The Montreal Canadiens kicked off their four-game homestand with a commanding 6–2 win over the Utah Mammoth on Saturday. It was a one-goal game through two periods, and the Habs sealed the victory with three goals in the final frame. This is contrary to the early season trend of blowing leads in the final 20 minutes.
The Los Angeles Kings visit the Bell Centre on Tuesday, followed by the Dallas Stars, and Boston Bruins on Thursday and Saturday before hitting the road.
Hot Hands
The Canadiens woke up on Monday morning on top of the Atlantic Division with 10 wins in 15 games. Here are notes on the individual standouts.
- Cole Caufield snuck in two goals on Saturday against Utah to bring his total to 12, including three overtime goals. The 24-year-old has been playing a complete game on both sides of the ice.
- Nick Suzuki leads the team with 20 points and recorded a point in 13 of 15 games. The captain is bringing his name into conversation of representing Canada at the upcoming Olympics.
- Oliver Kapanen was projected to be a bottom-six player that is responsible defensively. Few expected him to reach six goals in his first 15 games His line with Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook have totalled 13 even strength goals.
- Since Demidov found himself on the top unit, the power play has converted seven of 17 opportunities. The 19-year-old has points on four of the seven goals.
- Kirby Dach scored Montreal’s sixth goal on Saturday. Though the game was out of reach, Dach’s individual effort stood out. He forced the turnover in his own zone and headed on a breakaway for the goal. It was his fifth of the year in 12 games, and has played well centering a line with Zachary Bolduc and Brendan Gallagher.
- Jakub Dobes was disappointed with his performance in Thursday’s loss against the New Jersey Devils, but he’s had a great start to the season. He delivered solid performances during Samuel Montembeault’s early season struggles. Martin St. Louis made it clear last week that Montembeault will carry the number one goalie workload. As a result of Saturday’s win, I expect Montembeault to start against the Kings.
Rocket Recap
The Laval Rocket had a quiet week with two games on the schedule. On Friday, Laval defeated the Hartford Wolf Pack (New York Rangers) 4-2 at Place Bell, and won 3-2 on the road against the Belleville Senators on Sunday. The Rocket’s road trip continues on Wednesday against the Springfield Thunderbirds (St. Louis Blues), and a weekend doubleheader against the Wolf Pack on Friday, and the Providence Bruins (Boston) the following night. Here are some notes from the weekend.
- Jared Davidson scored in both games to bring his total to nine goals. He has goals in each of the last six contests. Davidson started the year as a long shot for a recall consideration, but his scoring streak may force management’s hand.
- On Sunday, Filip Mesar scored for the first time in nine games. He had four points in 12 games.
- Riley Kidney scored two times with the Trois-Rivieres Lions over the weekend against the Reading Royals (Philadelphia Flyers). He has six points in six games with the Canadiens ECHL affiliate.
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