If the Montreal Canadiens are to eliminate the Carolina Hurricanes and make it to the Stanley Cup Final, they'll have to add some physicality to their game.
While the Montreal Canadiens did manage to take the Carolina Hurricanes to overtime in Game 2, they were severely outplayed for most of the game. Rod Brind’Amour’s men controlled the pace and had most of the puck possession, yet they still landed 46 hits to the Habs’ 16. That is not a recipe for success.
In their first two series against the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres, the Canadiens held their own when it came to physicality. That’s not the type of game they necessarily like to play, but they can play it when needed.
Josh Anderson, who scored the Habs’ two goals on Saturday night, didn’t have a single hit. That’s out of character for the power forward. Zachary Bolduc, who has shown that he can land some bone-crushing hits when the opportunity arises, only had one.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that Arber Xhekaj needs to be in the lineup. He would bring physicality, but he’s not well-suited to Carolina’s style of play. Jayden Struble did well in the first two games, has more speed than the gritty defenseman, and tends to make his reads faster. Furthermore, Struble led the team in hits on Saturday alongside Nick Suzuki, both had three. Meanwhile, Jordan Staal led the Canes in hits with 10.
However, it could be a good idea to bring Joe Veleno back into the lineup. He has proven this season that he can play gritty hockey. He was third on the team in the hits department during the regular season, landing 166 in just 61 games. Of course, if you want to bring Veleno in, you have to take someone out, and that’s likely to be Oliver Kapanen, who committed the turnover that led to the Canes’ game-winning goal in OT.
Will Martin St-Louis be willing to do that? When Kirby Dach committed a major faux pas in the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning and was vilified on social media, St-Louis refused to take him out of the lineup. The coach stuck with his player, who repaid his trust with a fantastic Game 3 performance, after which St-Louis said that he never gives up on a player who hasn’t given up on himself.
When the coach was asked about putting his fourth line on the ice for overtime, he became very defensive and clearly didn’t appreciate the question. It was, however, a question that many wanted to ask. Will he keep Kapanen in the lineup in order not to mess with his confidence? Scratching him, a rookie, is not the same as scratching Dach, a player whose contract is running out at the end of the season.
The Finn had 32 hits over 82 games this season, and the need for increased physicality is quite obvious. While he has more of a scoring touch than Veleno, he didn’t manage a single shot on net during his 10 minutes of ice time and had a minus-two rating. If the fourth-line mission becomes to bring physicality, Veleno is better suited to the task, and his wingers can handle the scoring when needed.
Whether the Canadiens practice on Monday or not, we’re likely to get a clue about the lineup when the healthy scratches take the ice. Watch this space for an update.
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.
Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here.