Beck And Reinbacher Score In Their Return With The Laval Rocket

Injuries to Florian Xhekaj and Mike Matheson led the Montreal Canadiens to call up Owen Beck and David Reinbacher, but neither got much of an audition. Beck got a couple of games before Oliver Kapanen returned to the lineup, while Reinbacher played only one game despite spending a full week with the big club.

The Canadiens sent both back down to the Laval Rocket after the Canadiens’ 4-3 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks. The move made sense since neither skated in that game, and the Canadiens had Wednesday off. It let them both see some in-game action as the Rocket hosted the Syracuse Crunch that night.

Canadiens Leaders Are Not Mincing Words
Canadiens Have A Big Event Looming And A Big Decision To Make
Canadiens’ Dobes Spoils A Good Effort With Big Mistake

Unsurprisingly, both players were dressed when the puck dropped at Place Bell. Daniel Jacobs’ men gave up the game’s first goal with less than a minute left in the first frame, but Kaapo Kahkonen stopped every other shot. The lead didn’t last long, though, as Reily Walsh tied the score early in the middle frame before Sasha Pastujov gave Laval the lead 10 minutes later. On that goal, defenseman Luke Mittelstadt got his 10th assist of the season. The 23-year-old currently leads the league in points with 14 in just seven games.

After Walsh scored his second of the game in the final frame, Beck notched an empty-netter to make it 4-1, and Reinbacher added the fifth and final goal. The Rocket lead the North Division and the Eastern Conference and rank second overall in the league. That’s remarkable, given that they’ve been without Adam Engstrom, Jacob Fowler, Beck, and Reinbacher for several games.

The Rocket currently has four players in the league’s top-12 scorers: the aforementioned Mittelstadt; Walsh is sixth with 10 points in seven games; Laurent Dauphin is eighth with 10 points in seven games; and newcomer Pastujov is twelfth with nine points in seven games.

It remains to be seen whether Jacob will be able to count on Fowler soon when Samuel Montembeault returns from injury, but given the American’s performance since being called up, it would be surprising to see him sent back down. So far, he has outplayed Jakub Dobes and shown he deserved to play in the show.

As for Beck and Reinbacher, it’s probably in their best interest to stay in Laval for now and get more playing time. Many injuries over the years have hampered Reinbacher's development, and more action will help. Like the blueliner, Beck is caught in a bit of a logjam with the big club and has found himself on the fourth line with Jake Evans and Kirby Dach. With limited minutes, a player can only do so much, but he came close to scoring in his last game with the Habs, hitting the post. He's one of the unluckiest players of all time; he hits the iron far more often than most players. It’s also tough to make a name for yourself when you’re on a line with no clear identity. 

As things stand, Martin St-Louis doesn’t seem to know how to use Kirby Dach, who has top-six potential but plays like a bottom-six player wherever you put him and doesn’t carry the same physical impact as some of his teammates, which doesn’t make him an ideal linemate. Earlier today, the Habs called Beck back up after the Nick Suzuki injury news. Reinbacher, however, has had no such luck, which likely means Mike Matheson is nearing a return. 

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.