Another exhibition loss, but Hudon looks ready
Rookie forward impressing coach
The Canadiens have been struggling in the preseason, but rookie forward Charles Hudon is making the most of his opportunities to show he belongs in the NHL.
The line of Artturi Lehkonen, Tomas Plekanec and Hudon was one of the few bright spots Saturday as the Canadiens lost 5-1 to the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre.
It was the fourth consecutive loss for the Canadiens and, while it’s only exhibition, there are a couple of reasons for concern.
There was an effort to bolster the offence in the off-season, but Montreal has scored only six goals in four games. At the same time, the Canadiens have allowed 15 goals and, to date, junior Victor Mete has shown the most in the quest to fill one of the holes left by the departures of Andrei Markov, Nathan Beaulieu, Alexei Emelin and Mikhail Sergachev. It’s not in the Canadiens’ DNA to put a lot of faith in a teenager, but there might not be an alternative.
Head coach Claude Julien said the defensive miscues were expected.
“We have some guys who are learning to play differently and we have some guys who are struggling,” Julien said. “We had some breakdowns in our end, but the players you’re relying on, the Plekanec line, did a good job.”
Julien noted free agent signing Karl Alzner is making an adjustment to a new system.
“He’s used to playing a lot of manto-man and we play more of a zone,” Julien said. “(Shea Weber) had the same adjustment to make last year and he picked it up pretty quickly.”
Hudon scored Montreal’s only goal at 12:12 of the second period. Each of his linemates contributed. Lehkonen, building on his fine rookie season, made a strong entry into the zone and Plekanec passed to Hudon as he jumped into the slot.
Julien said Hudon has had a solid camp.
“He’s just as advertised,” Julien said. “I saw him play a couple of games in the (AHL) playoffs last year and he’s a determined individual who wants to be here and as I stand here, there’s no reason he can’t be a great asset for us.”
Hudon said he is “feeling good on the ice, I’m feeling more confident. It’s tough to see the highlights after a loss like this. We have to work on the details and do what Claude is asking of us since the start of camp. For myself, I’m doing some great stuff. I’m not 100 per cent happy with my game, but I’m feeling good on the ice.”
After the game, Montreal said Daniel Audette, David Broll, Brett Lernout and Jeremy Grégoire have been assigned to the AHL’s Laval Rocket, whose season begins Oct. 6. Zach Redmond was also sent down Saturday after clearing waivers. On Sunday, forwards Nikita Scherbak and Martin Reway and goalie Zachary Fucale joined them.
Next up for the Canadiens is a pair of games against the Toronto Maple Leafs. They’ll play Monday at Ricoh Centre in Toronto with the rematch Wednesday at Centre Vidéotron in Québec City.