Here’s the Habs line-up for this game.
Tonight’s lineup
Tonight’s lineup#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/6ARNDiEF07
– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) September 26, 2024
Once again, I’ve prepared 10 important points to remember from this preparatory meeting.
1. The Habs weren’t expected to perform well with such a young and untalented lineup. There was no Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Patrik Laine or Kirby Dach.
The craziest part was that Arber Xhekaj was the “veteran” among the defensemen. He played the most NHL games of the six in the starting line-up.
2. Montreal conceded its first goal since the start of its preparatory schedule. John Tavares was well positioned in front of Jakub Dobes’ net and managed to redirect the puck into the back of the cage.
The Habs allow their first goal in over 130 minutes of play pic.twitter.com/AIhi8FmiC0
– TVA Sports (@TVASports) September 26, 2024
As RDS’s Marc Denis mentioned, this goal was a good lesson for defensive prospect David Reinbacher. The latter was out of position on the sequence and didn’t cover Tavares well in front of the net.
That’s what preparatory games are for: learning!
3. Lane Hutson is already attracting dirty hits from opposing players. At the very start of the game, Max Domi decided to go after Hutson in a very stupid way with a double-check in the back. All in front of an official’s eyes.
Lane Hutson taas joukkueensa paras pelaaja. Max Domi laittaa poikittaista kaaliin. Tällaiset oli odotettavissa. Hutson nousi ylös, Domi sai kakkosen pic.twitter.com/lUwevBer2z
– Jouni Nieminen (@OnsideWithJouni) September 27, 2024
This gave the Canadiens a numerical advantage. Hutson will have to watch out for the potential injuries this could bring, but if he’s able to draw penalties against opposing teams, that’s another plus in his game.
He was once again the best defenseman on the ice, if not the best player overall. Even when he’s not collecting a point, the diminutive defenseman creates sparks that are very dangerous for other teams.
He makes opposing players’ heads spin!
DBY#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/xIyL9gkiV6
– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) September 27, 2024
What’s encouraging is that he did it against excellent Maple Leafs players like John Tavares, William Nylander and Mitch Marner.
Dobes should still be Laval’s number-one goalie this season, but he left an excellent impression in his pre-season start.
Here’s the sequence.
Nick Robertson tried to give William Nylander a boost but got him injured instead pic.twitter.com/Svgmt5eoCp
– Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) September 27, 2024
6. Christian Dvorak didn’t just hurt Nylander in this game. He also scored!
He took advantage of a superb pass from Alex Barré-Boulet to break away and completely strip Anthony Stolarz.
smooth as butter
smooth as butter
MTL 1, TOR 1#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/z5jMcsh1zl
– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) September 27, 2024
7. Montreal was sorely lacking forward in this game. After one period, the Habs had just three shots on Stolarz’s net. After two periods, the total was just 10.
8. Oliver Kapanen was again excellent. Unlike his first game, he didn’t collect a point, but he left his mark when he was on the ice.
It’s really going to be challenging for the organization to cut Kapanen.
– Brian Wilde (@BWildeMTL) September 27, 2024
He still has a lot to learn about the art of face-offs, but he’ll make it very difficult for Kent Hughes to cut him from camp.
9. Arber Xhekaj pulled out all the stops. Even though he was the “veteran” among defensemen during this match, Xhekaj wasn’t in the game.
Lane Hutson hits the post pic.twitter.com/PYfBdEGnF2
– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) September 27, 2024
Extended
– He was excellent tonight.
Many people completely ignore Jakub Dobes in the list of Canadiens prospects. The guy is capable of keeping goals at this level, in my opinion. He was simply brilliant in the AHL after the holidays last year. Laval would never have had the slightest…
– Anthony Marcotte (@anthonymarcotte) September 26, 2024
– Bad luck for Reinbacher.
Some say skate blades are an important part of playing ice hockey. #GohabsGo pic.twitter.com/Zip9A3i8Ox
– Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) September 27, 2024
– A match to forget for Xhekaj.
A rather laborious outing for Arber Xhekaj. The kind of outing where nothing works for him. Dobes, on the other hand, saves the day at the back. Spectacular, the Czech.
– Anthony Marcotte (@anthonymarcotte) September 27, 2024
– Wow!
Excited to have Marie-Pierre Néron behind the bench as assistant athletic therapist for tonight’s game!
Excited to have Marie-Pierre Néron behind the bench as our assistant athletic therapist for tonight’s game! #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/ZMU6NenP9q
– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) September 27, 2024
– Nothing impressive, but solid work.
Another strong game for Michael Pezzetta while Luke Tuch continues to earn points. Nothing sexy in either case, but amusingly effective in their roles.
– Anthony Marcotte (@anthonymarcotte) September 27, 2024