Montreal Canadiens News and Analysis: Alexander Romanov, Josh Anderson, Cayden Primeau, NHL, Laval Rocket, AHL, Rocket Sports Media

ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA | MONTREAL, QC — The Montreal Canadiens opened their season on Wednesday night with a rivalry matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite a good effort by a very different-looking Habs lineup, the Leafs eventually came out on top with a 5-4 win in OT. The game marked the first of ten regular-season games the Canadiens play against the Leafs this year. According to the NHL, the overall number of regular-season games between these two teams will reach 757 this year, which will become the most in league history when it surpasses the current record of 750 games between the Canadiens and the Bruins.

Record-Setting Night

In addition to the stat mentioned above, a number of other noteworthy achievements took place on Wednesday night.

Josh Anderson went in the record books for becoming just the seventh player in Habs history to score at least two goals in his first game with the team. The last player to do so was Ryan Poehling, scoring three regulation goals against the Maple Leafs on April 6, 2019. Anderson had not scored a goal since December 14, 2019.

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In his first game since Dec. 14, 2019, @joshanderson_77 scores in his debut with the @CanadiensMTL franchise after being acquired by the club on Oct. 6, 2020. #NHLStats #NHLFaceOff pic.twitter.com/3mLnExwcmV

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 14, 2021

Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly also earned some recognition with his game-winning goal in overtime. That goal brought his OT scoring tally to five, the second-most overtime goals by a blueliner in Leafs history. Which player holds the team record of seven goals? Tomas Kaberle, who finished his NHL career with none other than the Montreal Canadiens in the 2012-13 season.

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ICYMI: The opening night of the 2020-21 NHL season drew record-breaking viewership both stateside (@NHLonNBCSports) and north of the 49th parallel (@Sportsnet, @TVASports).#NHLStats: https://t.co/JVx2Chfqtj #NHLFaceOff pic.twitter.com/mpZH69r3Ao

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 15, 2021

One last record set on Wednesday night made media outlets very happy. Sportsnet’s broadcast of the Montreal/Toronto matchup recorded 2.1 million viewers, the most-watched regular season game ever aired exclusively on the network. TVA Sports tallied an additional 919,000 viewers to make a grand total of more than three million hockey fans who tuned in to watch the game.

Roster Rumblings

It wouldn’t be hockey season in Montreal without the presence of trade rumors. Nick Kypreos stirred the pot on social media this week by mentioning Columbus Blue Jackets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois‘ desire to play in Montreal. Kypreos added that the alleged return being sought for Dubois is Nick Suzuki, plus some. Fans passionately took to social media to debate the topic. If you’d like to join the conversation, head over to the All Habs Facebook page and leave a comment!

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Want to chime in on the Pierre-Luc Dubois discussion? Head to the All Habs fan page on Facebook to discuss with thousands of fellow #Habs fans.https://t.co/1JbHmphoSx

Don't forget to like the FB page while you are there!@RocketSports #GoHabsGo #NHL #CBJ #HockeyTwitter pic.twitter.com/4hvFQ23WwF

— All Habs (Canadiens) (@AllHabs) January 15, 2021

Primeau’s New Artwork

Carey Price‘s new mask has received a lot of attention, in addition to his new gear setup as he moves away from Bauer and gives True a try. He’s not the only goaltender in the organization sporting a fresh look, however. Laval Rocket goaltender Cayden Primeau just unveiled his new mask. Leave a comment below to tell us what you think of the design!

https://twitter.com/RocketLaval/status/1349780861110128642

News & Updates:

• The Canadiens sent Jake Evans to the taxi squad on Thursday. The team stated Evans “is expected to be made available for the game on Saturday in Edmonton.” This is something fans will see happen quite often this season, as teams shuttle players back and forth between the NHL roster and the taxi squad in an effort to accrue cap space. We’ll have to wait to see if the team does actually recall Evans for the game, or if they choose another taxi squad member in his place.
• Power play goals will have extra meaning this year, with the Habs’ announcement this week that every goal scored on the man advantage will result in a $250 donation by Ford Canada to the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation.
• Claude Julien made no changes to his lineup on Friday’s practice in Edmonton. After practice, Alexander Romanov gave his first press conference. The young defenseman has obviously been working hard on his English skills, and communicated very well while answering quite a few questions from the Montreal media. When asked by RDS reporter Chantal Machabee what he considered the most difficult moment of his NHL debut, Romanov responded, “I think it was the first shift, because in the first shift I didn’t understand where I was, it was so fast, and nervous a little bit. Next shift it was better, better, and better.”

The Press Zone Podcast

For more information and analysis on the Montreal Canadiens, Laval Rocket, and Habs prospects, check out the latest episode of The Press Zone podcast where we discuss training camp, taxi squads, and preview the season. Listen, subscribe, and share!