Canadiens: In Other News… 0-5, First Win, 21-22 Debut for Rocket, Lions

Offense, Niku, Perreault Shine in 6-1 Win over Red Wings

Montreal was everything and more that they weren’t over the first five games of the season against Detroit on Saturday, looking confident, calculated, and fluid with the puck, coming out with a decisive and much needed 6-1 win. While Detroit got on the board first with a great snipe from Captain Dylan Larkin, Montreal came out flying not long after, and didn’t look back.

After Ben Chiarot broke the ice off a beautiful feed from Jonathan Drouin, goals from Mike Hoffman and Christian Dvorak only furthered Montreal’s lead. Yet, along with late off-season addition Sami Niku registering two assists in his Canadiens debut, Drummondville native Mathieu Perreault stole the show with his third career hat trick. A former sixth round pick of the Washington Capitals in the 2006 NHL Draft, Perreault has been a regular in the NHL since the 2011-12 season, managing four-consecutive 40-point seasons from 2013-14 to 2016-17.

A hard-working two-way centre and Swiss army knife in many ways, Perreault has showcased his versatility early in Montreal, and along with Drouin has stood out as a pleasant surprise for the Canadiens thus far this season. A long-time and early member of the second incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets, Perreault emerged as a veteran leader for the organization even in spite of a bloated $4.125 million AAV salary over his final four seasons. With a host of new additions looking to find their footing over the Habs first five games, Saturday’s matchup gave exactly that, and Montreal looked as confident as ever as the offense flowed smoothly and seamlessly.

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Hoffman and Niku proved to be a dynamic one-two punch on the powerplay, Jake Allen was reliable as always, stopping 26 of 27 shots faced, and youngsters in Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki showcased the confidence they had previously been lacking in over the first five games of the season. With Caufield registering his first point off an assist, the former first rounder looked as confident as he did in the playoffs, making some nice moves with the occasional slick pass here and there. After a tumultuous winless slide to start the season, Montreal definitely got what they had been looking for against a resilient and talented Red Wings squad.