The Canadiens closed out the first week of camp at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard with full on-ice sessions for all participants. Group A practiced the power play, while Group B focused on zone entries and puck retrievals. Group C featured players who will start the season in the minors.
Initial Power Play Practice
All summer, experts and fans speculated about the Canadiens power play units. While there’s no consensus, most agree that this should be the strongest power play iced by the Habs in a long time.
On Sunday, we got a first look at the units. Patrik Laine, Ivan Demidov, Kirby Dach, Brendan Gallagher, and Noah Dobson spent time practising the man advantage. Based on each of their strengths, it’s safe to assume that Laine will play from his office at the left faceoff circle, Demidov at the hash marks on the opposite side acting as the playmaker, Gallagher in front of the goalie, and Dobson and Dach at the blue line.
This leaves Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson, and Zachary Bolduc on the other unit. Slafkovsky slotted in the bumper position last season, but that might change going forward. With the St. Louis Blues, Bolduc scored seven times on the power play last season, and they all came from the slot. The Canadiens might consider giving him another opportunity to use his hard shot from that position and move Slafkovsky elsewhere.
While St-Louis hasn’t confirmed it, these could be the units for the season opener in Toronto, except for injury. Since the start of camp, the coach has emphasized the need for urgency. One of the ways to accomplish his objective is by giving the units as many repetitions as possible before October 8th.
The Canadiens kick off the preseason schedule with back-to-back contests at the Bell Centre against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday, and the Philadelphia Flyers the following night.
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Habs Training Camp Intensity Ramps Up: “It’s Gotta Start Now”
