Montreal Canadiens: Will Bitten’s breakaway skill makes him a true threat
Montreal Canadiens prospect Will Bitten has displayed the ability to hurt opponents on the breakaway this season, and it came up in last night’s Game 3 win.
Last night’s game between the Hamilton Bulldogs and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds was more open than the previous two. The final tally had the Bulldogs walking away with the victory with a one-goal lead, but a total of 11 goals were scored in the process. Both coaches may not be fans of the relatively loose playing style, but Hamilton and Montreal Canadiens prospect Will Bitten are now two wins away from a championship.
Speaking of Bitten, he joined in the fun offensively during the team’s 6-5 victory. Joe Carroll of the Greyhounds scored in the opening minutes of the game, but the Bulldogs quickly responded with three goals of their own. One of which came from the Habs 2016 third-round pick.
Bitten received the pass from Matthew Strome and took off getting past Jacob LeGuerrier in the process. All that was left for the 19-year-old to do was beat goaltender Matthew Villalta which he did scoring top shelf for his fourth of the playoffs to give Hamilton a 3-1 lead.
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Bitten has seemed to find a niche for himself when it comes to breakaways. His last goal in the series against the Kitchener Rangers was also on the breakaway, but that time shorthanded. There was a stretch, however, when the 1v1 opportunities with another team’s goaltender wouldn’t result in a goal, but there’s plenty of evidence of Bitten’s skill with the puck.
In some ways, his play is reminiscent of Paul Byron on the Montreal Canadiens. Byron has proven to be a consistent goal-scorer for the Habs since the 2016-17 season and has had his fair share of breakaways thanks to his explosive speed and acceleration. He’s also one of the team’s most defensively responsible forwards trusted to play in key situations for the Habs including the penalty kill.
Bitten has the signs of being just as effective if not more down the line, but he’ll have to transition that aspect of his game to the next level. Odds are that starts next season with the Laval Rocket.
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For now, Bitten’s journey to the J. Robertson Cup is the focus at the moment. Whatever comes afterwards will be up to him.