Adam Engstrom’s season debut was one of the few bright spots in the Montreal Canadiens' 5-2 loss to the Nashville Predators. Defence has been an issue for the Canadiens so far this season, and the Nashville game was no different, but Montreal’s third pairing looked significantly better with Engstrom in the lineup. It was only a matter of time before Engstrom entered the lineup.
The Canadiens' third defence pairing for the first three games of the season, Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble, really struggled. In Montreal’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, the third pairing became virtually unplayable, with Xhekaj and Struble both being limited to nine minutes of ice time. Struble exited the lineup for Engstrom, and the Swedish defenceman injected life into the Canadiens' third pairing. Engstrom is making a case that he should stay in the lineup going forward.
Engstrom solid despite loss
There were very few positives to take away from the Canadiens' loss to the Predators. Montreal led 2-0 halfway through the second period, and then Nashville took over. The Predators scored five unanswered goals and left the Bell Centre with a 5-2 win. One of the few bright spots was Engstrom’s season debut. We have yet to see Engstrom’s offensive prowess translate to the NHL since making his debut last season, but his overall game was solid. He played just under 12 minutes, and while none of his counting stats were eye-popping, he was not on the ice for a goal against, an improvement from the third pairing's performance against Carolina. Instead, when Engstrom was on the ice, the Canadiens generated more shot attempts than they allowed.
With Engstrom on the ice, the Canadiens generated 13 shot attempts while only conceding five. That is not an Engstrom stat per se, but as a five-man unit, the Canadiens were able to control play, something that clearly was not the case with the team’s previous third pairing. Engstrom looked comfortable moving the puck up the ice, something that Montreal's third pairing struggled with against the Hurricanes. The biggest knock on Engstrom’s performance was the turnovers. He led Montreal's defencemen with two giveaways, and while neither resulted in a dangerous scoring chance for the Predators, it's an area he will need to improve if he wants to remain in the lineup. Overall, there was not the same offensive flash Engstrom showed with the Laval Rocket, but he definitely improved the team’s third pairing.
Engstrom has to stay in the lineup
There is room for growth in Engstrom’s game, but it was a good starting point. Ideally, as Engstrom gets more comfortable with the NHL game, you will see the offensive side of his game start to flourish, but that will come with time. The biggest thing to take away from Engstrom’s season debut is that the third pairing looked significantly better than what we saw against the Hurricanes, which is a good enough reason to keep him in the lineup. The conversation will become more interesting once Kaiden Guhle returns from injury. Guhle should be back in a couple of weeks, but until then, Engstrom deserves an opportunity to prove he belongs in the lineup long-term.
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