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Players Set to Return | Habs Notepad

Chris G
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Players Set to Return | Habs Notepad

Habs News: NHL, Montreal Canadiens, Arber Xhekaj, Joel Armia, Joel Edmundson, Mike Hoffman, Laval Rocket, Trois-Rivieres Lions

Joel Armia, Montreal Canadiens. (Photo by Getty Images via Canadiens.com)

ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA | LAVAL, QC. — The Dallas Stars were in town on Saturday to face the Canadiens. The score was tied 1-1 through 20 minutes when Joe Pavelski beat Jake Allen with a shot from the slot 18 seconds into the second period. Dallas never looked back and headed to a 5-2 win.

“We started slow but we adjusted to their pressure and speed and we got some momentum in the first. It’s hard to start the second period and being scored on so quickly. The special units made a difference,” coach Martin St. Louis said. Dallas converted twice on the power play and shut out Montreal’s four power play opportunities.

“I didn’t hate the way we played five-on-five. We had too many turnovers, but there was also a lot of positives that we can’t forget,” added the coach.

Mike Hoffman and Arber Xhekaj each scored their first goal of the season. For the defenceman, he lit the red light for the first time in his NHL career.

“I thought I had a little bit of time there, so I got my head up and took a look around and obviously the guy was closing quick on me. I had to make a quick move and just just throw it on net. I’ve seen Monahan out front, it was a good screen,” Xhekaj described the sequence.

One Step Closer for Edmundson

On Saturday, Joel Edmundson and Joel Armia skated with their teammates in non-contact jerseys. There is no timetable provided by the organization, but they are both one step closer to returning to action.

Edmundson’s return to the lineup will add some size and experience to the blue line. “It’s fun to see him skating with us. It’s a good sign. When he comes back to play, he’s going to help us a lot. He has an imposing presence on the ice. He also has a reputation around the league that he’s tough to play against, so he will help us win even more games,” David Savard said.

In addition to his presence on the ice, Edmundson adds leadership to the team. The veteran was named one of the alternate captains with Brendan Gallagher prior to the start of the season. His teammates said that he remained positive while being sidelined with an injury that was caused by a collision with Nick Suzuki prior to the start of training camp.

Juraj Slafkovsky was sidelined for Saturday’s game with an upper body injury. His status is set to be day-to-day.

Rocket Lose Twice

The Laval Rocket were on the road for a pair of games over the weekend. On Friday, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins had a 2-0 lead with 3:03 remaining in the third when Gabriel Bourque scored his fourth of the season to prevent former Canadien Dustin Tokarski to obtain a shutout.

“Our execution was not there, we were late on our forecheck, it wasn’t a good first period. It was a little better in the second, but a game is played for 60 minutes, not only two periods,” coach Jean-Francois Houle said following the 2-1 loss.

Houle made several changes for Saturday’s game against the Bridgeport Islanders, including scratching veterans Brandon Gignac and Nate Schnarr. Gignac was glued to the bench by the coach for all of the second period against the Penguins.

Laval was down by one goal with 13:35 remaining in the third when Bridgeport scored twice, one into an empty net, and come out with 5-2 win. “We made it 3-2 and we were close, but we had defensive breakdowns that cost us,” Houle said.

The Rocket begin a six-game homestand on Wednesday when the Belleville Senators visit Place Bell. Laval is hoping to take advantage of the home games to bounce back from the 1-3-1 start.

“The practice time will help to try to find our cohesion. On our special units, practice can only help it,” added Houle.

(Quotes courtesy of BPM Sports)

Trois-Rivieres Set to Begin

The Trois-Rivieres Lions opened their second season on Friday in front of a franchise record 4,575 fans at Colisee Videotron. The visiting Maine Mariners had a one-goal lead with 10:49 remaining in the third, when William Leblanc tied the score and force overtime. Maine needed 2:40 in the extra period to net the winning goal for the 4-3 victory.

“I am very happy with the effort of my guys. You have to consider that we didn’t play any exhibition games. I can’t ask for anything more from them [on Friday]. They left everything on the ice, but Maine was opportunistic. If we play like this for 10 games, we will win nine,” coach Eric Belanger said.

On Saturday, the Lions took a 2-0 lead in the first period and never looked back on their way to 3-2 win against the Mariners in Maine. Canadiens 2021 seventh round pick Joe Vrbetic recorded his first win in the pros.

“We are satisfied to have this first win in our pocket considering Friday’s performance. We should have won. I liked our resilience and our character. It wasn’t as pretty as Friday, but we found a way to win,” Belanger evaluated.

On Sunday, the Lions were without captain Cedrick Montminy as the forward was suspended five games for leaving the bench during Saturday’s game to engage in a fight.

Maine had a 2-0 lead when Hillis put Trois-Rivieres on the board with 0.9 seconds remaining in the second period. The Mariners scored the next two goals in the third period and headed to 5-2 win.

Trois-Rivieres begins a five-game homestand on Wednesday against the Worcester Railers.

(Quotes courtesy of Le Nouvelliste)

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By Chris G., Senior Writer
All Habs Hockey Magazine
Copyright © 2022 Rocket Sports

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