Habs News: NHL, Montreal Canadiens, Josh Anderson, Rem Pitlick, Mathieu Darche, Daniel Briere, Kent Hughes, Laval Rocket, Trois-Rivieres Lions
ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA | LAVAL, QC. — The Canadiens continue their seven game road trip on Monday afternoon in a match against the Coyotes. Based on the practices held in Chicago on Saturday, and in Arizona on Sunday, several changes are expected to the line combinations.
Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau are expected to split the starts in the back-to-back games against the Coyotes and the Stars.
Dominique Ducharme provided several injury updates over the weekend. Tyler Toffoli practised wearing a no contact jersey, and is expected to be ready by Saturday’s game versus Colorado.
Paul Byron skated in Brossard on Sunday, and is expected to join the team during the road trip. Alex Belzile, Rafael Harvey-Pinard, and Jesse Ylonen are out of the COVID protocol and have been skating. No decision has been made whether these players will join the Canadiens or returned to the Rocket.
Joel Edmundson is not expected to return any time soon. “I don’t have a timeline on his return with what he’s going through with his family. Also, he practically needs to start his reconditioning from scratch. There’s still a lot of work left to do,” updated Ducharme.
Anderson Returns
Josh Anderson hit the ice on Saturday for the first time without a no contact jersey. He skated on a line with Mike Hoffman and Nick Suzuki. “It’s exciting. Whenever you’re out for any period of time, it’s difficult to not be out there with your teammates. All you want to do is try to help them, and you can’t do that from the stands,” Anderson said.
The forward has been sidelined with an upper body injury since December 2nd. “I’m just hoping to bring the game that I play, the energy, being physical, being fast with the puck, and hopefully bring some other guys along with me,” Anderson added.
In 25 games this season, the 27-year old has scored seven goals, and totalled 13 points. “He brings energy to our team that is difficult to reproduce, because of the way he skates, his physical play, and his offence. He’s a guy that can do a little bit of everything, and can change the rhythm of a game in one shift,” Ducharme analyzed Anderson’s contribution.
Pitlick Happy to be Hab
After being claimed off waivers on Wednesday, Rem Pitlick made his Canadiens debut on Thursday against the Blackhawks. “It’s been a whirlwind of emotions. Obviously, you never know what’s going to happen, and all of sudden you’re in Montreal. I really didn’t think it could get much better than the State of Hockey. I do eat, sleep, breathe hockey, all of the above, and I’m going to where it all began. It’s an unbelievable feeling to know it’s the Montreal Canadiens,” the forward said on Saturday.
Before joining the Canadiens, Pitlick had collected 11 points in 20 games with the Wild. “I’m going to try to be an offensive guy. I think I skate well, I think I have hockey I.Q., and I think I have scoring ability. That’s what I want to try to bring, and obviously care about the 200-foot game as well, and not be a defensive liability,” Pitlick evaluated his play.
Pitlick received plenty of ice in his debut with the organization. The 18:59 of ice time was the most he’s played in his 32 game National Hockey League career. “He skates well, he makes good plays with the puck, and he’s a smart player. We wanted to give him an opportunity to show us what kind of player he is. At first glance we liked what we saw, and we’ll continue to work with him and see him again next game,” explained Ducharme.
Armia Drought
In last season’s playoff run, Joel Armia was a force for the Canadiens playing with Corey Perry, and Eric Staal. His contribution was much greater than the five goals, and eight points that he collected in 21 games. In the offseason, he was rewarded with a four-year contract extension with an average annual value of $3.4-million.
This season, Armia’s play has dipped. “I don’t know, I have no idea. If I knew, I’d probably fix it right away,” answered Armia when asked about scoring only once in 31 games this season. “It’s probably the hardest season I’ve ever had mentally and physically so far. It hasn’t been easy so far, but I really hope I can turn things around,” added the forward.
“We know he can contribute more with the way he skates, the way he’s able to win battles, recuperate pucks, and protect the puck. That’s how he creates scoring chances. He needs to be more consistent with that,” Ducharme said.
The coach highlighted that Armia’s situation is a question of execution, and not lack of effort or desire. Over the weekend, he skated on a line with Artturi Lehkonen and Jake Evans. The trio has previously had success together.
GM Interviews Update
During Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, Elliotte Friedman reported that Mathieu Darche and Daniel Briere are the finalists for the Canadiens general manager role. Friedman added that the organization is waiting for hear from Kent Hughes over the next couple of days whether he’s interested in the job.
Sportsnet’s Eric Engels added that second interviews for Darche and Briere were conducted one-on-one with Jeff Gorton earlier in the week.
On Saturday’s Canadiens Connection podcast, Rick Stephens and I provided our thoughts on the three finalists. Click on the player at the end of the post to listen.
Rocket Split Weekend
The Rocket were on the road for a pair of games on the weekend. On Friday, Laval trailed by two goals through 40 minutes in Springfield, before forcing overtime with a pair of third period goals. Jean-Sebastien Dea sealed the comeback with the winning goal during the first minute of the fourth period.
“I found that [Kevin Poulin] made key saves. In the first and second period, Springfield had better chances than us. We stayed in it, he made key saves, we never quit, and we showed a lot character. I’m proud of the effort in the third period to come from behind,” Jean-Francois Houle said.
On Saturday, Hartford opened the scoring in the second minute of play and never looked back on their way to 4-0 victory. Former Canadiens goalie Keith Kinkaid recorded the shutout for the Wolfpack.
“It’s paramount for us to have better starts. It’s tough, it takes a lot of energy out of you to come back from behind, and chase the game,” Houle said about the team allowing the first goal for a third consecutive match.
Brendan Gignac, playing his 150th career American Hockey League (AHL) game, left during the second period of Saturday’s match, with an upper body injury. Gignac was the Rocket’s hottest player headed into Hartford with three goals and seven assists in his last eight games. No timeline provided for his absence.
The Rocket are back at Place Bell on Wednesday to host the Comets, before facing the Senators in a home-to-home series starting on Friday. There are reports that the weekend series against Belleville due to current attendance restrictions affecting both teams.
Archambault Represents Lions
The ECHL’s All-Star game takes place on Monday night in Jacksonville. Olivier Archambault will represent the Trois-Rivieres Lions at the event. The forward leads the team with 26 points in 22 games. Archambault was drafted in the fourth round by the Canadiens in 2011, and the 28-year old has split the last seven seasons between the American Hockey League and ECHL.
The Lions return to action this week with three games in three days. The trip begins with a matchup against Worcester on Friday, and then a pair of matches on the weekend in Reading. Trois-Rivieres was on a forced break following their game in Maine on December 31st, when the team was hit with a COVID outbreak.
Listen to the Canadiens Connection podcast
Current Habs topics were discussed on this week’s episode of the Canadiens Connection. Listen, share and subscribe!
By Chris G., Senior Writer
All Habs Hockey Magazine
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