It would be too easy to jump to the conclusion that the Toronto Maple Leafs had donned their playoff uniform, that is to say a team with formidable resources in attack which is transformed into a club unable to shine in adversity.
Wednesday evening, a band of young defenders taught them a lesson in determination, endurance and above all effort at work.
Sport always has surprises in store for us and on Wednesday, the Canadian caused a nice surprise. And, throughout the evening, facing a more talented rival, a rival with great ambitions, he fought with the energy of a young troop who will be given every chance to meet expectations.
And the young players weren’t afraid to challenge the unthinkable. Because they faced the danger without entertaining doubts, without playing on the end of the stick.
Quite the contrary.
Driven by emotion
Admittedly, a match does not make a season, everyone knows that. And head coach Martin St-Louis has analyzed the performance of his young team.
“Tonight, they were carried away by the emotion, by the feverishness that accompanies an opening match at home. One will be able to get a better idea of what they can accomplish over a long period of time. During a long season, you have to deal with a drop in speed, but tonight was beautiful to see…”
And how ! They faced the powerhouse Leafs skaters with boundless confidence.
Take Kaiden Guhle as an example, wasn’t he impressive against Auston Matthews?
Arber Xhekaj played with the same determination as during the preseason schedule.
Jordan Harris has shown that he can handle the most tense situations with the calm of a veteran.
tenacity
They made mistakes. They missed a few passes. They created turnovers that the cunning Leafs scorers will usually exploit, except that on Wednesday… the young defensemen of the Canadiens showed a lot of tenacity in correcting their clumsiness.
When they did not succeed, Jake Allen watched over the grain like this stoppage on a penalty shot awarded to Alexander Kerfoot.
Does this match perfectly meet the expectations of the fans?
Without a doubt.
But beware, as St-Louis indicated, there will be difficult times. Young players will have experiences that shake confidence.
And it’s not just about young players, veterans will also be exposed to questioning.
However, from the outset, we were able to appreciate the repeated attacks of the formation. Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki form a spectacular duo, and Sean Monahan will add experience and talent to an attack that is not lacking in creativity.
We don’t know 30-goal seasons in this league without having resources to destabilize the opposing defense.
Contagious determination
Another point to remember: Brendan Gallagher seems to have regained form. He moves with more ease, his determination is contagious and his desire to win has lost none of its intensity.
We repeat, a game does not make a season.
However, if the dealership’s recovery plan provides us with evenings like Wednesday’s, no one will complain.
As we said, the Canadian will not participate in the playoffs. On the other hand, throughout the season, fans will be able to spy on Suzuki, Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Kaiden Guhle and company.
Essential elements
I don’t know if the first match of the calendar is a taste of the next season. However, if this is the case, the recovery program is well underway.
Along the way, there will be pitfalls. There will also be disappointments, but that’s part of the process.
The new administration made a decision that was necessary. She created a recovery plan based on essential elements to achieve the objectives.
Talented young players.
Young veterans aware of their responsibilities.
A new culture.
Martin St-Louis was right, it was beautiful to see…
McDavid gets off to a good start
It didn’t take long for Connor McDavid to show he had big plans for the Edmonton Oilers.
On Wednesday night, he capped off a strong comeback for his team, which trailed the Vancouver Canucks 2-0 with a three-goal performance, including two in the final period.
After a rather slow start, goaltender Jack Campbell has been solid in the last two periods.
However, it was a tough night for Bruce Boudreau, the Canucks coach. In terms of the game plan, the results were inconclusive.
Not the same resources
Johnny Gaudreau had a more humble beginning with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He quickly realized that his new team does not have the same resources as the Calgary Flames.
And the loss of Patrik Laine, early in the match, thwarted the plans. A sprained elbow will keep him out of action for three to four weeks.
The Carolina Hurricanes were also found to be the best team in the Metropolitan Division.