Focused on the Montreal Canadiens, News and Notes is a weekly roundup of news, commentary, game recaps, and previews.
Montreal Canadiens Season Underway
News
After an exciting shootout victory care of a sweet deke by Jonathan Drouin, the Montreal Canadiens were absolutely dominated by the Washington Capitals on Saturday, October 7. Carey Price was pulled from the game after the first period, and Alex Ovechkin would go on to score 4 goals. It wasn’t pretty. It certainly was not what Karl Alzner had hoped for his return to D.C to play against his former team.
After their loss in Washington, Claude Julien announced a pair of lineup changes prior to puck drop at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. In were Torrey Mitchell and Brandon Davidson. Out were Ales Hemsky and Mark Streit.
After two disallowed goals in the first period, the Habs spent too much time trying to kill penalties. While Price was exceptional, and the rest of the team looked marginally better, they lost to their playoff rivals the New York Rangers by a score of 2-0.
In trade news, the Montreal Canadiens made 2 trades last week. Forward Andreas Martinsen was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for Kyle Baun. The announcement came down just hours after the Habs sent Zach Redmond to the Buffalo Sabres for LaSalle Quebec native, Nicholas Deslauriers.
Commentary
Stephen Demone is out with his latest Habs webcomic. He wonders what Marc Bergevin plans to do during the season to better the team with the almost $8 million free in cap space. So do fans.
Brendan Kelly in the Montreal Gazette writes a reply of sorts to Jack Todd’s article last week. While Todd criticized the Habs “hate fans,” Kelly is ready to engage in a conversation about Marc Bergevin’s plan (or lack of a plan) for the team. Kelly concludes: “I’m old school. When my team loses, I’m not happy. I want us to win. That’s not hate. That’s love.” Amen.
Stu Cowan continues to see the promise of Victor Mete. Cowan points out that Mete just keeps beating the odds and Canadiens coach Claude Julien is getting tired of answering questions about the teenage defenceman. Mete was solid in his first NHL game logging 18:43 of ice time, playing on the power play and finished plus-1.
Think you are a fan? This couple has set the bar pretty by getting married in the Montreal Forum. For the first time the Montreal Forum, original home to the Montreal Canadiens, hosted a wedding last weekend. Cindy Bailey and Lee Major tied the knot a few meters from center ice. Bridesmaids wore blue dresses and groomsmen sported red shirts and stood before hockey nets. O Canada was sung. Of course, it was.
Predictions and Previews
The Montreal Canadiens play their home opener on Tuesday, October 10. The Blackhawks are off to a strong start this season. Fans will be hoping for more shots, more goals, and better defense. Game time is 7:30 pm (EST).
The Canadiens will stay in town and welcome the fast and flashy Toronto Maple Leafs this Saturday, October 14. The Leafs have looked impressive so far this season. Leafs and Habs on a Saturday night? Nothing better. Game time is 7:30 pm (EST).
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