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In Hainsight: Close but no Cigar |
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Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
The Canadiens managed to score the first goal tonight and then were largely ineffective on the attack for the most part of 2 periods. After 40 minutes, they had only managed 10 shots of goals and most of the play took place in their own end. They came out fired-up for the 3rd though and managed to tie the game and take the lead, but a couple of turnovers and a pair of bad goals meant they lost their 3rd game in as many outings.
For the first two periods, it looked like the Habs were looking for the perfect play, the perfect angle and were downright shy of shooting, a shyness that thankfully went away by the 3rd. A few veterans stood out for me tonight, Brendan Gallagher looked like his best self out there, he’s healthy and he’s hungry, very hungry. The alternate captain has had a very bumpy and painful road for the last couple of seasons and he’s eager to prove he can still perform at a high level. Tonight, he went to the net, battled hard and was rewarded with a very Gallagher like goal when he batted the puck out of mid-air to tie the score.
Cole Caufield did what he does best again, unleashing 7 shots on goal and finishing his night of work with a goal and an assist. As good and as menacing as he can be though, the Canadiens’ power play needs to be less predictable, he cannot be the only threat out there, if he is, the unit becomes too predictable much like when the Habs were all about setting up Shea Weber for one of his patented rocket of a shot from the blue line.
Down the middle, both Dvorak and Kirby Dach had a good night in the face-off circle, the former winning 54% of his draws and the later 60%. Dach looked more engaged tonight and did grab an assist. As for Evgeni Dadonov, he had a good night until the very end when he committed a couple of turnovers that lead to the equalizing goal, and he deflected the game-winning goal behind Primeau.
Speaking of Primeau, there is not a shred of doubt in my mind that he needs to be left alone to develop in the AHL this season. His body language is quite telling when he gives up a goal and he plays very nervously. Riley Kidney and Joshua Roy weren’t all that noticeable tonight with limited ice-time and after the game, the Canadiens sent them back to their respective junior team.
On the blue line, Kaiden Guhle’s stock rose yet again tonight, the youngster scored the first goal of the game and dished out 7 bone-crushing hits in 16:30 of ice time. If Primeau belongs in the AHL, Guhle belongs in the NHL. He wasn’t the only one-man wrecking crew out there though, Arber Xhekaj also made his presence felt with 5 hits and showed himself to be a good puck distributor on the power play. At times, his enthusiasm led him to sin, and he was on the ice for 2 of the Jets’ goals, but overall, he had another good outing.
Finally, it might only have been a preseason game and the Bell Centre was far from full, but the atmosphere was rocking in the 3rd period. Say what you will about Canadiens’ fans, but they know their hockey, they know what this year is about, and they are embracing it. It’s not about winning, it’s about developing, and they are fine with it. The Canadiens now have 5 preseason games left, they’ll play Ottawa Saturday, Toronto on Monday and then Ottawa 3 times in a row before starting their season on October 12th against Matthews, Marner and co.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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