Positives and negatives for the Montreal Canadiens to grow and correct

4) Very Good – Nick Suzuki

The Montreal Canadiens need to find a way to give Suzuki more ice. His creativity was on display, and it’s something the Habs can use to their advantage. The assist he made to Tatar for his goal was a thing of beauty and played to his strength, completely faking out Rielly, making it seem like he was going for the shot, to pass it over instead.

These are the kinds of plays the Habs should be identifying and trying to make more use of. The predictable plays aren’t going to cut it. The structured plays aren’t going to cut it. It’s the chaotic creativity that is going to stand out and be more effective.

Suzuki, as a player, is growing right before our eyes, and it’s a pleasure to witness. If Julien can get the matchups right, then he could leave room for the rookie to do his thing out there.

5) Bad – The powerplay is not good

If you read this heading in March, January or even December, it would still apply. Luckily the Pittsburgh Penguins had the same issues during their exhibition games.

The concerns haven’t changed one bit: the Montreal Canadiens are still trying to rely on Shea Weber’s slap shot. This is not to say that Weber’s shot is bad. The issue is the fact that the opposition knows where the puck is going.

There’s no creativity or mobility, it’s the same thing over and over again. Montreal couldn’t even get into the zone at times as they would continue to drop the puck back ahead of entering and lose possession.

That’s what makes a player like Suzuki so important. His set-up to Tatar was at 5v5, but it’s those plays the man advantage need.

There are a few days left for the Montreal Canadiens to work on all of this in practice. But the Leafs game should remind them that practice and actual execution in-game are two different things.