SUZUKI A BRIGHT SPOT
But Habs have work to do
The Canadiens had a day off Thursday in Toronto, a respite mandated by the NHL’S collective bargaining agreement.
It’s a break that would be welcome in February after playing four games in six nights in four different cities, but I suspect the Canadiens would have preferred some extra time on the ice as they prepare to meet the Pittsburgh Penguins in the opening game of their best-of-five qualifying round series Saturday night at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena (8 p.m., SN, CBC, NBC, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio).
“Rust” was the word that kept popping up in the aftermath of a 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday night in the Canadiens’ lone exhibition game before the NHL Return to Play postseason tournament begins.
“It’s different when the game is so fast,” Canadiens rookie Nick Suzuki said. “You can only create so much of the game-like conditions in practice. There’s a few things I have to do (better) and it takes a game to get the rust out and be prepared. There are little details you’re used to in the regular season and we have to get those back in shape.”
The rust was both physical and mental. The Canadiens had spent the better part of the week leading up to the exhibition game working on the power play, but it went 0-for-6 against the Leafs. If that wasn’t bad enough, Toronto scored two short-handed goals.
In some respects, this was a breakthrough game for Suzuki. The rookie was used in all situations and logged 19:58 of ice time. The only Canadiens player with more ice time was defenceman Shea Weber at 24:20. Suzuki set up Tomas Tatar with a highlight-reel pass for one of the Canadiens goals, but he was also on the ice for both short-handed goals scored by the Leafs and missed his defensive assignment on the second one.
Suzuki is going to be a very good player, but the big question going into the Pittsburgh series is whether the 20-year-old centre can get some help from linemates Jonathan
Drouin and Joel Armia, because the Canadiens’ offence has to be a lot better than it was Tuesday night.
The Canadiens’ practice on Wednesday confirmed that coach Claude Julien is sticking with his four lines, including the Dale Weise, Max Domi, Jordan Weal trio that looks like the fourth line, although they received third-line minutes Tuesday and created some chances against the Leafs with their aggressive play. Domi is down on the depth chart because Suzuki and fellow 20-yearold centre Jesperi Kotkanemi are being given valuable exposure to the playoffs, but it’s only a matter of time before Julien remembers Domi was the Canadiens’ leading scorer in the 2018-19 season and he gets a chance to play a larger offensive role.
Julien will use Friday’s practice to sort out his defence. The top two pairs are set with Ben Chiarot, Shea Weber, Brett Kulak and Jeff Petry, although they showed their share of rust Tuesday. The Canadiens limited Toronto to 23 shots, but 11 of those were Grade A chances. Julien rotated Cale Fleury, Victor Mete and Xavier Ouellet on the third pairing and none of them stood out.
“I think, overall, our defence is going to play a real big role in the success of our team here against Pittsburgh,” Julien said after practice Wednesday. “We’re going to need all of them to be good to start with — whoever we put out there. The way they defend, but also the way they move the puck to our forwards is going to be a real big asset for our hockey club.
“Right now, I would tell you we are still looking into finalizing those final positions,” the coach added. “But whoever we pick has to defend well and, obviously, has to move the puck in our transition much better than we did (Tuesday) night. I think if we want to get some offence and a good forecheck going we’re going to need them to be good quarterbacks back there and allow us to be able to do those things.”