Montreal Canadiens: The pros and cons of this early season break
By Omar L
The Montreal Canadiens have had a fairly lengthy break early in the year and as good as that appears to be, there could be some downsides to it as well.
The 2018/19 NHL regular season is a week old today, and this rendition has seemed a little weird so far. One thing that’s stood out is the schedule. Part of it has to do with the games played overseas in Switzerland, Sweden, and Germany involving the Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils. But the deployment of games has seen some teams, including the Montreal Canadiens, sit out for a while.
The Habs haven’t played seen any on-ice gameplay for going on four days. It’s odd to have such a break early on as there’s still another day left before the team’s home opener against the Los Angeles Kings.
On the surface, this seems like a good thing. The Canadiens have played an effective level of hockey so far combining their speed and forechecking ability to cycle to puck downlow and generate scoring chances. Additionally, they’ve gotten solid performances from the newcomers on the team in Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Max Domi, and Tomas Tatar.
Rest should always be welcomed during the year. The Habs did play a decent amount of preseason games and players on the team who constantly pay the price to execute could use the extra ‘R and R’. At the same time, it gives players like Jacob de La Rose who is still inching towards a return more time to get ready before the team plays.
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That said, it would’ve been even better if it was during the season. Montreal has another break like this in December after their game in Vegas against the Golden Knights which will be the second time they see former captain Max Pacioretty on the other end of the ice. At that point, the team would’ve had 37 games under their belts, and with US Thanksgiving coming up, we’d get an idea of where they were relative to the rest of the Atlantic Division.
The downside of this early break ties into the way the Habs have played. There is value in momentum and flow. Montreal has brought it in back-to-back games and continuing that train would’ve been easier if the games continued to pile on. Of course, that’s what comes with being a professional.
The Montreal Canadiens will return to their usual one-two day breaks next week. It’ll be a good way for the coaching staff to extend the experimental leash they’ve laid out on the roster so far. Kotkaniemi is two games deep and has another seven before management needs to make a decision. Tomas Plekanec and Karl Alzner remain on the outside looking in and based on the way the Habs have played; things may stay that way.
Matthew Peca will need to keep things going for himself as well. JDLR has been skating for the last few days, and his return from injured reserve will force a roster move.
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This break won’t be an excuse for the Montreal Canadiens to falter from how they’ve performed. The same goes for Carey Price who has been solid. Hopefully, they hit the ground running and pick up from where they left off in front of the thousands of fans at Bell Centre.