10 Thoughts – Citadelle of Quebec

In the second-to-last preseason game, the remaining group of training camp standouts on the Habs roster on Thursday night were looking to mandate further attention by the coaching staff. With most of the roster established, players like Florian Xhekaj and Joe Veleno needed to cement a distinct role for themselves with this performance. As Kirby Dach lined up against Dylan Cozens at the opening faceoff, even though it’s a preseason game, the Montreal – Ottawa rivalry is palpable and the elegant Quebec City feels the energy. This feeling would prove to be prophetic, as the two teams certainly embraced the rivalry and reinforced any grievances and animosity previously shared.

Montreal emerged victorious with five goals to Ottawa’s none. For the first half of the game, plays were exchanged nearly as frequently as fists were in the second. Unfortunately for the Senators, neither the goals nor the fights went their way, optically or practically. It may have been just a preseason game, but if this rivalry has shown us anything, it’s that these “differences of opinion” have plenty of continuity. Montreal next meets Ottawa on Saturday at the Bell Centre, and we can be sure to see the Senators’ leader making sure that the Canadiens know who to really square up with first on his team.

Starting Lines

Bolduc – Dach – Gallagher
Newhook – Kapanen – Demidov
Veleno – Beck – Laine
F. Xhekaj – Evans – Anderson

Matheson – Engstrom
A. Xhekaj – Hutson
Struble – Carrier

Dobes
Kahkonen

Ten Thoughts

1) The play was fairly balanced while zone control generally favoured Ottawa but Montreal got the better chances and shot count. Montreal consistently kept up the pressure in the first period, even though the balance of the game was statistically even. Each team got chances, but the Habs clearly carried the play. The second period was more sporadic, with penalties on both sides of the puck and jumbling of forward lines. Statistically, each team got shots and opportunities, however the Canadiens were dominant. With about six minutes remaining in the second period, three fights broke out.

2) The Montreal Canadiens have found a foundational component of their identity. They have immensely skilled players, to be sure, but everything is couched in the effort that the team puts forth as a unit. The “Brothers Xhekaj” as they will be likely called whenever playing together moving forward, more than made themselves felt. Both were ejected before the end of the game, but they represent a core component to the Canadiens’ development plan. The third period was choppy in its play, highlighted by the combativeness and continued offense from the CH. When the score devolved to 5 – 0, Ottawa began to dip into the bucket of shenanigans, employing malicious slashes and unnecessary roughing penalties by players trying to be memorable to their club. By the time the final buzzer waned, the Quebec City crowd was serenading the Senators off the ice and cheering their provincial neighbours.

3) Alex Newhook is looking to expand his repertoire of responsibilities this season, and tonight’s game was a case study in his versatility. On the ice, he often seems to glue his line together, especially with talented players such as Ivan Demidov and Zachary Bolduc. He retrieves dump-ins, carries the puck over the line himself, and clearly will play a vital role on this team if the CH expect to contend for a playoff spot again this Spring. It is not often we see flashbacks of previous grievous injuries, however, during the second period, Zachary Bolduc rode Ottawa’s Stephen Halladay into the rear stanchion, eerily similar to former Montreal Captain Max Pacioretty’s experience with Zdeno Chara. Over the course of the game, Kirby Dach played a well-rounded game and was able to involve himself in many elements of the dynamic NHL game. He took contact, threw hits, played solid defensively, beat out backchecks, and got on the scoresheet with an excellent bat-out-of-the-air goal. If he is able to return to his full capabilities and implement them consistently, this squad will not have the perceived weakness in the middle of the ice.

4) In the first period, Ivan Demidov brought the puck into the zone, dragging the defender with him only to curl up at the circle, drop the pass back, and establish the attack. The puck rotated to below the goal line, Kapanen found the soft spot in the slot, and received a glorious pass for his second goal of the preseason. Demidov made the entire play happen with his calm and poise with the puck, indicative of his growing confidence in face of the NHL’s physicality. Dach, during Montreal’s first power play, bobbled the puck after the zone entry pass was put into his feet mid-stride. As the penalty killers turned the puck up-ice, Dach reversed and was able to make a spectacular diving play and cut the 2-on-0 pass off right in front of his netminder, to the adulation of the Quebec City faithful. Lane Hutson continues to dazzle in the preseason; I’m not sure he ever actually looks at the puck from the time it reaches his stick to when it is already delivered to its next destination.

5) Olle Lycksell was called for holding a Habs defencemen late in the first, and Montreal’s attackers had a few shots and chances. Oliver Kapanen, again looks confident and poised on the power play. Not long after that ended, Arber Xhekaj got his stick into the hands of Fabian Zetterlund in front of Dobes, receiving a hooking penalty. Ottawa was able to control initially, however, the good work of Carrier to get into the passing lane allowed for an early clear. The remainder of the penalty followed suit, as solid fundamentals and work from the Habs stymied any advance from the Senators. On their second power play, Demidov laid a beautiful seam pass across the ice to Laine, who wired his patented shot past the Ottawa goaltenders to give the Canadiens a 2 – 0 lead. Even though this will be his rookie season, the young Russian winger has clearly established himself as a dominant force in that location during any pace of play in the offensive zone. All he needs to prove it to others is the statistical dominance that Laine has from his own “office”. Kapanen also took a hooking penalty, not dissimilarly to Xhekaj, but the Canadiens were able to kill it off without any quality chances against. During the end-of-period five-on-three advantage, Montreal worked numerous different angles and options, giving significant breadth to Demidov and Hutson to move with the puck and probe the defenses for gaps. Ottawa held strong and maintained their position for the most part, and the Habs’ young puck movers were not able to penetrate inside the coverage. Laine has also stepped up on that presumptive second unit, organizing positions with his communication and size, as well as calm intimidation that keeps defenders honest. The group was able to move the puck a lot, but Kirby Dach looked very out of place off to the side of the net and trying to tie up defenders’ sticks. He was present, and warranted zone coverage by the penalty killers, but did not feel it was threatening or ever as a real option to work the puck down to by Laine or Demidov.

6) During a 45-second sequence during the second period, the Demidov – Kapanen – Newhook group were able to steal the puck and dominate play, resulting in one of the Quebec City locals netting a top-shelf goal. Alexandre Carrier had about 15 feet of open ice, strode to the top of the circle. and put the Habs up 3–0. Ottawa was able to establish moments of fight and push back, however, once Carrier scored, the game certainly felt out of reach for the Senators.

7) With 3:06 remaining in the second period, three fights took place. The initial disagreement took place when Newhook received a high hit from Hayden Hodgson, resulting in Carrier sticking up for his teammate. Hodgson, down 3–0, looking to make an impression, effectively jumped Carrier and began delivering overhands and haymakers while Carrier shielded himself along the boards. After the altercation was cleared, and as players were milling about nearby to their benches, Montreal’s hammers of Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble began barking at the Senators players. Not to be dismissed, Ottawa has large men of action as well, namely Zack MacEwen and Jan Jenik. Struble gave Jenik a crosscheck to the chin, and Xhekaj successfully grabbed MacEwen to isolate behind his teammates. Much like Carrier, MacEwen did not remove his gloves or directly engage his combatant, however, Jenik did not emerge from his two-way scrap with Struble unscathed. Bloodied, with sore hands and dented helmets, all four players were removed from the ice before a 5-on-3 power play was awarded to the CH and play was able to resume.

7) Oliver Kapanen gets better and better with each outing in North America. Even dating back to last season, where he certainly looked unsure at times, he has always skated hard. Tonight was no different for his effort, but he was rewarded with both numerical production as well as numerous opportunities of his own creation. Last season, Kapanen struggled with gap control and using his body more to control the play as a centre; however, he has worked on this skill specifically. Furthermore, his performance in the faceoff circle, along with  Beck, Evans and, Dach allowed the Habs to organize themselves and establish an attack far more often than not over the course of the game.

8) With their game tonight, Florian Xhekaj, Owen Beck, Joe Veleno, Oliver Kapanen, and Adam Engstrom had perhaps a final chance this preseason to establish themselves as indispensable to the top squad. For each of them, the circumstances were clearly felt in their actions. Veleno had a D-to-D pass slip underneath him, and he immediately rushed to recover his position. Xhekaj (the younger) sought out and comported himself well during his fight in the first period, while Engstrom was steady and calm on the blue line throughout the evening. Impressions = Made.

9) Receiving his first full game of the preseason, Jakub Dobes looked big and confident in the net. He moved well side-to-side, and there were many net-crashes over the course of the game that Dobes needed to stay strong on his line for. At least so far, he seems to be swimming less in his crease. He had an excellent glove stop on Dylan Cozens during a half-break in the first period, but also had a shot just truck through his pads that required Brendan Gallagher’s quick hands to steal off the goal line. The Czech netminder stood tall in the second period at all times, and blanked the power plays and high-danger chances that the Senators were able to generate. This included a remarkable shoulder save, as the home jerseys were crashing the net and a bouncing puck needed his redirection at the last moment to prevent a goal. If Dobes doesn’t already do shoulder shrugs in the gym, I’m sure that save will put the idea in his head.

10) The Canadiens experienced veterans on the team for this game did their job, went fairly under the radar, and did not expose themselves with costly and lazy errors. Brendan Gallagher quietly finished the game with three assists, despite his relative inactivity during possession, and Anderson, Evans, Matheson, and Bolduc continued ramping up for the season. They got involved with the physicality of the game, but did not overextend themselves or directly involve themselves in the antics in the second period. All in all, an excellent conditioning game for the veterans.

HW Habs Three Stars

First Star: Lane Hutson (1g, 1a, +1, 3 shots) once more dominated and controlled the flow of the game from the opening faceoff. He is not alone in his defense corps, but is also inspirational for his teammates, as Matheson, Struble, Engstrom, and the rest take cues from his play and have begun mimicking some behavior. If this practice takes hold, imagine the cohesion the defence could operate with.

Second Star: Ivan Demidov (0g, 2a, +1, 2 shots, 0 hits) played a high-end game that combined physicality and his talent. Demidov took multiple slashes, hits, and runs, but emerged more confident and made even more plays. His pass to Laine was a stunner, and he shows a toughness aligned with the team’s spirit that will only serve him moving forward in his career.

Third Star: The Brothers Xhekaj (0g, 0a, 0 shots, 31 combined PIMs ) These two will be fan favourites as long as they are given a roster spot on this hockey club. Not only their story, but their authenticity on the ice is captivating for watchers and inspirational to their teammates. While they may not have impacted the game directly on the scoresheet, there was very little doubt about their meaningfulness to the dynamic of the game. This is the standard of play against the Canadiens, either fight through it or they will push through you.