Canadiens vs. Flyers: Unlikely Heroes Lead Montreal to Victory

The Montreal Canadiens finally laced them up tonight to take on the Philadelphia Flyers with plenty of youth in the lineup.

Martin St-Louis isn't playing around this year, to be in the mix, you need to have the right ingredients and there's no point wasting time gathering those. While last year all the organization wanted to see was a progression, this year, there's got to be some results, enough to stay in contention for the playoffs for longer at the very least. Like the coach said this morning: playing with intent, with the desire to apply the teachings from camp started tonight, not on October 9. The coach thought his players delivered tonight:

What impresses me is how we won the game, not that we won it. We played the game tonight, it's a sign of maturity to take what the game gives you and play what's in front of you.

Later he added:

I was proud of the group tonight, the intent we had was within our collective plan, the things we've spoken about. I was also proud from an individual standpoint of the decisions they were making, they were doing what the game was asking from them.

The Canadiens sure seemed to have gotten the message over the last few days as they tried to bring their attack to the dangerous area, right in front of the net rather than on the outside throughout the first frame. Full marks for Oliver Kapanen and Lane Hutson in those 20 minutes. 

Kapanen created chances and was a nuisance for the Flyers' power play. Meanwhile, if rookies are often gun shy, Hutson certainly wasn't, trying to shoot at every opportunity he got aside from one, when he received a turnover higher up in the slot but elected to pass, to everyone's surprise. 

St-Louis had said he wanted to see reps from Patrik Laine and that's exactly what he saw in the first stanza, the big Finn getting his touches and lifting up the Bell Centre crowd spirit with some flashy deking. The crowd didn't even wait for that to welcome him to town though, they loudly cheered as soon as he first touched the puck.

Montreal was gifted a full 2-minute 2-man advantage but couldn't convert. Interestingly, on St-Louis' first power play unit, there was a single defenseman; Hutson joined by the top line (Laine, Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook) with Josh Anderson creating the screen in front of the netminder. 

The unit showcased good passing, but a successful power play hinges on being unpredictable. Having Laine in his office and always trying to set him up, might not be the best way to go, you have to mix it up for the play to work. This has been an issue with the Habs power play for a long time. Once upon a time, they were looking for Shea Weber's rocket of a shot from the blueline. Then, it became Caufield's one-timer and now, they're looking for Laine's. Hopefully, having Hutson there will help with that as he's keen on improvising...as long as he does it in good measures, he should be fine.

If the Dach, Laine and Newhook line struggled with timing in the scrimmages at camp, it's slowly coming together, both Dach and Laine got good scoring chances. Dach rung one off the post while Laine was robbed by Cal Petersen who had replaced Eeku Makiniemi in net halfway through the second frame. 40 minutes into the game, Kent Hughes' latest acquisition had four shots on net, the most by anyone on the ice at that point. He finished his night with fives shots on goal and four blocked or missed attempts.

Cayden Primeau spent the first 31 minutes in net and was flawless, stopping the 13 shots in received. The goaltender was calm, collected and tracking the puck very well. He also had an active stick to cut plays around his crease, he was fully in control.

While the top line created a lot of chances, it was the tireless work of the fourth line that created a goal. Jared Davidson had an active stick which allowed him to dispossess the Flyers in their own zone, he then fed Luke Tuch who wasn’t about to miss such a golden chance.

That wasn’t enough for Davidson though, he kept at it and lead the charge for the second goal which came early in the third period. In fact, the Canadiens started the final frame with purpose and within six minutes, they were leading 4-0. The game finished 5-0 for Montreal and while the result matters very little at this stage, it was a great way to start the preseason.

Jakub Dobes was less impressive than Primeau in the split start, but the end result was the same, the Habs goaltenders shared a shutout. 

Speaking of impressive, Oliver Kapanen showed just how good he can be and on both sides of the puck. He was used in all scenarios and he was able to shine all the way through. Is he good enough to steel a chair as the coach would say? It’s too early to tell but he certainly deserves another look or three. 

The Heineman, Kapanen and Barre-Boulet line had great chemistry and produced two beautiful goals on impressive passing plays, with Kapanen’s hard work making it all possible. St-Louis congratulated the scouting staff when asked about the young Finn's game, saying he didn't know him before.

Lane Hutson spent 21 minutes and 19 seconds on the ice tonight, more than anyone else on the team and he also quarterbacked the first power play unit. It didn't score, but the blueliner was a constant threat with the puck, thanks to his ability in one-on-one battles. 

Interesting moment in the coach's post-game presser, when asked about how excited the crowd got when Laine was taking the puck up ice, St-Louis couldn't wait until the end of the question before saying it reminded him how Guy Lafleur got the crowd excited back when he was a young fan. That same energy was also present in the building when Lane Hutson was working his magic, whatever happens this season, it at least looks like it will be an exciting one in Montreal. 

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