Habs News: Disappointing Season, Video Analysis of Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s Last Game, Assignment to Laval
ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA | LAVAL, QC. — In his rookie season, Jesperi Kotkaniemi impressed right out of the gates to earn a spot with the Canadiens. The organization decided that they wanted their most recent first round draft pick to stay in Montreal rather than him continue to develop in Finland.
Claude Julien regularly scratched the young centre during the final stretch when the team was in a race for a playoff spot. At the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, Marc Bergevin said that Kotkaniemi had a difficult second half of season, however was pleased with the rookie overall.
Kotkaniemi didn’t stand out as much in his second training camp compared to his first. When I made my 2019-20 Montreal Canadiens season predictions in September, I selected him as the player that will most likely disappoint. I feel that if it was his first camp, the organization wouldn’t have made him start the season in the NHL.
Disappointing Season
In the opening game of the regular season in Carolina, Kotkaniemi did something that he never managed to do in his rookie season, score a goal on the road. He repeated the exploit six days later in Buffalo.
He finished the first eight-game stretch of the season with two goals and one assist playing on a line with Jonathan Drouin to his left and Joel Armia to his right. Kotkaniemi didn’t manage to consistently put up points this year.
After the initial eight games, Kotkaniemi scored once and added one assist in the next 14 games, with both points being in the same night against the Devils.
After undergoing arthroscopic surgery in the offseason on his left knee for a chronic injury, Kotkaniemi suffered a groin injury and a concussion that forced him to miss action before Christmas.
Kotkaniemi scored in the first two games after returning from his concussion. In those games, Nick Cousins and Jordan Weal were his linemates. It was short lived success as the center scored one more time in his next 12 games.
In 36 games with the Habs, Kotkaniemi totalled six goals, two assists, and minus-11. His numbers represent 18 total points if they were prorated to a full season.
Video Review
Kotkaniemi’s last game with Montreal was on January 27th, when the Capitals were visiting the Bell Centre. Ryan Poehling and Artturi Lehkonen were his wingers on the third line. Heading into the game, the Canadiens were on a two-game winning streak, and 10 points out of a playoff spot.
It was after this game, that the team decided that the NHL wasn’t the right place for Kotkaniemi to continue his development, so let’s have a closer look at his performance on that night that led to that decision.
It took only three seconds into Kotkaniemi’s first shift for the Canadiens to take the lead. Jeff Petry scored as Kotkaniemi jumped off the bench to replace Philip Danault at the conclusion of his shift.
On the ensuing sequence, Kotkaniemi skated back to the defensive zone to cover Brendan Leipsic after Brett Kulak got caught in the offensive zone.
It was an eventful opening shift for Kotkaniemi as seconds later, he picked up a loose puck that Poehling’s battle in the corner created, and skated behind the net. From behind the goal, he found Nick Cousins with a perfect pass in the slot. Cousins wasn’t able to increase Montreal’s lead on that scoring chance.
With Brendan Gallagher being sidelined with an injury, Kotkaniemi was on the first power play unit with Tomas Tatar, Danault, Nick Suzuki, and Petry. In the clip below, Lars Eller and Carl Hagelin entered their offensive zone and took a shot that Carey Price saved with his shoulder. Kotkaniemi recovered the rebound, and made a dangerous no-look behind the back pass, that was intercepted by Eller. Luckily for Kotkaniemi, it led to a routine stop by Price.
Kotkaniemi assisted on defence later during the first period, as he covered for Petry after he pinched in the offensive zone. Hagelin attempted a pass to John Carlson in the crease, which Kotkaniemi anticipated the play and used his stick on Carlson’s to prevent it from being completed.
Washington tied the game with 1:30 remaining in the first, and took the lead 2:03 into the second period.
As the Canadiens were pressing to tie the score, Kotkaniemi ended up behind the Capitals defence and Kulak set him up in the crease. Kotkaniemi’s tip was stopped by Brayden Holtby, and the forward’s attempt to get the loose puck drew a penalty as it forced T.J. Oshie to trip him.
Before the second intermission, Washington took a two goal lead before Dale Weise reducing it to one by scoring in the third on the night of his 500th career NHL game.
In the clip below, there was several mistakes in the defensive zone that could have led to an opposition goal. It started off with Poehling making a no-look pass towards the middle of the ice that was interecepted by Tom Wilson. Wilson’s stick must have had a magnet on it, because a few seconds later, Kotkaniemi handed him the puck again. Price made the save and froze the puck, as he sensed his team in danger.
Assigned to Laval
Kotkaniemi was glued to the bench for the last seven minutes of the period following the turnover during the last sequence. He finished the game with 13:09 ice time, two shots on goal, two giveaways, and won only three of 10 faceoffs.
With Gallagher returning from injury for the following game, the coach bumped Kotkaniemi out of the lineup. He only had to watch one game from the pressbox, before being assigned to Laval later in the week. Kotkaniemi remained with the Rocket until the season was put on pause.
“We don’t look at these things as negative things. We look at these things as positive things. So you know that’s the problem here, we always look at the negative versus a positive. And right now it’s about a kid who’s had a couple of injuries that hasn’t quite found his game and is probably losing confidence too. So we want him to gain some confidence. We want him to find his game. So there’s nothing negative about that. I think it’s more positive and that’s what we need to see,” Julien explained the AHL assignment.
By Chris G., Senior Writer
All Habs Hockey Magazine
Copyright © 2019 Rocket Sports
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