It was only a preseason game but on Saturday David took on Goliath heads on as the Montreal Canadiens 4th line, Al Montoya and the St. John’s Ice Caps overcame an NHL heavy Ottawa Senators team and won 3-2 in overtime. The Canadiens are expected to trim their training camp roster considerably on Sunday as the Ice Caps will shortly open their training this week. For most of those that played on Saturday, it was likely a final opportunity to impress management and attempt to extend their stay in Montreal. The full lineup was:
L'alignement d'aujourd'hui à Ottawa. / Today's lineup in Ottawa. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/m3o4Av1gJw
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 1, 2016
Vs. the Senators lineup of:
Forwards:
Mike Hoffman-Kyle Turris-Phil Varone Ryan Dzingel Derick Brassard Bobby Ryan Tom Pyatt Jean-Gabriel Pageau Mike Blunden Nick Paul Chris Kelly Matt Puempel
Defence:
Matt Bartkowski Codi Ceci Thomas Chabot Chris Wideman Erik Karlsson Matt Borowiecki Michael Kostka
Goaltender: Andrew Hammond Matt O'Connor
Paul Byron continued his strong training camp by scoring the opening goal just 37 seconds into the game and added an assist on both the game tying and game winning goals. General manager Marc Bergevin rewarded Byron last Spring with his first multi year contract, signing him to a 3 year deal worth $3.5 million USD. So far he is proving that he is worth every penny. If he is able to keep up this high level play, the Canadiens might very well risk losing him at the Las Vegas expansion draft next June. Byron’s speed is by far his best attribute. While only 5’7…, he is a smart player who looks very comfortable in every situation. The stability of playing with Phillip Danault and Torrey Mitchell through camp seems to have helped all three players although Mitchell had to leave the game due to injury in the first period and did not return:
Here's what happened to Mitchell. pic.twitter.com/vjAuZzOmkr
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 1, 2016
Brian Flynn replaced Mitchell for the rest of the game and the move paid dividends when he scored the tying goal with the goalie pulled for the extra attacker:
Danault ---> Byron ---> Flynn
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 1, 2016
Tie game. pic.twitter.com/GaNXPIeNyF
The extent of Mitchell’s injury should be known in the coming days. While any missed time could open the door for a young player such as Michael McCarron to start the season with the Canadiens, in all likelihood Flynn will continue to center the 4th line for the time being.
Despite letting in 2 goals, Al Montoya cemented his spot as Carey Price’s backup. He had little chance on Mike Hoffman’s perfect shot and Kyle Turris was left uncovered in front of the net on Ottawa’s second goal. The Senators should have ran away with the score considering the lineup that the Canadiens put forth but Montoya held the fort and provided his teammates the opportunity to stay in the game and comeback to win. His veteran presence was especially a big boost to the young defence who had very little NHL experience.
Of the young players, it's possible that Michael McCarron may be the only one to stay with the Canadiens. He is certainly the most NHL ready of all of the young players and while many would like to see him start the year as the 3rd line center, David Desharnais seems to have a firm grip on that position.
Based on their play thus far in training camp, Charles Hudon and Stefan Matteau are neither here nor there. Both players have not done enough to stand out. I fully expect that both of them will see action with the Canadiens at various points in the upcoming season but they have not outplayed anyone to earn a roster spot. Nikita Scherbak has to still get stronger on the puck and I feel that he needs to dominate in the AHL before he can earn a spot with the Canadiens. These players would have needed to outplay Daniel Carr and/or Sven Andrighetto and none of them have come close to doing so.
Artturi Lehkonen will likely stay through the end of training camp as the Canadiens need to see him in action as much as possible to determine if they would like him to stay or go back to Frolunda in Sweden. Hopefully a line of him with Tomas Plekanec and Alexander Radulov will play in the coming games as it is a great opportunity for him to play in Andrew Shaw's supposed spot whille he serves the remainder of his suspension.
On defence, Mikhail Sergachev will likely be the only one to stay with the team as Noah Juulsen will be sent back to junior while the rest of the players not on one way contracts will head to St. John's. Juulsen has quietly had a very strong camp and his future continues to look bright. He should be a solid, steadying force for the Canadiens in a few year's time. The focus will shift towards the defensive pairings and chemistry, especially with Shea Weber and whomever the coaches decide to try him with.
Carey Price and Weber are expected to join the team on Monday.
The Canadiens face the Maple Leafs Sunday night in Toronto and the lineup should have quite a few more real NHL players.
I’ll likely be offline for the next few days and so a Shana Tova to all celebrating!
Cheers & follow along! Follow @Jenbcutler