Canadiens: Final Preseason Game Gives Reason For Optimism

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The Montreal Canadiens iced, for the most part, their entire starting lineup, and the Senators iced a less talented squad for the second time this preseason between the two teams.

Kaiden Guhle, Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson didn’t play, but the sense I get from the Senators’ lineup, is that they are still unhappy with Arber Xhekaj because of his fisticuffs during the 2022 preseason. It’s not that there was no NHL talent for the Sens, but the Habs were all business and didn’t play into the physical game, which DJ Smith seemed to be aiming for.

A Saturday night game, which will be the last of the 2023 exhibition schedule, was one that seemed to bring the Habs closer together. They had to deal with some very physical players that are playing for their NHL future, likely in the form of a call-up, or one of final roster spots. it was a perfect opportunity for the Habs power play units to get in some reps, and Michael Pezzetta even got in on the fun, with a beautiful one-timer slapshot at the top of the right faceoff circle.

Here are a handful of the Habs’ best performers from the preseason finale clash with the Senators.

Juraj Slafkovsky

Juraj Slafkovsky opened the scoring and was physically engaged throughout the contest, it was another strong performance for the Canadiens 2022 First Overall Draft selection during the exhibition schedule. He seemed to have a target on his back, and each and every time he looked content and amused that he was being challenged.

Slafkovsky showed a lot of great things and perhaps one of the biggest of all was his strength along the boards. He sheltered the puck well and made smart plays with the puck consistently. He, Dach and Newhook continued their strong play and were a perfect complement to Suzuki, Caufield and Rafael Harvey-Pinard.

Arber Xhekaj

Arber Xhekaj didn’t play as physically as the Canadiens would expect, but he continued to show off his mobility and made a lot of smart passes to spring his forwards. It seems apparent that he had a great offseason, and he wants to show everybody that he can relied on for more than just punching guys in the head. He did, however, channel Officer Xhekaj, and during one scrum he came out with a Senator player in each hand.

To top off his night, he ripped a puck on the net that initially didn’t look like anything. After it was reviewed by the referees, it was determined that it was shot through the net. He has shown a willingness to shoot the puck on the net every chance that he gets, and it worked in his favour. He didn’t let anyone forget who he was, standing up for his linemates, which has become routine for him.

Oct 2, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

Cole Caufield

Cole Caufield was shooting everything, and each time he had a chance, you could almost hear a collective nervousness throughout the Canadian Tire Center. His hands, and mind are already in synch, and he appears prepared for a huge year. His edgework, and ability to stop on a dime, and make a quick pass in the offensive zone, should allow him to create a ton of scoring chances for his line. He had a tally in the third period, beating Sogaard with a deadly accurate sniper, another day at the office for Caufield.

Caufield was in the middle of everything and drove the puck up the ice, which is a good sign for the chemistry between him and Suzuki. They haven’t lost a step, and Caufield looks every bit as dangerous as he did last season. Whether it be RHP, Josh Anderson or Sean Monahan, whoever makes the duo a trio, will have ample scoring chances.

Nick Suzuki

Nick Suzuki made a lot of nice plays because of his elite passing, and he looks prepared for a season of doing the same thing. In the second stanza, Suzuki skated in on his strong side and ripped a toe drag shot past Mads Sogaard, it had some pepper on it, and I hope that he uses it more often. Slick Nick was up to his old tricks, making routine great plays with the puck, because of his patience and poise with the it on his stick.

One of the underrated plays that he made was when he squeezed his man against the boards and forced a turnover. He was able to steal the puck, and then chip a little pass over to Harvey-Pinard, which he passed over to Caufield, resulting in a goal. He played like a leader and was a strong presence on both sides of the puck.

Alex Newhook

Alex Newhook looked like the fastest player on the ice every shift, and the speed at which he was able to handle bouncing passes, and stickhandle around defenders was very fun to watch. He centred the second power play, and it’s easy to see why he was coveted by Kent Hughes because his speed and hockey IQ certainly make him a huge part of what the Canadiens want to do going forward. Young, smart and fast, and his motor doesn’t stop, which reminds me a little of Paul Byron and Martin St. Louis, very impressive performance.

He showed a willingness to fly through the neutral zone every chance that he got, and he showed a lot of confidence with the puck on his stick. DJ Smith had no answer for Newhook, and he was fully aware of the time and space that was available to him. His line was great the whole night, and both his linemates complemented his explosive speed beautifully.

Mike Matheson

Mike Matheson has a tendency to grab the puck, and just draw everyone in the arena’s eyes’ towards him with his elite skating. The number power play ran through him, and he just made everything look so easy, with his poised and calm play style. He never looks uncomfortable and even if he is out of position, within two strides he is right where he needs to be.

It hasn’t been a question of who the number one defenseman for the Canadiens is, and he proves it every time he touches the ice. He earned an assist using his great lateral mobility, and a smart shot selection, which opened up a rebound in the slot for Slafkovsky. He will continue being the leader on the blue line, and mentor for the young defence corps, aside from David Savard, who is older.

Kirby Dach

Kirby Dach is going to be a problem for the opposition, he looked so confident and calculated with each rush that he made up the ice. He didn’t shoot very much, which I would like to see more of, but he was great, and in large part, a huge reason for his line’s success. That’s no disrespect to Newhook and Slafkovsky, who both had strong performances, but a testament to how strong of a game the Dach had down the middle.

He was strong along the boards, and held his own, using reverse hits to send Senators to the ice after trying to knock him down. He is the perfect complement to Suzuki, forming a nice one-two punch down the middle for the Canadiens. The confidence to use his puck skills has grown, and he has developed a knack for making defenders miss when trying to poke the puck off his stick.

These guys were sort of expected to play strong and lead the team into battle, so it’s not a surprise, but a very good sign of things to come. Chemistry and growth could prove to be a mantra for the 2024 Canadiens, and prove to surprise many who doubt them wrong. Hockey is the kind of sport, where new teams surprise and the best teams have off years, so the Canadiens could be a team to refrain from taking lightly.

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