The Montreal Canadiens came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Boston Bruins 4-3 in an exhibition game Tuesday night at the Centre Videotron in Quebec City. With the NHL preseason winding down and the final cuts yet to be made, bubble players knew that they were running out of time to impress Canadiens management and make general manager Marc Bergevin’s final roster decision as difficult as can be. By the end of the night, a number of Canadiens had impressive performances which bodes well for team chemistry.
After his strong effort against the Bruins, I think it is now safe to say that Artturi Lehkonen has made the Montreal Canadiens and will not return to Frolunda in Sweden. It would take an inexplicable terrible final week of camp not to make the roster. Lehkonen has proven that he is a smart player in both ends of the ice, thinks the game well and gets involved. His versatility by playing on the penalty kill as well makes him a more desirable player to have on the roster. He has had numerous scoring chances through the preseason and it was only a matter of time until he found the back of the net. With his goal on Tuesday night, he finally got the monkey off of his back and demonstrated his quick release and goal scoring touch:
Lehkonen game-tying goal pic.twitter.com/7kECWD18US
— Stephanie (@myregularface) October 5, 2016
Alexander Radulov delivered a perfect pass to Lehkonen on the goal in his return to Quebec City. He may very well end up being Bergevin’s most important off-season acquisition as the Canadiens were in absolute need of supplementary scoring. The most impressive aspect of Radulov’s game thus far is just how hard he is working, shift after shift. He hustles to chase down an icing call, he is strong on the boards, he is there to help his defence. Radulov thinks the game at a higher level and having smart players like Lehkonen and Tomas Plekanec as linemates should very well lead to success in the regular season.
As nice as Lehkonen’s goal was, Daniel Carr topped it with what just might end up being the nicest goal of the season:
Carr GWG for the Habs pic.twitter.com/TXmi5WYeoh
— Stephanie (@myregularface) October 5, 2016
I don’t think anyone expected those type of moves from Carr. The majority of his goals come from doing the dirty work. Pretty goals like that make Carr that much more valuable to the team. The Canadiens need offence and they will need contributions from each line line in order to enjoy success. The cannot afford to leave goals in the press box and that is why Carr has the edge over Andrighetto in terms of making the Canadiens opening night lineup and roster.
Michael McCarron made a nice play and pass to Carr on the goal but chances are he will start the year in St. John’s. He should not be the team’s 13th forward and sitting in the press box. He needs to play game in and game out in order to further his development. I have little doubt that McCarron is ready to play in the NHL today. However for better or worse the Canadiens seem to be committed to David Desharnais starting the season as the team’s third line center. In his postgame press conference, Therrien alluded to promoting Danault to the third line as an in game adjustment to have a little more speed with Desharnais and Andrew Shaw. I had hoped that it was the other way, that it was a promotion for McCarron to play with Carr and Shaw. In reality, the third and fourth lines were blurred as Brian Flynn left the game early with a neck injury. Carr-McCarron-Shaw is my ideal 3rd line and I believe that eventually this will become a reality.
Sergachev had another strong game for an eighteen year old defenceman and there is much of his game to like. His speed, size and skating are all NHL ready. His calmness and poise with the puck is impressive, especially in the offensive zone. He still needs a little work in his own end and while he could play in the NHL this season, it would likely be to his benefit (and the Canadiens) for him to go back to Windsor in the OHL and dominate at the junior level and at the world junior championships.
The first line was led by Alex Galchenyuk and he had by far his best game of the preseason. His timing may have been a bit off in the first half of the game but the effort and positioning was there. He is committed at both ends of the ice and it shows. Galchenyuk’s powerplay goal was reminiscent of his goals from the end of last season:
Rask had no chance on this Galchenyuk blast. Expect Galchenyuk to score quite a few goals from there this year. pic.twitter.com/367QAmJrD3
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 5, 2016
Perhaps most interestingly, Galchenyuk continued to play on the penalty kill despite Therrien having other options in the lineup. Earlier in the preseason it was thought that he was on the PK because the Canadiens were not dressing inexperienced rosters. It appears that they are going to continue experimenting with giving Galchenyuk added responsibility which should only help further his development as a complete player. Also of note, he along with Nathan Beaulieu were out for the final faceoff in the defensive zone with 10 seconds left to play in the game and the Bruins net empty. It is indicative of where each player is in terms of the Canadiens depth chart but the greater test will come in the regular season.
It was a hot and cold night for veteran Andrei Markov. In the offensive zone, he displayed his usual skill and crisp passess, highlighted by his primary assist on Jeff Petry’s powerplay goal. Unfortunately, he was also the reason for a shorthanded goal as Austin Czarnik blew right by him. His lost step is obvious and the Canadiens will need to monitor his minutes very closely. Markov will need to readjust his game as while he still thinks the game at a very high level, his body and legs are having trouble keeping up with his natural instincts and brain. That he was not out on the ice with 10 seconds left suggests that the coaching staff have lost a certain level of confidence in him.
The Canadiens will host their final preseason game on Thursday at the Bell Centre against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Shea Weber and Carey Price will likely be making their season debut as they are now back with the team following their World Cup win.
Cheers & follow along! Follow @Jenbcutler