CANADIENS TAKE GAME 1
Youngsters make big impression
It was a coming-out party for youngsters Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi as they made major contributions to the Canadiens’ 3-2 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena.
The 20-year-olds each scored a goal in their NHL playoff debuts as Montreal took a 1-0 lead in the NHL Return to Play tournament’s best-of-five qualifying series.
The Canadiens are the decided underdogs in this series, but coach Claude Julien said the win was a mark of his team’s confidence.
“The only chance we have is if we play on our toes and not on our heels and go out there and have some confidence and play hard,” said Julien.
“We’re putting you out there because we have confidence in you and you have to go out and
show you can do it. That’s the message (the young guys are) getting from the coaching staff, but they’re also getting that from their teammates and I think they feel pretty good about where they are in our group.”
For Kotkaniemi, this unexpected appearance in the playoffs is a reset. When the NHL halted play on March 12, he was sidelined by a spleen injury after being sent to the AHL a month earlier. He returned to camp with some added muscle and more jump to his skating and he earned his spot on the third line.
As for Suzuki, he is showing why he was regarded as the prize in the deal that sent Max Pacioretty to Las Vegas two years ago.
He overcame a rocky start Saturday to lead all forwards in ice time and turned in a strong effort on both ends of the ice.
“As a line we had a rough start, we were trapped in the D zone a lot but the coaching staff was
really on and talking about being ready and our time would come,” said Suzuki. “Just keep working. We have enough skill on that line to generate a lot of offence.”
Suzuki scored in the second period but his work as a penalty-killer in the third period was the highlight of his night. He joined with Shea Weber and Petry to kill a 5-on-3 Pittsburgh advantage for 1:32. He was pressed into the role because one of the players in the box was Phil Danault, the Canadiens’ best penalty-killing forward.
“We were limited in our faceoff guys and the draw was on the right side and we put him out there because not only did he give us the best chance to win the draw but he’s smart enough to handle the 5-on-3,” said Julien, who looked like a genius when Suzuki won the draw against Sidney Crosby. “He’s cerebral and he figures things out quickly.”
“I was pretty confident (because) I had two good defenders with me, and it was nice for the coach to use me in that situation,” said Suzuki.
Gong into the series, the Canadiens knew they needed big performances from goaltender Carey Price, and they got one Saturday. Eighteen of his 39 saves came in the first period.
“Carey was huge throughout that whole first period and gave us a chance to adjust in the second,” said Julien. “He kept us in the whole game.”
Petry ended the game by jumping into the attack and beating Matt Murray high on the blocker side.
“We talk about following the play and supporting the attack.” said Petry. “I just saw the puck pop out and I had the opportunity to jump there. I took an extra second to pull it in and I got the shot.”