Alexander Radulov

Team Canada Wins, Habs Rookies Lose, by Andrew Saadalla

By Habs Talk

Sep 18, 2016 • 5:18 pm

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Carey Price, Shea Weber and Team Canada got off to an outstanding start to the World Cup of Hockey, defeating Tomas Plekanec and Team Czech Republic by a score of 6-0 on Saturday evening. In a one-sided game in which the Canadians dominated the Czechs, the three Montreal Canadiens players attempted to do their parts in helping their respective national teams start the tournament off on the right foot.

Team captain Plekanec had a difficult evening despite 19:49 of ice-time, third-highest on Team Czech Republic after former Calgary Flames defenseman Jakub Nakladal (21:41) and Arizona Coyotes’ Martin Hanzal (20:20). He won a disappointing 38% of his faceoffs and managed only a single shot and hit, looking relatively invisible for most of the game much like the rest of his teammates. After a successful pretournament which saw him score in every game, there was little he could do in order to light a fire under the Czechs. There was simply no solving a Team Canada that’s clearly bent on winning it all.

If a 6-0 shellacking proved anything, it’s that the Canadians won’t need Weber to provide the kind of power play production that characterizes the hulking defenseman. Hardly noticeable on the ice (which is often considered a good thing for blue-liners), the Habs’ new alternate captain played a steady 20:43, second-highest on Team Canada after Norris Trophy winner Drew Doughty’s 21:47. The former surprisingly did not register any hits but managed three shots on net, none of which seemed to bother Czech goaltender Michael Neuvirth. Still, he played sound, mistake-free hockey in front of his new teammate Price.

Named the second star of the game, Price has seemingly found his groove. While he occasionally seemed to lose sight of the puck with 6’6… forward Hanzal parked in front of his crease, he took away any ounce of jump that the Czech players had by stoning them twice early in the first period, the first save leading to a scoring chance on a Sidney Crosby breakaway. In stopping all of his opponents’ 26 shots, Price extended his international shutout streak to 224:19. His improved rebound control is a positive sign considering he struggled slightly before the World Cup officially began. The only thing left for him to work on now is how quickly he drops into the butterfly position, as his crossbar was there to bail him out during the second period. My guess is that we won’t be seeing any of that when the Canadians play Team USA on Tuesday night, as his confidence could reach its peak against a more skilled opponent.

4-3 loss for the rookies

In other news, the Habs’ rookies lost 4-3 at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night. Goaltender Zach Fucale had a difficult night, letting in two soft goals. Still, he demonstrated his athleticism by making this save:

Arrturi Lehkonen scored a goal and continued to show the skill and speed that potentially belongs in the big boys’ club this upcoming season, while Mike McCarron impressed by scoring yet another goal to tie the game at 3-3 with 7:48 left in the game:

Will Bitten also displayed his craftiness in setting Daniel Audette up with a goal and crashing the crease late in the game to try to get his team going, consequently drawing a penalty on the play:

Finally, fourth-round pick Victor Mete notched two assists, making him the fifth-highest scorer after two games played:

On Sunday, the Habs hopefuls will play against the Ottawa Senators to conclude the rookie tournament, and they’ll be back at practice on Tuesday and Wednesday before closing out the camp.

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