Decision-time for Therrien after intra-squad matchup
Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said he got what he wanted out of an abbreviated, but fast-paced scrimmage Thursday night at the Bell Centre.
“It was very demanding because we had four defenceman on one team and five on the other and we had three lines so there was a lot of skating,” Therrien said.
The idea was to create a game-day atmosphere in preparation for Saturday’s season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Therrien said the intra-squad scrimmage left him pretty close to making the decisions that will result in a 22- or 23-man roster before the 3 p.m. deadline Friday.
Therrien all but confirmed rookie Alex Galchenyuk will be with the team on opening night, saying the No. 3 overall draft pick will get a chance to “break the ice.”
Galchenyuk, who said he felt a little nervous at the start of the contest, played with Lars Eller and Brian Gionta and seemed to get stronger as the night went on. The question for the Canadiens is how long Galchenyuk will stay in Montreal. He can play five games before the first year of his entry-level contract kicks in.
One player who helped his cause was Mike Blunden, who hasn’t been part of the team’s training camp. He was called up from Hamilton to fill out the roster and scored two goals for the White team.
“I want to play in the NHL,” said Blunden, who finished last season with the Canadiens. “This game gave me a chance to show the coaches what I can do. I had an opportunity to come up last season and work my way into the lineup, and I hope I get the same chance this year.”
That chance might open up if the Canadiens decide some of the youngsters in camp are not ready to play regular roles in the NHL. Therrien said Thursday he wouldn’t keep a youngster in Montreal if he was the seventh defenceman or the 13th or 14th forward and Blunden might be able to fill that reserve role if, for example, the Canadiens decide Jarred Tinordi, Brendan Gallagher or Gabriel Dumont are better off playing big minutes elsewhere.
The crowd produced some controversy when it chanted: “We want P.K. We want P.K.” They were referring to unsigned defenceman P.K. Subban, who acknowledged the support in a text to The Gazette’s Dave Stubbs. Several players and Therrien took notice of the chant and said they hoped Subban would rejoin the team soon, but there has been no progress in the negotiations.
The game ended in a 3-3 tie after Rene Bourque, Max Pacioretty and Tomas Kaberle scored for the Red team and Michael Bournival joined Blunden on the scoresheet for the White team.
Shootouts were a problem for the Canadiens last season, when they went 5-12 in them. Extra time has been devoted to shootouts in the shortened training camp, but there was little sign of improvement as the players went 20 rounds before Brasndon Prust bulled his way through Peter Budaj.
“The coach said he wanted a goal and that’s the only way I knew how to get one,” said Prust, whose spin move earlier in the shootout ended without a shot.
Up to that point, it was a study in frustration. Galchenyuk scored in round one and Gallagher matched that in round two. The only other goals were in the 16th round when Max Pacioretty and Andrei Markov traded goals.
There were a few injury scares. Alexei Emelin, who has been wearing a full cage in practice, took it off for the game and caught a puck in the face.
Ryan White left the game after a hard check from Yannick Weber but was around for the shootout.
And goal tender Carey Price tweaked an already tender groin stopping Pacioretty’s first shootout attempt.
“It’s nothing,” Price said. “I’ll be 100 per cent Saturday night.”
The Canadiens’ front office engaged in some off-ice activities Thursday.
Scott Gomez cleared waivers and that cleared the way for the Canadiens to buy out the final year on his contract. Gomez is now an unrestricted free agent and can sign with another team.
The Canadiens also placed Blunden and defenceman Frédéric St-Denis on waivers. If no team picks them by noon Friday, they will return to the Hamilton Bulldogs.