BOUCTOUCHE, New Brunswick | The preparatory calendar may mean nothing, concluding it with an eighth loss in as many games must be difficult for pride.
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Even the country of La Sagouine did not smile on Martin St-Louis and his troops. Saturday night, in front of 1,155 spectators at the JK Irving Center in Bouctouche, near Moncton, the Canadiens once again lowered their flag to the Ottawa Senators. This time, on the count of 3 to 2.
It was Drake Batherson, during a penalty to Chris Wideman, who gave the victory to the representatives of the federal capital, 3 min 45 s from the overtime period. “Of course we want to win. We are competitive and we have our pride. Especially since everyone is working so hard, ”said Jordan Harris at the end of the meeting.
“Despite everything, the guys are very positive in the locker room. I think we will be able to put this record behind us to start the season,” continued the defender.
With this record of 0-6-2 in preseason games, the Canadian is writing a page in its history. Since the NHL statisticians have only been keeping track of these games since the 2006-2007 season, we had to turn to Carl Lavigne, the Habs historian.
The latter was able to confirm that the Montreal team had never gone through a preparatory calendar without winning a single game.
No choice to experiment
The reality might have been different if St-Louis had been able to count on all of its workforce. Unfortunately, the infirmary is already overflowing with veterans. Mike Hoffman, Joel Armia, Nick Suzuki, Mike Matheson, Joel Edmundson all missed a portion of camp. Without forgetting Paul Byron who still hasn’t skated.
“I would have liked to have everyone for the last two games, but you focus on what you can control,” said the Canadian driver.
Nevertheless, he was able to take advantage of these absences to carry out some experiments. This allowed him to learn a little more about his group.
“We found that we have a lot more players who play on the massive attack than in numerical inferiority. We’re going to have to find guys capable of handling the penalties. I think it helped us to know it a little, to teach what we can do, ”he said.
♦ Cole Caufield, with a devastating shot, and Kaiden Guhle, with his third in camp, were the scorers for the Canadiens.
What we noticed…
CAUFIELD’S QUICKDRAW
Being close to the press bridge allowed us to appreciate certain aspects of the game more. Topping the list was Cole Caufield’s shot. We were able to see even more frankly the velocity of his throw and the speed with which he draws. We understand Magnus Hellberg for not having seen anything pass on the goal of number 22.
POINTS FOR HARVEY-PINARD
Rafaël Harvey-Pinard made sure that the management would remember him when the time came to recall a striker. Intense and using his speed, he blocked shots, aborted plays and made sure to apply a sustained forecheck.
ONE MORE DEFENDER
The Canadian claimed Johnathan Kovacevic on waivers. The 25-year-old right-hander played four games last season with the Winnipeg Jets. On the right, the Habs are now betting on David Savard, Chris Wideman, Justin Barron and Kovacevic. This acquisition possibly means that Barron will start the season in Laval.
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Cole Caufield
He gave the Canadiens fans in Bouctouche their money’s worth. In addition to his goal, he was brilliantly behind a few game pieces.
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Justin Barron
Even though it was his sixth game, he showed a lot of nervousness and hesitation in his game His level of confidence seems low A start to the season in Laval would be perfect for him
First period
1-MON: Cole Caufield (4) (Wideman, Monahan)AN-8:47
Penalties: Wideman (Mon) 1:54 Sabourin (Ott) 8:29 Gambrell (Ott) 10:20 Pitlick (Mon) 18:44 Anderson (Mon) (min and inc) 18:44, Watson (Ott) (min and inc) 18:44, Kastelic (Ott) (inc) 18:44
Second period
2-OTT: Derick Brassard (1) (Chartier, Batherson)AN-3:48
3-OTT: Scott Sabourin (1) (Gambrell)15:17
4-MON: Kaiden Guhle (3) (Dadonov, Schueneman)18:40
Penalties: Slafkovsky (Mon) 2:55 Drouin (Mon) 4:03 Chartier (Ott) 7:01 Kastelic (Ott) 15:55
Third period
No goal
Penalties: Pinto (Ott) 0:48, Pinto (Ott) 12:44
Extension
5-OTT: Drake Batherson (3) (Armband, Pinto)AN-2:45
Penalties: Wideman (Ott) 2:19
Shoot to the net
MONTREAL 20 OTTAWA 29
Guardians:
MON: Jake Allen (PP, 0-0-1), OTT: Magnus Hellberg (G, 1-0-0)
Numerical advantages:
MON: 1 in 6, OTT: 2 in 5
ASSISTANCE:
not available
decision time
“It’s my first camp, so I didn’t know what to expect. It feels like it’s been three months. »
Between rookie camp held in Buffalo and the eight games the team played in four provinces and three different time zones, it’s no surprise that Jordan Harris lost track of time.
Besides, the next few hours could seem just as long. It was not until Monday morning that the staff of the Canadian will announce its last wave of cuts.
Obviously, it is on the blue line that the toughest decisions will be made. In light of his outfit in the six preseason games he played, it is safe to say that Kaiden Guhle will officially be assigned a locker in the Bell Center locker room.
Near the JK Irving Center rink in Bouctouche, Martin St-Louis didn’t want to compromise too much. Nevertheless, reading between the lines, we understand that it is practically in the pocket for the Albertan.
“He improved from game to game, he had a bigger presence from game to game. He’s a hockey player,” he said.
Not only is he a hockey player, but he can do it both on the left flank and on the right flank. By being equally effective on both sides of the blue line, Guhle scored some important points.
“It happened to me on occasion during my career to play on the right side. It was good. At this level, you have to know how to play on both sides, ”said the 20-year-old rear, author of three goals during the preparatory calendar.
Harvey-Pinard satisfied
In attack, with 14 players with single-sided contracts, to which many we must add Cole Caufield, the cards were already fairly played.
However, injuries to Paul Byron, Mike Hoffman and Joel Armia (Nick Suzuki should be ready to start the season) could create some openings.
Rafaël Harvey-Pinard could have placed himself in an advantageous position. Especially if the Canadian decided to start Juraj Slafkovsky in Laval.
“I had some ups and downs during camp, but overall I’m happy. I did the small details, the striker said. We will wait for the decision of the management, but one thing is certain, I gave my 100% on the ice. »
Effective outnumbered
Recognized for his offensive talents when he wore the colors of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, Harvey-Pinard demonstrated that he could be an effective utility player, he who often saw time shorthanded game.
“I played in that position with the Rocket last year. It was pretty much the same way of playing shorthanded, so the adjustment wasn’t too difficult. »
Was that enough to convince St-Louis and Kent Hughes? We will know tomorrow.