascinating.
Decoding the Kings
The last time the Canadian faced the Kings, on December 10 in Montreal, the CH was completely handcuffed by the game system of its opponents.
Their 1-3-1 formation, which has the effect of clogging up the neutral zone and forcing the attacking team to get rid of the puck, has completely confused the Habs. Martin St-Louis even took the blame after this 4-2 loss.
“I have to do a better job than that to help the guys,” he admitted then.
This time, the homework has been done, we are assured. St-Louis, like Erin O’Toole, said he had “a plan”, without revealing anything about it.
His players have been a bit more vocal. “No one else in the NHL” plays like the Kings, Johnathan Kovacevic said. “The last time, we knew what to expect, but many of us had never faced this type of system, recalled the defender. They are passive, they wait for us to commit ourselves. »
“Our transition to the neutral zone will have to be very quick, added Christian Dvorak. We can’t give them time to settle down. »
Playing finesse to outsmart three opponents probably won’t work, he warned. It will rather be a question of placing pucks with precision at the bottom of the enemy territory, not to give the easy life to the defender in withdrawal. “We will have to play with intelligence,” summed up the center player.
Video sessions precede each game, but the montages presented for the confrontation against the Kings were very “specific”, in order to dissect their game with precision, also said Kovacevic.
Speaking of the December loss, Nick Suzuki also recalled, with a smile, that he and his teammates wore the infamous powder blue jersey then. “But we are certainly better prepared,” he added.
After stopping 38 shots on Tuesday night, Jake Allen will once again defend the Canadiens’ net against the Kings. The game begins at 10:30 p.m. Quebec time.