Oct 5, 2026 7:30 PM
The Montreal Canadiens returned to practice on Monday, and Martin St-Louis set out to address a recurring issue...
After a day off on Sunday, the Montreal Canadiens returned to the ice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard this morning, and they had a lot to do after their Saturday night performance against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The way the team played in the second period, surrendering four goals in that frame alone, isn’t exactly new. The Habs have mentally checked out in the second period more than a few times last season, and the coach hasn’t missed it.
Before practice got underway, however, Alexandre Carrier, Kaiden Guhle and Oliver Kapanen all appeared on the ice wearing regular jerseys. That suggested pulling Carrier out of Saturday’s game was a simple precaution. As for Kapanen, the coach confirmed he’s still day-to-day and that Guhle’s return timeline hasn’t changed. He was expected to miss four to five weeks when the injury was announced, which would mean a return somewhere between October 14 and 21. As for Ivan Demidov, he had a therapy day, and St-Louis wouldn’t say anything else about him.
The pairings at practice stayed the same: Mike Matheson played alongside Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson skated with Alex Carrier, and Jayden Struble played with Arber Xhekaj. As for the injured Guhle, he was taking reps with Adam Engstrom.
After practice, the bench boss explained what the Habs worked on in preparation for their home opener on Tuesday:
We did a bit of everything, but we needed to address our mindset in the second frames. We have to simplify things a bit more. We’re a team that likes to play in possession and in space, but that’s harder to do in the second frame. The bench is far, guys are tired, and their forecheck gets on you much quicker. It’s harder to play a possession game from the goal line to the blueline. We need to simplify things because we’re capable of being a good team. With a good forecheck, we can start in the o-zone and spend time there, and we’re dangerous when we do that, but we defend too much in the second frames because we crave possession too much between the goal line and the blueline. […] You’ve got to take what the game gives you, and it always gives you less space in the second frame.
The coach also gave a good assessment of the line formed by Juraj Slafkovsky, Alex Newhook and Ivan Demidov:
It’s a line that likes to go on the counterattack, but it’s not a league that will give counterattacks easily. They have to play the game that’s in front of you. It’s ok to go on the forecheck and put pucks in deep; counterattacks happen when the other team commits a turnover. Understand that. Don’t try to create a rush game; they want it too often and for too long, instead of playing a deeper game. Some nights, less disciplined, stubborn teams will give you a lot of counterattacks because they commit turnovers, but disciplined teams won’t give you any. Tomorrow [Tuesday], there won’t be a lot. Don’t be stubborn; play a deep game. It’s about playing an ordinary game, over and over. Trust that we can bring offense without being stubborn in seeking a rush game.
That’s a fair point from the coach, and as useful as Alex Newhook’s speed can be, he tends to turn on the jets at all times and enter the zone at speed, but there’s not always a play to be made. A big guy like Slafkovsky needs to remember that the speed and pace he brings aren't just for zone entries. His big body is an invaluable weapon on the forecheck, and when he uses it in that way, he can create plenty of opportunities. It all comes down to this: to win, you need to do the small things that aren't necessarily fun but are key to success.
St-Louis wouldn’t reveal his lineup for the upcoming game, but the lines at practice were as follows:
Caufield-Suzuki-Kreider
Slafkovsky-Newhook-Dach (filling in for Demidov)
Bolduc-Danault-Texier/Kapanen
F. Xhekaj-Evans-Anderson
This could mean Florian Xhekaj will be in the lineup tomorrow, and that if Kapanen and Demidov are available, Dach and Texier could sit, but we’ll have to wait and see on the day.
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