Call Of The Wilde: Canadiens’ Season Gets Off To Familiar Start With 5-2 Loss To Toronto - Beritaja

NHL prognosticators don’t person overmuch assurance again this play successful the Montreal Canadiens.

Last year, the money statement was for the Canadiens to decorativeness pinch only 75 points. They destroyed that number pinch 91 points and a playoff spot.

This season, the over/under for the Canadiens is 90 points. In Montreal, location is precocious assurance they could scope that number, but about the league, the belief is the Canadiens vastly overachieved past season, and they will not make the playoffs successful 2025-26.

It was the customary situation successful Toronto for the Canadiens connected nighttime one. The Canadiens played well, but the consequence was acquainted arsenic the Maple Leafs won 5-2.

Wilde Horses

Toronto Head Coach Craig Berube tried to get a favourable matchup pinch the past alteration that saw his champion players facing Oliver Kapanen. Suddenly, aft a awesome camp, it was Kapanen pinch his first moments arsenic an NHL centre pinch a monolithic responsibility.

Kapanen answered the call. The statement is hopeless for a 2nd statement centre, and they believed erstwhile campy collapsed that Kirby Dach was the go-to-guy. However, it was Kapanen that won the job, and past he won his matchup successful Toronto connected for nary goals against.

Kapanen was asked to thief his linemates Alex Newhook and Ivan Demidov play successful the violative zone. It wasn’t expected that he would adhd his first extremity successful his NHL profession successful his 19th game. It was a shorthand opportunity for Kapanen arsenic he scored pinch a wrist changeable far-side from 20 feet.

One of the large positives connected nighttime 1 was that punishment kill. The interest was that the nine would miss Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia, but they recovered connected the first punishment termination each the answers they hoped for. Besides the Kapanen goal, Josh Anderson had a close-in chance, and truthful did Newhook connected a two-on-one pinch Kapanen.

The Canadiens had 3 glorious chances pinch Patrik Laine successful the punishment container for an violative area penalty, while the Maple Leafs had nary chances.

All eyes were connected Demidov to spot if he would beryllium capable to usage his astonishing instrumentality skills successful crippled situations. It’s 1 point to excel astatine pre-season scrimmage shinny, but doubters stay that he could show the moves erstwhile existent battles are on.

Demidov had a quiet first period, but successful the 2nd period, only 2 shifts in, Demidov was giving the Maple Leafs defenders each they could handle. He made abstraction for himself successful tight doubly and had 2 fantabulous chances. A mates shifts later, Demidov created different beardown chance.

The first powerfulness play portion doesn’t person Demidov connected it. That can’t continue. There’s a level successful the world of master sports, and to wantonness it is to make a batch of group upset successful the locker room. However, conscionable for illustration it became evident that Lane Hutson had to switch Mike Matheson connected the first portion past season, this season, it will go conscionable arsenic evident that Demidov has to switch Juraj Slafkovsky.

Demidov has superior vision, creativity, and puck skills. It isn’t an reproach to Slafkovsky who has done good connected the first powerfulness play unit, but a overmuch amended subordinate pinch the extra-man has arrived.

The Canadiens took the lead connected the first extremity for Zach Bolduc successful his caller colours. Brendan Gallagher took the first shot, and Bolduc pounced connected the rebound for an easy tally pinch Anthony Stolarz retired of position.

Defensively, Mike Matheson very overmuch enjoyed having a world-class subordinate flanked to his correct each night. With his consistency, Noah Dobson helped Matheson to consciousness comfortable to clasp the bluish line, and to find beardown outlet passes. It was a beardown crippled for the brace arsenic they get to cognize each other’s tendencies early successful the season.

The 3rd pairing was besides importantly amended than it was for about of past season. Alex Carrier had an outstanding contest. He knew precisely erstwhile to adjacent the spread connected the unreserved and meet his man early to present hits, aliases recapture the puck. That allowed Arber Xhekaj to person a softly effective night.

Wilde Goats 

While Kirby Dach tries to find his ACL nether him without immoderate fearfulness to commencement the season, it was an fantabulous prime by Head Coach Martin St. Louis to not springiness him the about difficult challenges. Dach moved down the extent floor plan arsenic campy continued.

It must beryllium difficult for Dach to not play pinch fearfulness that different superior wounded awaits arsenic soon arsenic he gets deed and he falls awkwardly. Dach playing pinch 2 defensively responsible players successful Bolduc and Gallagher was a smart prime by the caput coach.

The organization’s extremity is to thief Dach find his legs and confidence. That starts pinch a elemental 0-0 scoreline astatine the extremity of the night. Dach doesn’t request goals. He conscionable needs to decorativeness the nighttime pinch a respectable Corsi shot-share.

Dach was connected crystal for the first extremity against only a infinitesimal in, and he was connected crystal again for the 2nd tally erstwhile the Leafs tied it. It looked a batch for illustration past play connected the crystal for 2 goals against, and it can’t continue.

Dach had a 33 per cent Corsi shot-share. It was the worst connected the nine connected nighttime one. It would beryllium easy to spot each this arsenic catastrophic, but he has to beryllium fixed immoderate time. Dach wasn’t moreover expected to beryllium fresh to commencement the season. He needs everyone to beryllium diligent while he finds his legs, and judge that his reconstructed knee could grip the grind.

Other than the patience required for Dach, location wasn’t overmuch to beryllium antagonistic about for the Canadiens. For the past 5 years, each clip the Canadiens played successful Toronto, moreover erstwhile Montreal won, they were dominated. One could now yet spot the crystal commencement to balance. The Leafs did not predominate for illustration they person for truthful long.

Even pinch the game-winner against the Canadiens midway done the 3rd period, it would beryllium unfair to blasted anyone. Both defenders mislaid their sticks connected a Toronto counterattack. Hutson and Matheson were helpless arsenic the Leafs pressed adjacent Samuel Montembeault earlier yet scoring.

Sports could beryllium cruel.

Wilde Cards

One of the awesome unknowns successful the NHL past play was that the statement pinch the champion five-on-five extremity differential was Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky. Most pundits didn’t moreover cognize they were apical 10, ne'er mind number 1 successful goals-for and goals-against astatine adjacent strength.

Why past did the champion statement successful the full convention not powerfulness the Montreal Canadiens to adjacent to the apical of the standings? The logic is arsenic soon arsenic they sewage disconnected the ice, the crippled flipped. This season, if St. Louis could get moreover conscionable a small support from the 2nd line, his squad will beryllium dominant.

Kirby Dach was -29 past season. Patrik Laine was -14. Alex Newhook was -21. The Canadiens don’t moreover request affirmative numbers from these players to vault up the standings this season. They conscionable request them to not beryllium a achromatic spread of goals-against again.

The 3rd and 4th lines past play were besides affirmative successful extremity differential. In fact, the 4th statement led by Jake Evans was the second-best 4th statement — down only Carolina’s — successful the full league.

There is only 1 spread successful this lineup, but it’s a monolithic hole. The 2nd statement is the focus. It doesn’t matter if it is Newhook who centres it, aliases Dach, aliases moreover Oliver Kapanen, but personification has to fig this out.

Ivan Demidov is an violative wizard, but if his centre can’t clear the protect zone, expect Demidov to beryllium neutralized by spending excessively galore shifts adjacent his ain goalie.

Demidov is not bully defensively. He misses his duty regularly. He needs to beryllium complemented by bully protect linemates. He needs to beryllium playing pinch the puck successful the violative zone. Lane Hutson connected the bluish statement would beryllium adjuvant arsenic well.

All play long, look for the plus-minus of Demidov, Dach, Laine, and Newhook. If they are plus-players aliases close, it will beryllium a stunningly bully season. If they are heavy successful the red, this run will person to beryllium carried by the Suzuki statement again.

By January, GM Kent Hughes will person a elephantine grin connected his look astatine the Bell Centre, aliases he will beryllium wondering really galore of his apical prospects and draught picks he has to springiness up to get a second-line centre earlier the trading deadline.

Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde connected globalnews.ca aft each Canadiens game.

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"Call Of The Wilde: Canadiens’ Season Gets Off To Familiar Start With 5-2 Loss To Toronto - Beritaja"

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