The Montreal Canadiens’ home opener arrives Tuesday night with a built-in measuring stick attached to it: the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.
It’s only the third game of the regular season, but this one carries plenty of weight for Montreal. The Canadiens were eliminated by Carolina in five games in the Eastern Conference Finals, and while this isn’t being framed as revenge, it is the kind of matchup that tells a team where it stands. If Montreal is going to climb toward the level Carolina has reached, the Hurricanes are the kind of team it eventually has to get through.
With that in mind, there are three Canadiens worth keeping a close eye on.
Alex Newhook is first on the list. He came out of the series against the Buffalo Sabres rolling, piling up six goals and one assist in seven games. But that production didn’t carry over against Carolina, where he managed only one point and a +/- of -2 in five games.
That makes Tuesday a big night for him on two fronts. He needs to show he can be effective against the Hurricanes, and he also has to hold off pressure for his spot as the second-line center.
Oliver Kapanen was back at practice Monday and appears close to returning, possibly as soon as the game against Carolina. Kapanen spent most of the preseason on that second line, so if Newhook doesn’t deliver, Martin St.
Louis could be tempted to make a change.
Lane Hutson is another key name. He also had a tough time against Carolina in the playoffs, and Montreal’s chances tend to rise or fall with his play.
When Hutson is on, the Canadiens look dangerous. When he’s not, they’re a much tougher watch.
Through two games this season, Hutson has three assists and has averaged more than 26:30 of ice time per game. That’s already more production than he had in five playoff games against Carolina, a drop-off from the 14 points he put up in the 14 postseason games before that series.
There’s also some uncertainty around his defensive partner. Alexandre Carrier left the game against the Penguins early with an injury, though he was back practicing Monday and seems likely to be available.
Kaiden Guhle also practiced without the non-contact jersey for the first time this season, so Montreal could be sorting through a few options there.
The goaltending situation adds another layer. Martin St. Louis didn’t name a starter for Tuesday, but whoever gets the crease will have a story attached to it.
Jakub Dobes started Montreal’s first two games, but he’s coming off a rough outing after allowing six goals against Pittsburgh. Still, he was the Canadiens’ starter in the playoffs and played every game against Carolina. That series wasn’t his best work, but it also wasn’t a total collapse; he allowed three or fewer goals in all but one game.
If Dobes doesn’t get the nod, Samuel Montembeault would be in net after being named the backup out of training camp. It would be his first start since March 6th of last season and only his fourth start since the beginning of February after he lost the starting job last year.
Montembeault had a strong preseason, and the Canadiens are hoping that form holds if he gets the chance. A big night against the Stanley Cup champions would get attention around the league, and it would do Montreal no harm either.
In Other News...
Canadiens Suddenly Have A New Lineup Concern Beyond Demidov
The Canadiens lineup picture has taken on a little more haze heading into a busy stretch against the Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings. Demidov is already out with an injury, and Oliver Kapanen has also been missing from several practices, leaving head coach Martin St-Louis with more uncertainty than he likely wanted at this point in the schedule.
Kapanens absence has added another layer of intrigue because the Canadiens have not offered much to explain it, and the timing matters with games coming up quickly. St-Louis now has to keep sorting out combinations and depth options while trying to cover for Demidovs absence, and the clubs next few days may say a lot about how flexible the roster really is. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens May Have Found The Answer To A Big Top-Line Debate
Juraj Slafkovskys place in the Montreal Canadiens lineup has been one of the more interesting debates around the clubs recent stretch, and it took a twist when he was shifted onto the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. The move came with Ivan Demidov sidelined, forcing the Canadiens to adjust their forward combinations and giving Slafkovsky a chance to show how he fits beside the teams two most established finishers.
The appeal is obvious: Slafkovskys size, puck protection and improving play can help drive a line that already has skill to burn, while the alternative is sending him back down to a second unit where he might carry more of the puck and the playmaking load. Montreal now has a decision to make about whether the experiment is a short-term fix or something worth keeping in place once the roster is back closer to full strength. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Face A Goalie Decision They Didn't Expect
A routine practice took an unwelcome turn for the Canadiens when Sam Montembeault went down with a non-contact right leg injury, and the team is expected to update his status later. For a club that had not exactly planned on revisiting its crease chart this way, the timing matters, especially with the goaltending picture still being shaped by what Jakub Dobe does with his opportunities.
Jacob Fowler is the name that naturally enters the conversation if Montreal needs help from Laval, where the young netminder has already made a strong impression in limited looks at both the NHL and AHL levels. If Montembeault is sidelined, the Canadiens could be looking at more than a short-term patch, with a possible extended evaluation in the crease depending on how Dobe holds up in the meantime. [Read more 🡒]