PRESEASON STARTS WITH A WIN
But power play comes up empty
The bottom line: It’s only the first preseason game, but the Canadiens got off on the right foot as they used a third-period explosion to defeat the New Jersey Devils 3-1 Monday night at the Bell Centre. It should be noted the Canadiens looked like the offensively challenged teams of recent years as they failed to put the puck past Eddie Lack in the first two periods. Montreal’s fortunes changed when Mackenzie Blackwood replaced Lack in the third period and the Canadiens scored three goals in a 1:33 span.
The comeback: Charles Hudon offered a preview of things to come when he caught Blackwood out of position but was unable to lift the puck over the goaltender. After the Devils had a goal by Blake Coleman waved off because of goaltender interference, the Canadiens went to town. Victor Mete pinched in to convert a pass from Michael Chaput at 3:08. Hudon scored an unassisted goal at 4:11 when he caught Blackwood scrambling back into the net after playing a puck behind the net. And rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi made it 3-1 when he picked up a deflection and buried it. The goal finished a sequence that began with Kotkaniemi winning a battle along the end boards. Defence does its job: The big question mark going into training camp was the Canadiens’ defence, but it did a good job against a Devils lineup that had more than the usual complement of NHL players for a first exhibition game. Mete, who surprised everyone except himself by earning a job out of training camp last season, was used in every situation and figures to play a larger role in the coming season. He was paired with Noah Juulsen. David Schlemko was paired with Karl Alzner and also saw action in multiple roles.
Power play backfires: Montreal had three power plays in the first period and they not only failed to score but one resulted in a short-handed goal to provide the Devils with a 1-0 lead. Defenceman Simon Després, in camp on a professional tryout, didn’t help his chances when he made a bad cross-ice pass along the blue line. New Jersey’s Blake Speers, a 22-year-old, intercepted the pass and went in alone on Antti Niemi, beating the goaltender with a low shot to the glove side at 6:42. Niemi played 32 minutes and stopped eight of the nine shots he faced. Charlie Lindgren stopped the eight shots he faced. Deslauriers feels the pain: Nicolas Deslauriers and New Jersey’s Brandon Baddock brought the crowd to life when they started throwing punches with 4:17 remaining in the first period. Baddock did a good job of tying up the more experienced Deslauriers, but the Montreal tough guy broke through to land several left hands and sent Baddock to the ice. Deslauriers did not return and the Canadiens said he suffered an upper-body injury.
Coming attractions: The Canadiens have three more games on the schedule this week. The Florida Panthers visit the Bell Centre Wednesday and the Canadiens travel to Quebec City Thursday to play the Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals at the Videotron Centre. The Canadiens are back home Saturday to play the Ottawa Senators.