Habs News: NHL, Montreal Canadiens, Martin St. Louis, Justin Barron, Jordan Harris, Jake Allen, Laval Rocket
ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA | LAVAL, QC. — The Canadiens were in Ottawa on Saturday to face the Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Jake Evans scored a paired of goals in the first period to give the Habs a 2-0 lead through 20 minutes. Montreal had a two-goal lead with 9:07 remaining, before allowing Ottawa to score twice and force overtime. The Senators capitalized on a power play to score during the first minute and come out with the 5-4 victory.
“I liked the way we played 5-on-5. For sure, I would have liked if we took more shots. A high percentage of our shots are chances to score but it would be fun not always looking for the perfect play. It would be nice to have a higher volume of shots,” Martin St. Louis evaluated Saturday’s performance.
“It is only preseason but we’re still competitive. We want to win games, and we want to build momentum into the season. It’s a frustrating outcome and we’ll have to reflect on that and try to improve on that,” Justin Barron added.
Despite the loss, one of the positives from the match was Cayden Primeau. It was his best performance since the start of the preseason stopping 29 pucks.
The Canadiens are looking to register their first win in preseason. The next test will be on Monday when the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Bell Centre. Through four games, Montreal has been outscored 14-8 and averaging 22.25 shots on goal per night. St. Louis and staff will look at making adjustments to generate more offence.
Penalty Kill Struggles
Last season, the Canadiens struggled on the penalty kill, finishing 27th in the league with 75.6 percent success rate. The troubles have carried over to the preseason as Montreal has allowed six goals in 17 power-play opportunities (64.7 percent) allowed to opponents.
“It tells us that we have to correct it quickly,” St. Louis said after Montreal allowed three power play goals to Ottawa. “We’re working hard on it. I always say that the answers are everywhere, we just need to find them. We have a hard working staff, and we will find them.”
Prospects on Defence
The battle on defence continues as there are at least three spots available for the opening night roster. On Saturday, Justin Barron shined on defence with one goal, one assist, and plus-3 in 19:46 of ice time. Up until the game versus Ottawa, Barron did not stand out in the early stages of camp.
#Habs Justin Barron joins the rush and scores wrist shot goal vs #Senators
Assists: Pezzetta@AllHabs @RocketSports #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/m4Wt90pxSc
— Chris G (@ChrisHabs360) October 2, 2022
“I liked his game. He defended well and supported the offence. A lot of positives,” St. Louis said.
“I consider myself a two-way defenceman and being able to get on the scoresheet definitely helps show that I can play on the offensive side of the puck too,” Barron said postgame.
Jordan Harris has been given several opportunities to play on right defence since the beginning of training camp, and has looked comfortable.
“He used his skating, he’s able to support the offence, and he’s able to defend using his feet. He’s physically stronger than he was last season,” coach spoke about Harris.
The Canadiens staff will have difficult decisions to make on the blue line for the opening night roster against Toronto.
“Every player has a moment where he stands out. It’s up to them to have these moments consistently and make our decision difficult. It’s a good problem to have. The young players know they’re in a battle and are working hard to win it,” St. Louis described the task.
Allen Signs Extension
The Canadiens announced on Saturday that Jake Allen signed a two-year contract extension with the club that will pay the goalie $7.7-million in total. The goalie’s new deal includes a limited no trade clause for the duration of the deal.
“I like what we have here, I like being here, I love the organization, I love the guys. It’s close to home for me in New Brunswick,” Allen explained his decision to re-sign with Montreal.
“First, he’s an excellent person. It’s people like him that we want in our culture. Second, he’s an excellent goalie. He doesn’t only stop pucks, he’s a leader, he’s a very good example for the young players. A professional,” St. Louis said about the goaltender.
The 32-year old elected not to wait until the end of the season to test the market as a free agent, and justified his choice by stating that the grass isn’t always greener elsewhere. Allen’s new deal is a raise from his expiring contract that pays him $5.75-million for two seasons.
The veteran understands that he will be called upon to mentor the organization’s younger players during the rebuild, especially Cayden Primeau.
“I want to be part of this process, I really do. Since management changed over last year, I really see what they’re trying to build here, and I want to be part of it,” Allen said. “I understand where we’re trying to go, and I think I can be an important piece in that. I get I’m not going to be here forever, but at the same time, I’d like to be one of those building blocks that starts this build.”
In 35 games last season, Allen had 9-20-4 record with 3.30 goals against average and .905 save percentage.
Rocket Camp
The Laval Rocket’s training camp began on Sunday with 24 players going through the medicals. Camp began with the 13 forwards, eight defencemen and two forwards that were cut from the Canadiens camp on Friday, and Nate Schnarr after clearing waivers earlier in the day. Additional players will join the camp as the Canadiens make further reductions at main camp.
Jean-Francois Houle and his staff will run practice from Monday to Friday, before heading to Belleville for two preseason games against the Marlies on Saturday and the Senators on Sunday. The regular season begins on Oct. 14th when the Rocket host the Belleville Senators at Place Bell.
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By Chris G., Senior Writer
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