The Montreal Canadiens headed to Buffalo after today’s practice as they get ready to face the Sabres there tomorrow night. The Canadiens have suddenly become the darlings of the NHL as they bring their season opening 7 game undefeated streak to Buffalo. Eventually though, all good things must come to an end. Just don’t tell that to the Canadiens players, they are going to ride this out as long as they possibly can...
Last season the Buffalo Sabres were the Achilles heel to the Canadiens. The Habs simply could not get amped to play their division rivals, who happened to be the worst team in hockey. This year’s edition of the Sabres are remarkably different from the last. The Canadiens would do well not to fall into the trap of underestimating their opponent. Dan Bylsma is now behind the bench in Buffalo. Jack Eichel was the not-too-shabby consolation prize to the Sabres for losing the NHL Lottery Draft. This kid is destined to be a premier player in the NHL. Evander Kane who the Sabres acquired last season is finally healthy. In the off-season the Sabres traded for Ryan O’Reilly and extended him as well. They also traded for goalie Robin Lehner but unfortunately he got injured in the first game of the season. Just before training camp they signed Cody Franson to a very reasonable contract. Not to mention the development of Tyler Ennis as a 1st line forward and Rasmus Ristolainen emerging as one Buffalo's top defencemen. Sam Reinhart, their 2014 1st round pick also made the jump to the NHL this season. Big things were expected of this club but the loss of Lehner certainly stings. Through 6 games the Sabres have a record of 2-4, thanks to their shootout victory of Toronto on Wednesday night. 4 players are tied for the team lead in points with just 3 a piece. The Sabres have speed and weapons up front, but with a weak backend and journeyman Chad Johnson filling in (admirably enough) for Lehner, the Canadiens should be able to win this game so long as they stick to their own game plan.
Unsurprisingly, there are no changes to the Canadiens lineup against the Sabres, save for Michael Condon getting his 2nd NHL start. With back to back games this weekend and a western road trip coming up, this start for the backup goaltender was penciled in before the season even started. Until the Canadiens lose or a player has a truly awful game, Therrien is going to stick to his winning formula. Mike Condon was saying all of the right things after practice today. His calm, confident demeanor is reminiscent of Carey Price. He believes in himself and his teammates and coaches do as well.
"I feel good physically and mentally. I'm ready to play against the Sabres." - Mike Condon #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/oy9fHS6H9h
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 22, 2015"Nope, just another game," said Mike Condon regarding the pressure of keeping the streak alive.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) October 22, 2015If you didn’t catch this article on Condon from last Sunday’s Boston Globe, it is well worth the read. Of note, the Canadiens have already told him that he can already move out of the hotel and find permanent residence, that is how strong their faith is in him:
Holliston to Montreal, with a few stops in between. Mike Condon's path to becoming Carey Price's backup. http://t.co/i2cARYob3b
— Fluto Shinzawa (@GlobeFluto) October 18, 2015In Canadiens Prospects news:
- The Canadiens will have a prospect in each of the CHL’s games against Russia:
#Habs have a player from each league in CAN-RUS series.
QMJHL: Audette
OHL: McNiven
WHL: Juulsen https://t.co/OBB9WAC3fd
— Dan Kramer (@DanKramerHabs) October 21, 2015- Forward Daniel Audette has 21 points in 12 games for the Sherbrooke Phoenix, goalie Michael McNiven has a GAA of 2.21 and Save % of .931 for the Owen Sound Attack and 2015 1st round pick defenceman Noah Juulsen has 5 points in 4 games. As for the other Habs prospects in the CHL, Jeremiah Addison has 7 points in 11 games, Simon Bourque is at 7 points in 10 games and Matthew Bradley has 4 points in 7 games. Over in Europe, Arturri Lehkonen has been quite impressive with 9 points in 11 games for Frolunda in the SHL while Lukas Vejdemo has 2 points in 11 games for Djurgardens, also in the SHL. Forward Martin Reway has 15 points in 14 games for Sparta of the Czech League.
- The St. John’s Ice Caps beat the Binghamton Senators 3-2 in the 2nd game of their back to back last night. Darren Dietz, Daniel Carr and Mac Bennett scored for the Ice Caps as Zach Fucale stopped 40 of 42 shots for the win. Fucale is so far a perfect 2-0 to start his professional career, will he unseat Dustin Tokarski as well?
5 Questions heading into the Canadiens game against Buffalo:
1) While many are predicting this as a trap game for the Canadiens, I see this as an opportunity for them to prove that they can beat inferior team, something that they had much difficulty with last season. The Canadiens have not scored less than 3 goals through their 7 games so far this season. With the depth they have displayed, it is hard to imagine that Buffalo will be the first team to hold the Canadiens to two goals or less for the first time. The Sabres have indeed improved defensively and allowed the second fewest shots per game in the NHL. However, I still give the Canadiens the edge in this match up.
2) Which Canadiens line will stand out in Buffalo? Alex Galchenyuk played in his 200th NHL game this past Tuesday and recorded an assist. However, he didn’t have one shot on goal. Something tells me that will not be the case tomorrow night in Buffalo.
3) Which rookie will stand out in the game, Eichel or Condon? These players are familiar with each other as they are both from Massachusetts and have faced each other during Summer training.
4) Will former Sabres Torrey Mitchell and Brian Flynn score against their former teammates? This will be their first time playing their former team since they were acquired by the Habs at the trade deadline last year. I expect they will have an extra jump to their games…
5) The Canadiens continued to work on their powerplay with the units before the actual practice began. They say that practice makes perfect, so the Canadiens will start connecting with the man advantage with a little more consistency soon, right???
The puck will drop at 7pm in Buffalo on Friday night.
Cheers & Enjoy the game! Follow @Jenbcutler