Habs Hits: Kassian Accident, Fleischmann Signs, Loss to Sens

There’s a lot going on as we near the kickoff of the 2015-16 NHL season. For the Habs, leading the way are Zack Kassian, Thomas Fleischmann, and the results from last night’s tilt with the Senators. Here they are in no certain order:

Zack Kassian Smashes Truck

It’s not what any Habs fan was hoping to see as a big hit from Zack Kassian, but he apparently had a hard time getting around yesterday after being involved in an accident. Our thoughts are with him and his passengers as he recovers from the accident and is apparently in the care of Montreal’s medical staff. He was noted by a witness as having a hard time walking:

"“(Kassian) was all bloodied up and stuff. He was in a daze,” a witness told the Gazette. “He had a hard time walking, and he almost took a fall.”"

If this has an impact on the start of his season it could open the door for another player to get a look early on. All we hope for is that it’s nothing serious and that he makes a full recovery before getting back into a game.

Thomas Fleischmann Earns Himself $750,000

Sep 28, 2015; Quebec City, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens right wing

Dale Weise

(22) celebrates his goal in a Pittsburgh Penguins empty net with teammate left wing

Tomas Fleischmann

(15) during the third period at Videotron Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

After many other teams walked away from the skilled forward, Fleischmann looked to Montreal as an option where he could earn himself a spot on the roster. Well, it worked out as he now fits in as a third liner and possibly an impactful part of the 2015-16 power-play.

Oddly enough, Fleischmann will wear #15, the same number worn as P.A. Parenteau who played an identical role for the Habs in 2014-15. And just for you historians out there, #15 was also worn by Habs great Maurice Richard in the 1944-45 season. He ultimately changed jersey numbers to #9 when his daughter, Henrietta, was born weighing in at 9 lbs.

We don’t expect Fleischmann to put on Richard’s #15 and become as great a scorer as he was. However, he did show a lot of chemistry with David Desharnais and Dale Weise this spring and has embraced his role on the third line. Hopefully this newly formed line will result in more scoring for the Habs overall and they’ll be able to take some heat off the other lines as a result.

Saturday Night Pre-Season Tilt:Habs 5, Sens 4

NATE-NATE-NATE!: Nathan Beaulieu, above all other Habs, wowed me in last night’s tilt. Not only was he the most productive Habs player on the stat sheet, but he consistently made great plays and gave us all a taste of what to expect this season. He led all Habs with 23:37 minutes played and 3 assists.

PP REIGNITED: The power-play scored twice in 4 attempts and looked great each time they had a shot. They controlled the play well, got great looks, and made the most of it. How many times were we able to say the PP was 50% effective last season? We’re looking for this success to continue into the regular season. Scoring on the PP were Dale Weise and Alex Galchenyuk.

GALCHENYUK FACEOFF FAILURE: Only Desharnais (46%) and Mitchell (50%) had decent days at the faceoff circle. The worst performance for face-offs was Galchenyuk who only won 29% of his draws, and close behind him was Tomas Plekanec who won a mere 37%. If the Habs want to be more effective this season they’re going to need much better performances from their top 2 centremen.

THE EMELIN WALL: It’s pre-season and Alexei Emelin is already sacrificing his body to stops pucks before they get to Carey Price. He led all skaters with 5 blocked shots and led the Habs in hits with 3.

Oct 3, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie

Dustin Tokarski

(35) makes a save on a shot from Ottawa Senators center

Kyle Turris

(7) in the third period at Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators defeated the Canadiens 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

TOKARSKI OR CONDON? If I was making the decision, Dustin Tokarski would be headed to St-John’s and Mike Condon would remain with the Habs. Force Tokarski to play his way back into the backup role by performing well in the AHL, something that would allow him to get more time in net and would also allow the Habs to get a long look at Condon. With the way he’s played, there isn’t much to lose for the Habs in this one. It’s close to a no-brainer.

SUMMARY: Although the score wasn’t what we wanted to see, the Habs outplayed the Sens all night long. They severely outshot the Sens and if Price had been in net, I’d bet they would have come out with the W. I’ll chalk this one up as nice-to-see moments in a game that displayed just how much potential this team has to exceed last season’s performance.

We’re going to present a season’s expectations tomorrow and hope that you all agree with our assessment that the Montreal Canadiens will be THE team to beat in 2015-16. Every single team playing in their conference knows that all games vs Price and company will be hard to win and that this team is playing for the Stanley Cup and nothing else. They’re ripe and ready to strike.

What are your thoughts on this season’s team? Is your outlook better, worse, or similar to last season?

Next: Montreal Canadiens: Are Therriens' Lines Set?

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