Habs Lose in Shootout, Tonight's lineup vs Chicago & Les Canadiennes (Habs)

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Habs Lose in Shootout, Tonight's lineup vs Chicago & Les Canadiennes

By Jennifer B Cutler

Sep 25, 2015 • 8:14 am

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The Montreal Canadiens lost to the Washington Capitals last night, 4-3 in a shootout. Internal training camp battles were on display and there were a number of positives to take from the game though. Some quick hits from the game:

- Alex Galchenyuk is going to be a work in progress at the center position. It will take time for him to get used to his added defensive responsibilities (like the missed assignment on the Capitals first goal) and he should be given as many opportunities as possible to work out the kinks on the ice, as well as study video. Lars Eller can certainly mentor him in the back end and that is one area in which Eller excelled at as a centerman.

- Galchenyuk, Eller and Alex Semin displayed some very nice chemistry. Forechecking hard and passing the puck to keep the cycle alive on numerous occasions. Galchenyuk’s goal was a the result of him stealing the puck and using Eller as a decoy on the 2 on 1. The Capitals defender blocked the passing lane and Galchenyuk’s hard shot was too much for goalie Braden Holtby to handle.

- Tomas Fleischmann is seemingly determined to win a spot with the Canadiens or elsewhere. He played hard all night and was involved in all facets of the game. His goal and assist were well earned and he looked good with David Desharnais and Dale Weise. Weise’s nice pass to Fleischmann on the goal reminded me of a few passes he had like that to Max Pacioretty last season. Talk about Weise has been very quiet during training camp but he is showing that he is still very much of value to the Canadiens.

- Jarred Tinordi had an opportunity to play with Tom Gilbert and I would say that both of them were okay but not great. Tinordi might make the right initial move but I find his 2nd decisions or reflexes not to be very strong. He will pinch in but then seems stuck, not sure if he should continue or go back to the point.

- Nathan Beaulieu on the other hand is coming as advertised. When he said that he was ready to step up and play a larger role he wasn’t kidding. He was paired with rookie Brett Lernout and they actually looked quite good together. Lernout has good speed for a big guy and was calm with the puck. Beaulieu was more involved offensively and in the 3 on 3 Overtime, he was the third defenseman used by Therrien after P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov. Beaulieu was also called upon to defend on the penalty kill in overtime, which would have been a rare occurrence the season before. It seems Beaulieu has officially passed Tom Gilbert on the depth chart and is inching his way towards the top 4.

- Mike Condon played very well the second half the game. He seems to track the puck quicker than Dustin Tokarski and is in the right position to make the save. Is a new training camp battle brewing over the backup goalie position?

- Michael McCarron impressed again. We know that he is a tough guy with a little bit of a nasty streak inside him, nothing wrong with that. However, 19 minutes of penalties is too much. He is young and trying to prove himself but he is much more valuable on the ice than spending a third of the game in penalty box. It will take some time but he will mature and learn to pick his battles. It can be a fine line for any player and self-control will be an important skill to learn.

- It took everyone by surprise in the shootout when Brian Flynn was called upon as the 3rd shooter. Yes he was 2 for 2 last season. However it was still surprising that Therrien didn’t reward Fleischmann for his strong game, or go with Semin against his former team. Eller as well would have been a decent option. It seems like the Canadiens management really like the versatility that Flynn brings as he is able to play all forward positions. I just don’t have in the Canadiens top 12 today.

Tonight is the 2nd game in three nights for the Canadiens and the lineup against the Chicago Blackhawks will look like:

After a night of watching Alex Ovechkin, fans will be disappointed that the Blackhawks are seemingly bringing their B squad to Montreal as there will be no Toews, Kane, Keith, Seabrook or even Montreal native Corey Crawford:

The good news for the Habs is that Max Pacioretty participated in practice again this morning and this time took part in some line drills, joining Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher. This line finished the season together last year and was the only effective one in the playoffs. Will Pacioretty be able to get into one exhibition game before the season starts?

Lernout is being rewarded for his strong game last night and will once again be paired with Beaulieu, this time playing on the 2nd pairing. It will be a good chance to see how he does with added responsibilities, perhaps seeing some time tonight on special team. Hudon is also playing again tonight and I thought he looked quite comfortable last night and tried to make things happen. Tonight he’ll play with Carr and Smith-Pelly and against a weak Chicago lineup, this line should be able to contribute.

In other news yesterday, the CWHL’s Montreal team were renamed the Montreal Canadiennes, reflecting the new partnership between the Habs and former Stars. This is great news for Women’s hockey. Being able to tap into the history of the Canadiens and use their marketing to help promote the game, should pay off dividends in Quebec where female participation in hockey is much lower than in Ontario. Les Canadiennes have a great team with Caroline Ouellette, Julie Chu and snagged Canadian Olympic hero Marie-Philip Poulin in this season’s draft, just to name a few. Whispers are already starting about Les Canadiennes eventually playing in the new facility being built in Laval.

Finally, a stick tap on the ice for Francis Bouillon who officially retired from hockey today:

Enjoy the game tonight!

Cheers and follow along

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