Canadiens Lineup

Tomas Tatar – Max Domi – Jonathan Drouin

Charles Hudon – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Joel Armia

Nick Cousins- Nate Thompson – Alex Belzile

Matthew Peca – Jake Evans – Riley Barber

Ben Chiarot – Jeff Petry

Karl Alzner – Josh Brook

Brett Kulak – Cale Fleury

Charlie Lindgren – Keith Kinkaid

Game Report

There’s something that just doesn’t feel right about a Monday night at the Bell Centre. Fortunately, the Canadiens don’t have the next one until January.

The crowd was a bit surly, even before the game started bemoaning the fact that they paid NHL money to watch a Leafs roster laden with Marlies and Growlers. I resisted the urge to ask, “Ever been to an NFL pre-season game?”

Fans were also missing their franchise player, Carey Price, who had been expected to start for the home side. Just before morning practice, Charlie Lindgren learned that he would be getting the start. Post-game, Claude Julien announced that Price was dealing with a slight bruise to his glove hand. The Habs head coach said that Price should be back on the ice by the end of the week.

Apart from Price and players on the fringes, Julien iced one of his stronger lineups of the pre-season. Montreal players came into the contest with 4390 games of experience, while the Leafs just managed 1405. Kenny Agostino (remember him?) was on the top line for the visitors.

What was predicted to be a blow out by the home team never materialized.

It was a rather embarrassing performance by the Canadiens, who despite a healthy advantage in the shot totals, managed just three grade ‘A’ scoring chances all night. Instead the highlight reel of this game will be sprinkled with names like Yegor Korshkov, Nic Petan and Justin Holl.

Bringing the Leaf-lite lineup to Montreal was a smart move by head coach Mike Babcock, who provided a valuable challenge to his youngsters while leaving his regulars at home. The win is just gravy. After being brought “back down to earth” the Habs will face Toronto’s close-to opening night card on Wednesday.

Good performances for the Canadiens were few and far between. But Charlie Lindgren stood head and shoulders above his mates in this game.

The Canadiens will not practice on Tuesday. A game day skate will take place on Wednesday at 11:00 am before departing for the game in Toronto.

Player Spotlight: Drouin

As opening night quickly approaches, the real concern has to be for Jonathan Drouin. Some Drouin supporters, desperate to prop up their little darling, announced an appearance in the defensive zone tonight like a Bigfoot sighting. But after three appearances, Drouin has contributed little in any area of the ice, appearing just as disengaged as he did in the latter third of last season.

TSN analyst Jeff O’Neil when asked to name the player that disappointed him most answered Jonathan Drouin.

“You see him out there today, I don’t even notice him. It’s an exhibition game where he should be saying ‘Let’s go have some fun out there’, but you don’t notice him,” said O’Neil. “He had some shifts that were six seconds long, 40 seconds long, 27 seconds long. It’s pretty hard to be that talented in an exhibition game against an AHL team and make your coach mad but I think that he’s done it tonight.”

Given the direction of this organization, does Drouin fit the Habs anymore?

Plus / Minus

▲  Charlie Lindgren, Riley Barber, Jake Evans

▼  Alex Belzile, Charles Hudon, Jonathan Drouin, Max Domi