Montreal Canadiens Open the Preseason With a 3-2 Loss to Boston

The Montreal Canadiens opened up their preseason Monday night with a loss to the Boston Bruins. Some stood out while others “stood out”.

First off, let’s all remind ourselves that it’s only the preseason. The importance of these games are to track the development of younger players against NHL talent, and to look for any improvements from players on the main roster. That being said, it sucks to see the Montreal Canadiens lose.

It wasn’t the complete roster of course. The top two lines are probably ones that we’ll actually see on a regular basis next season. The other were made up of players expected to play in the AHL but hoping to impress the coaching staff.

This game not only gave insight to some of the players in the organization, but also what’s to happen around the league. There were a lot of penalties called (not an exaggeration). Most slashing, but also this new face-off violation rule floating around. Let’s just say both teams saw a lot of each other’s special teams.

Unfortunately, at the end of regulation, the Montreal Canadiens fell short.

Related Story: Preview of Bruins Game

Thoughts and Observations

The Montreal Canadiens in the beginning of the game found trouble establishing time in the Bruins’ zone. Partly because of all the penalties, but also because they couldn’t clear the neutral zone. Ironically, one of their best shifts was after the penalty to Jacob de La Rose expired.

He along with Andrew Shaw and Phillip Danault sustained some significant pressure. We can probably blame the early lapses on some cobwebs among the players because the team came out much stronger in the second.

Montreal found the scoreboard quickly twice in the second. Both goals looked fairly similar. The first came off a weak backhand shot by Joseph Morrow in front of the net. Fortunately Brendan Gallagher was doing what he does best and was tied up with another Bruins player, but was still able to deflect the shot into the net.

The Canadiens’ second goal came minutes after, again from an initial shot on net. Michael McCarron send a shot on net which was turned aside by Bruins goaltender Malcom Subban (ya I know). The rebound went right out to Jèrèmy Grègoire, who was heading to the net, off his skates and in to put Montreal up 2-0.

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Back to Morrow for a bit, his play on the first goal was one of a few examples of good things he did at the start of the game. Claude Julien mentioned that he may have some untapped potential, and Habs fans definitely got the sight of that. Unfortunately, that didn’t last too long.

The whole team didn’t look too well on Boston’s first goal, but it all started from a Morrow turnover behind the net. It also didn’t help that Jesse Gabrielle was left all by himself to receive the pass. Alex Galchenyuk also had a turnover that led to a goal. It was on the power play as Galchenyuk’s cross ice pass was picked up by Tim Schaller who rifled a hot over then goaltender Zachary Fucale.

It wasn’t all bad though. Galchenyuk looked a lot better in the third period and was way more noticeable. Brett Lernout was probably the best player on the ice for the Montreal Canadiens. He was skating well, physical, and broke down a lot of plays with effective hits.

Additionally, he had a heavy shot that hit the post. We’re all focused on Victor Mete and Noah Juulsen (who had an alright game), but Lernout is making a strong to make the team as well.

The Montreal Canadiens will play the Washington Capitals next on Wednesday. We can probably expect to see Jonathan Drouin make his preseason debut that day.

Next: We Underestimated Victor Mete

What did you think of the game? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!