Montreal Canadiens take on the Leafs main squad amidst trade rumours
By Omar L
The Montreal Canadiens were handed their first preseason loss on Monday but have a chance to bounce back from that lacklustre performance on the road.
The Montreal Canadiens last preseason game saw a team with the majority of its roster lose to the Toronto Maple Leafs AHL squad. Claude Julien sounded disappointed with the effort as it was a game the Habs should’ve clearly won. However, it’s tough to ask the team of mostly automatics for the NHL squad to get dialled in for something like that. This game will be different.
With Jake Evans, Josh Brook, Riley Barber, and Alex Belzile all being sent down to the Laval Rocket, it’ll likely be an NHL vs. NHL game. The only discrepancy will be in net.
The Habs announced after Monday’s game that Carey Price didn’t play due to a bruised hand. Julien didn’t say it was serious and that he should be available to play for Friday, but it likely means Keith Kinkaid gets the start.
Kinkaid made a number of key stops in his start for the Habs last week which was very reassuring for his role this season. Backing him up will be Lindgren who likely has another season of AHL hockey ahead of him.
Montreal Canadiens
Forward Lines
Artturi Lehkonen – Philip Danault – Brendan Gallagher
Nick Cousins – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Jordan Weal
Charles Hudon – Nick Suzuki – Jonathan Drouin
Philip Varone – Matthew Peca – Dale Weise
Defence Pairs
Victor Mete – Shea Weber
Brett Kulak – Cale Fleury
Karl Alzner – Mike Reilly
Goaltending
Keith Kinkaid
Charlie Lindgren
Fleury has done a lot of good things to warrant, making the team out of camp. He’s physical and steady enough to be a reliable option for Claude Julien on the bottom pair. Suzuki has continued his positive trajectory but is back at centre with Hudon and Drouin on his wing.
Drouin has been the centre of trade rumours when it comes to the Montreal Canadiens and his play in the preseason isn’t helping. It isn’t the real thing, but he still has a few more games to kick into a higher gear.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Forward Lines
Andreas Johnsson – Auston Matthews – William Nylander
Kasperi Kapanen – John Tavares – Mitch Marner
Ilya Mikheyev – Alexander Kerfoot – Trevor Moore
Dmytro Timashov – Frederik Gauthier – Jason Spezza
Defence Pairs
Morgan Rielly – Cody Ceci
Jake Muzzin – Tyson Barrie
Rasmus Sandin – Martin Marincin
Goaltending
Frederik Andersen
Joseph Woll
The Leafs likely have the lineup they’ll be running with throughout the season. 2018 first-round pick has impressed the coaching staff while free agent signing Mikheyev is producing positively.
Special teams will be the focus for both teams. The Habs and Leafs man advantage burnt out at different time last season and they’ll be hoping for some results if the ref’s arm is raised for either side. The Montreal Canadiens have the most to prove and even if they don’t score, seeing more puck movement and creativity will be reassuring heading into the new year.
Next. Three Potential Drouin Trades. dark