Call of the Wilde: Sabres dominate Montreal Canadiens 5-1 in Buffalo home opener – Montreal
Two video games in two nights, each leading to loss, have kicked off the season for the Montreal Canadiens.
On Thursday, the Habs confronted a membership ready for them for his or her season opener, the Sabres in Buffalo. Montreal misplaced on opening night time in Toronto in a decent contest and hoped to point out extra offence than that recreation’s one aim, however it was one other tough contest.
The Sabres took it to the Habs 5-1.
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The sensation is that the Sabres are the worst group, or maybe the second worst group within the league. They destroyed the Canadiens. It wasn’t shut on the scoreboard; it wasn’t shut in analytics; it wasn’t shut along with your eye check.
There wasn’t a factor to love within the Canadiens’ recreation. You may’t select a single participant that regarded higher than any of the Sabres. The aim scorer was Chris Wideman on an open look on a go from Joel Armia, however they weren’t stand-out gamers. They simply occurred to mix for a aim.
Two targets in two nights for the Habs.
Learn extra:
Call of the Wilde: Montreal Canadiens face daunting start to season, fall to Maple Leafs 2-1
There is no such thing as a one which regarded good. Nobody on defence, the place the immobility was a difficulty once more, and nobody on offence, because the attackers don’t have any probability to point out pace ready for the puck to be cleared.
It additionally seems the top coach has already determined that he doesn’t belief his rookie, who is meant to win the Calder Trophy this yr. Cole Caufield was demoted to the second unit of the facility play solely two nights in. General, it felt like there have been forwards that had completely no time on the puck in any respect. I can’t keep in mind even listening to the title Lehkonen or Dvorak.
It is solely two video games in, although, so the magnifying glass is all the time over-focused on the small pattern measurement.
Simply two video games. It’s simply two video games. It’s solely two video games.
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Samuel Montembeault performed 25 video games in his NHL profession in earlier than the affair in Buffalo. He had a save share of .892 for the Florida Panthers. As a junior, he performed 4 seasons in Blainville the place he had a save share of .900. He had three years in Springfield within the American Hockey League the place he additionally managed .900.
The membership is instantly feeling the lack of Carey Value from the lineup. Jake Allen can’t play each night time. Cayden Primeau must play lots in Laval to arrange himself for the backup position when Value returns. He can’t be in a Habs uniform on an every-seventh-game foundation.
The underwhelming numbers of this profession minor leaguer are what the Canadiens have, so Sam is the person and he must step up.
The problem is that there’s simply an excessive amount of hockey within the Canadiens zone, even towards the poorer groups within the league. It has all the time been this manner, and Value made loads of unhealthy construction look acceptable. The unhealthy construction is the defence has not been cell sufficient since Andrei Markov left the membership. When there isn’t a mobility, it’s onerous to get the puck up ice. You may see it towards the lowly Sabres.
Joel Edmundson is tremendously missed. What if this blue line suffers appreciable accidents this season? It’s totally potential that the defence may need to go 9 deep. It’s tough to think about who these 9 are. There are all the time accidents to the shot blockers of the league.
We will see. It’s essential to not overreact on simply two video games, however you understand that everybody within the group is anxious with this.
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The Canadiens signed Nick Suzuki to an 8-year deal this week for just below $8 million per season. It’s an impressive transfer by the Basic Supervisor who if he’s on his method out after this season positive has loads of freedom regardless of it.
Once you commit eight seasons to a participant, you higher be sure of his worth.
Suzuki shouldn’t give the membership any trigger to fret over the size of this deal. Firstly, it can embody one of the best years of his athletic life within the NHL. Each participant is totally different, however traditionally talking, a ahead has his finest years at round 25 or 26. That’s proper within the onerous of Suzuki’s contract.
He’s already a powerful participant at 22, however what’s his potential?
His statistics over final season and his playoffs point out that he’s a 60 level participant. He counted 41 final season within the shortened marketing campaign, however when one pro-rates that over a standard marketing campaign of 82 video games, Suzuki is correct on the 60 level stage.
That’s after solely two seasons. He’ll get extra comfy over the course of his profession, and will have the ability to put up 70 level campaigns. There’s probably an outlier in there with the best line-mates and chemistry with two wingers that he may prime a point-per-game plateau. Any full season the place he pushes in at solely 50 factors would start to trigger criticism to floor that the contract was not a great one.
That is unlikely to occur. Suzuki as a junior was additionally capable of contribute excessive level totals that made him a primary spherical draft decide of the Vegas Golden Knights. The pedigree is there. When a draft decide reaches that potential, it surprises nobody.
Suzuki additionally has excellent management abilities and is a pillar within the locker room, exhibiting a maturity past his years. He’ll play a accountable 200-foot recreation to mitigate the moments that he’s not contributing on the scoreboard.
All in all, this eight-year dedication didn’t come cheaply, however in case you are to handle properly in in the present day’s NHL with its wage cap constraints, the motto should be pay your finest gamers what it takes to lock them in, and skimp in your fourth line and third pair.
When the playoffs begin, it’s your finest gamers who win you the video games, and your fourth line and third pair who see their ice time lower down anyway.
Nicely completed by the GM. Aside from his tragic under-appreciation of the puck-moving defenceman, Bergevin regularly makes good trades and signings. That is one other robust one.
Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports activities author, brings you Name of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after every Canadiens recreation.
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