Backup goalie Kinkaid ready to make debut with Habs
Former Devils starter expected to make first start for Canadiens against Buffalo
Backup goaltender Keith Kinkaid will make his Canadiens debut Wednesday against the Sabres in Buffalo (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio).
While head coach Claude Julien was being coy Monday about how he will deploy his goaltenders this week, it’s a given that Kinkaid will get a start with Montreal playing three games in four nights.
The Buffalo game is the obvious spot for Kinkaid. It’s the first half of a back-to-back set and the Canadiens will want to play Carey Price in their home opener against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday and again on Saturday, when the Stanley Cup-champion St. Louis Blues visit the Bell Centre.
“I’m going to approach it like any other game,” Kinkaid said of his first regular-season game in a Canadiens uniform.
“I felt really good in pre-season. I’m just trying to keep my cardio up and stay in game shape as best I can in practice and be ready when they need me.”
The 30-year-old Kinkaid has been a starter in the NHL and has also served as a backup, so he knows what to expect.
“As a starter, you have to be ready just about every other day and you condition yourself because you don’t get as much practice,” he said. “As a backup, you get a little bit more practice, a chance to work on different things. If you don’t feel good about something, you can work on it a little more often.
“I’ve done both and I’m just happy to be part of this team and that we’ve started off strong.”
This could be a pivotal season for Kinkaid. Two years ago, he had a career season with the New Jersey Devils, posting a 26-10-3 record with a .913 save percentage.
Last season wasn’t as good. He was the Devils’ starter, but his numbers left something to be desired with a 15-18-6 record, a .891 save percentage and a 3.36 goalsagainst average.
The Devils traded him to Columbus, where the Blue Jackets were looking for insurance in case something happened to Sergei Bobrovsky. Kinkaid never saw the ice in Columbus and his last game was a loss to Pittsburgh on Feb. 19.
The Canadiens — who were looking for a replacement for Antti Niemi — signed Kinkaid to a oneyear contract, which means he’s not only trying to help the Canadiens this season but he’s also auditioning for a job next season with the Canadiens or another team.
His future in Montreal beyond this season will depend not only on his play but also on the pace of development for Cayden Primeau in Laval.
There are unlikely to be any other lineup changes for the Buffalo game. While rookies Cale Fleury and Nick Suzuki made mistakes that led to first-period Maple Leafs goals in Saturday’s 6-5 shootout win, they didn’t let the miscues wear them down and the coaching staff continued to show confidence in them.
Julien did some juggling of his offensive lines in the third period. Jonathan Drouin provided a spark when he scored after replacing Suzuki on Max Domi’s line. But Suzuki continued to take a regular shift on Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s line. Fleury and Brett Kulak remained intact and they were the third defensive pair in practice on Monday.
Nick Cousins, who has been the extra forward for the first two games, left the ice Monday. It appeared that he suffered some sort of lower-body injury, but there was no update on his condition.
If he isn’t ready to go Wednesday, the Canadiens will recall a player from Laval.