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Standouts From Last Night's Game, by Andrew Saadalla |
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I chose to take in last night’s preseason game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Washington Capitals instead of the World Cup of Hockey. My motivations were simple: I know what to expect of Carey Price and (to a lesser extent) Shea Weber. I wanted to see how Alex Radulov, Michael McCarron, and especially the defensive duo of Greg Pateryn and Nathan Beaulieu would fare. With all of the fanfare surrounding Charles Hudon, I was hoping to see a little more out of him as well.
I must admit I was not disappointed, safe for McCarron and Hudon. Both were not necessarily placed in favourable situations to allow them to shine, with the latter nevertheless playing significantly better as the game progressed. Head coach Michel Therrien then rewarded him with a few shifts on the power play, and he made up for a rough start by assisting on a nice goal by Torrey Mitchell. McCarron on the other hand did not necessarily stand out as much as anyone would have hoped. I would’ve liked to see him try to get his team going by sparking a little more of the offense that we’ve come to witness during the rookie development camp. Still, I don’t believe any of these players punched a one-way ticket back to St. John’s for the time being, although they will certainly need to improve if they want to earn a full-time gig in Montreal.
Alexander Radulov was a force to be reckoned with. He controlled the play every time he hit the ice, convincingly notching a goal and an assist. It’s becoming clearer with every passing shift that the once-upon-a-time estranged NHLer is ready to silence all of his critics, and is going to assume much more of a leadership role with the Habs than anyone has given him credit for. If he can stay as humble as he has been and work as hard as he does, he will be dominant for a team that has lacked that kind of all-around skill in its top-six for quite some time.
The brightest spots for me were Beaulieu and Pateryn. I was wholeheartedly impressed with how much confidence those two demonstrated. Naturally, they were not facing an NHL-caliber adversary, but Beaulieu’s 4 points and Pateryn’s 3 assists demonstrate just how effective they can be when placed under pressure. From the beginning of the match until its very end, there was absolutely no stopping either of those players both in their own zone and especially up front.
Sadly, there’s no telling exactly where Pateryn fits within this lineup though I’ve been saying for years that he needs a good look on the bottom-two defensive pairing. He stayed true to his word and is showing that he can provide offense if called upon.
Finally, what is there to say about Nathan Beaulieu? He was dominant from the instant the puck dropped and played like a legitimate top-pairing blue-liner. He has said countless times that he is ready to assume many more responsibilities, and I believe he’s earned that right. I would even dare to say that he’s emerging as one of the biggest leaders in the locker room- his poise and infallible self-esteem shines through in his interviews, and his overall demeanour both on and off the ice is a breath of fresh air. Frankly, the opportunity is his to seize. After losing P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators, I believe that the only other defenseman capable of playing anything close to the two-way style that characterized Subban is Beaulieu, and I think he’s fully aware.
Regarding Andrew Shaw: I’ve always hated fighting in the NHL and have been a proponent of the game evolving towards skill and speed as opposed to grit. I’ve made that publicly clear several times. I admittedly understand that this team lacked the kind of ruggedness and character needed to be a harder team to play against, and am aware that general manager Marc Bergevin has addressed those issues. However, Shaw’s hit from behind on Connor Hobbs was absolutely cowardly and uncalled for, and the league announced that he’ll have a hearing on Thursday. Serves him right; he could have seriously injured a young prospect who had nothing to do with the earlier “slew foot” served up to Shaw.
Still I have to say: Shaw throwing his arms in the air and getting the crowd involved while taking a few jabs to the face was exactly what the overly demanding Bell Centre needed. After a horrible 2015-2016 season, the attendees deserve so much more than the poor product they witnessed last year, and Shaw has instantly solidified himself as a fan favorite.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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