The Montreal Canadiens are heading toward a big outdoor stage, and the roster decisions around it may be just as interesting as the event itself.
On Sunday, the Canadiens will face the Winnipeg Jets at Princess Auto Stadium in their fifth outdoor game. Montreal is 2-2-0 in those games so far, and while the novelty may have worn off for some fans and media, the players are still buying in.
Kaiden Guhle made that clear while previewing the matchup before Tuesday’s game against the San Jose Sharks. He talked about outdoor hockey with the kind of enthusiasm that comes from growing up around it.
When I first moved to Edmonton, we lived in a house with a little lake behind it. My brother, myself and a couple of his buddies on his team when they were bantam, we’d just all go out there and mess around.
We brought out a couple of nets; it was fun. It was always good to get outside and mess around at the outdoor rink.
There’s one year we forgot to bring the net out, and the ice melted, and we lost the net in the water, so…[…] I’m excited. I’ve never played an outdoor game; I’ve always wanted to, and I’ve always thought we should have gotten one as an original six team, but it will be fun to get out there in Winnipeg.
Hopefully it’s not too cold, but it will be fun. It will be a lot of atmosphere, a lot of family.
I think the guys will have fun; I know my parents are coming, and they’re nice and close, so that will be fun.
Chris Kreider, meanwhile, brought a far less sentimental view to the same subject. Asked about outdoor games, he said: "They’re only enjoyable if you win. I mean, it’s like a dog-and-pony show, and if you lose, it's an even bigger letdown."
Cole Caufield is also looking ahead to the game, and he had his own reason for caring about the matchup. He said he has not scored against the Jets yet and acknowledged that fact with a grin when asked about it.
" Of course! The sniper should be pumped on the day"
Caufield also had baseball on his mind with Saturday night open. He said he might try to watch the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series, before realizing the travel timing would make that difficult. Still, it was clear he was happy to follow his boyhood team on the sport’s biggest stage.
There’s also movement around the roster to sort through. After sending David Reinbacher and Owen Beck back to the Laval Rocket, it’s fair to wonder whether Mike Matheson and Florian Xhekaj are close to returning.
It could also simply be a chance for them to play for Laval tonight before being recalled afterward. The Canadiens are not leaving on their road trip until Thursday afternoon, so a call-up after that game is still possible.
What happens at practice tomorrow may offer the clearest clue.
The biggest choice, though, may come in goal. Martin St-Louis has a decision to make on who starts in net for the Heritage Classic, and Tuesday night may have complicated things. If Jakub Dobes had been lights out, the job might have been his already, but the way that game ended may have opened the door again.
Jacob Fowler is expected to get the net Friday night, and if he stands out, it would not be a surprise to see him get the Heritage Classic start. Montreal’s track record in outdoor games with Carey Price in goal was not kind, as the Canadiens lost both of those outings. They fell 4-0 to the Calgary Flames, then lost 3-0 to the Ottawa Senators in 2017.
Whoever gets the nod should have more support in front of him than Price did in those games.
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Canadiens Could Get Caught In Winnipegs Goalie Drama Fast
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The Jets appear hesitant to simply fold Hellebuyck back into the mix, and the possibility of a trade before Sundays meeting with the Canadiens adds another layer to a divisional matchup that was already worth watching. Montreal is monitoring the situation because any move involving Hellebuyck could ripple into the game plan for both teams, and the timing leaves Winnipeg with little room to sort out what comes next. [Read more 🡒]