Freshly back from Quebec City, the Montreal Canadiens took to the Bell Centre ice this morning for a morning skate in readiness for their last preseason game against the Ottawa Senators. After the previous meeting between the two sides turned into a boxing match rather than a hockey game, there were a few question marks about the lineup both coaches would choose to deploy.
Since the Quebec City tilt on Tuesday, the Sens have traded Zac MacEwen, one of the masterminds of the shenanigans, to the New Jersey Devils in return for Kurtis MacDermid, another enforcer, who’s expected to make his debut with Ottawa tonight.
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More than a few sighs of relief should be heard around town today after Martin St-Louis confirmed that he will be resting rookie Ivan Demidov. The young Russian was the victim of a dangerous slash on Tuesday night, and while there was no harm done, he was on the ice with his teammates this morning, skating alongside Alex Newhook and Oliver Kapanen. Questioned about his decision not to play the line, the coach explained:
I think the Kapi, Newie and Demi line has shown me enough, so we’re allowing other players to show what they’ve got.-
At this stage, nothing is set in stone, but just like at the Centre Videotron, Kirby Dach will be playing alongside Brendan Gallagher and Joe Veleno. While that’s not a combination many saw coming, it seemed to be working well on Tuesday, and the pilot had kind words for the alternate captain:
We try to make all of our players predictable for their linemates. Gally’s predictability makes life easier for his linemates. I think he makes a lot of direct plays, which helps, especially for a player who hasn’t played a lot, like Dach. He’s coming back, and more predictability can only help.-
There’s no denying that Gallagher plays a simple game; he always has and he always will, but what’s more is that he’s a good soldier who always follows the game plan and gives a full effort. In that sense, he’s the perfect player for someone who is craving predictability.
Gallagher may not be as fast as he once was, but the fact that he can still be used to jump-start a line is a testament to how liable a player he remains, even though he’s about to embark on his 14th season.
The fans heading to the Bell Centre tonight will still see a fairly full lineup from their favourites, the lines and pairings being:
Cole Caufield-Nick Suzuki-Juraj Slafkovsky
Veleno-Dach-Gallagher
Josh Anderson – Jake Evans- Patrik Laine
Florian Xhekaj-Owen Beck-Samuel Blais
Kaiden Guhle-Lane Hutson
Jayden Struble-Noah Dobson
Arber Xhekaj-Adam Engstrom
At the time of writing, there are no indications about who the Senators will be dressing when they step on the Bell Centre ice tonight. When St-Louis was asked if anybody had reached out to the Senators to find out what to expect, he replied, "No."
While St-Louis said he had seen enough of the Kapanen, Newhook and Demidov line, it seems clear he had elected to protect the organisation’s prized prospect rather than throwing him to the metaphorical wolves. The fact that he has chosen to dress both of the Xhekaj brothers makes it relatively clear that he believes there could be some rough stuff tonight.
For Kapanen, it’s good news not to be dressed tonight. St-Louis was clear about having seen enough of what he could do, and he described him in this way:
I think he’s got the potential of being a complete player. I think he’s a guy that could kill, could play the power play, but I feel his offensive game is going to keep evolving, just because he’s going to get more confident with the pace, the cues, and that’s a normal path for a player of this type. I don’t think his offensive game is the reason why he got games last year, and the kind of camp he’s had, I think his all-around understanding of the game is his ticket to get inside. After that, I’m sure his offensive game is going to keep evolving. Still, he’s not going to be the guy that’s going to evolve his offensive game at the expense of the stuff that brought him inside the door going down; he’s not that kind of player. He’s very responsible.-
In other words, for St-Louis, Kapanen is a hockey player, not just someone who plays hockey, and that’s what the bench boss wants on his team. Things are not looking quite as good for Laine, though. He started camp on a line with Dach and Demidov, but he’s bounced around since then, and the coach is still concerned about how he plays at even-strength. He knows exactly what the big Finn can bring on the power play, but he’s yet to see what he wants to see at five-on-five.
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