The CN Sports Complex in Brossard was absolutely packed on Friday, as word spread that Ivan Demidov and the second line would be taking on Nick Suzuki and the first line in the second day of scrimmages at the Montreal Canadiens’ camp. There was a surprise in store, however, as Kirby Dach, who was part of the group scheduled to play yesterday, jumped on the ice early for the 9:15 practice, indicating that he wouldn’t be playing.
Group B soon joined Dach on the ice and was put through the same practice as Group A experienced the day before. A skating-heavy session with an emphasis on defensive play throughout the ice, not just in the defensive zone. Just like the day before, the intensity level was high, and Owen Beck found out when he was hit by Arber Xhekaj and lost his helmet. The youngster skated away, checking his face for blood, but escaped unscathed.
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After the practice, Group A and C jumped on the ice for a game with Oliver Kapanen centering Patrik Laine and Demidov. It was an opportunity for the Finn to show what he could do playing with such a talented forward, and the chemistry between the three linemates improved as the game went on. Demidov’s stickhandling was impressive if not surprising, but Laine’s increased speed and mobility were. He had said the day before that the best version of himself was a guy who has his legs and skates a lot; clearly, he meant it. He even managed to pick other players’ pockets a couple of times on the forecheck, showing that he had understood the assignment.
The line eventually produced a goal when Demidov fed Laine in front of the net, and he unleashed a one-timer against which Jacob Fowler had no chance. To get in space behind the net, the young Russian mystified Noah Dobson, who was overtaken in a flash and left to chase him.
It wasn’t the most spectacular line on the attack in the scrimmage, though, nor were Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky; it was actually the Vinzenz Rohrer, Alex Belzile, and Joshua Roy that stole the show, producing three of Group C’s four goals. For a second day in a row, the Saint-Georges native skated with a lot of hustle, and he was rewarded with a couple of goals, one of which he only had to tap in on the doorstep and the other on an odd-man rush thanks to a great setup by Rohrer. The leaner version of Roy is much faster, making it easier for him to get into space. Battles by the boards may be a bit tougher due to the loss of weight, but he plays with a lot of purpose.
Kaiden Guhle looked good in the contest as well, taking plenty of shots on goal and eventually, one of them found its way behind Fowler. Joseph Dunlap scored Group A’s last goal, pouncing on a Lane Hutson shot’s rebound. With the score tied at 3-3, Darick Louis-Jean sent Caufield on a breakaway, who beat Ben Gaudreau, who was in the net for the second frame.
Speaking to the media after the scrimmage, coach Martin St-Louis dismissed the idea that the team was being cautious with Dach by not playing him in the scrimmage, explaining that they were sticking to the established plan. While he said he wasn’t sure if the plan included playing preseason games, he then added, “Yeah, he’ll play some”. The bench boss wants his troops to be ready this season, and getting the reps and playing with intensity is a crucial part of that.
Speaking about the intensity of proceedings, the coach said:
It starts now, you know, yesterday. I think the compete level out there, the pace of play is very high, and I feel like it’s still, I wouldn’t say safe, but you know there’s physicality, but guys aren’t hitting guys in vulnerable positions and stuff but it’s very close to what it should look like. I feel like if you take all those reps like that, I think you raise the percentages of having a good start.- St-Louis on the intensity level
For a player who’s asked to play with physicality like Slafkovsky, I wondered if it was hard to play his game at training camp, facing his own teammates, and he replied:
Why wouldn’t I hit them as much as I do in the season? I mean, they expect everyone to go hard, even though we’re teammates, we expect the guys to go hard, hit, and everything. I feel like everyone goes almost as hard as when we play against someone else.- Slafkovsky on playing the right kind of game from the start
Anyone who’s been in Brossard will tell you that the hits aren’t as heavy as they are in regular games, certainly not against the roster players in any case, but clearly, Slafkovsky won’t let that get in the way of his getting ready for the season.
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