The Montreal Canadiens prospects didn’t come to Gatineau to fade quietly.
After a rough showing in their first Prospect Challenge game, Montreal’s young group answered on Sunday with a far more stubborn performance, clawing back to beat the Ottawa Senators prospects 5-4 in a shootout in the final game of the event. Luke Mittelstadt wore the captain’s C again, with Dillan Brentley and Tyler Thorpe serving as alternates.
Ottawa rolled out plenty of talent of its own, and Jaxon Cover wasted no time making his presence felt. The 32nd pick in the last draft piled up three points in the first period alone, while 36th overall pick Kasper Halttunen opened the scoring for the Sens. Ottawa also had Blake Vanek, the son of former Hab Thomas Vanek, and Christian Kyrou, Jordan’s brother, on the roster.
Cover nearly added a fourth point early in the second period when he broke in on a breakaway, but Canadiens netminder Mikus Vecvanags shut the door with a highlight-reel save to keep Montreal within reach at 3-1. Montreal also had to kill off a power play after Parker Trottier went to the box, and the discipline issues that hurt them on Saturday showed up again.
This time, though, the Canadiens escaped unharmed and answered with a power-play marker of their own from Josh Nadeau, who had already scored in similar fashion earlier in the game. Mittelstadt picked up assists on both of Nadeau’s first two goals.
The middle period got chippy in a hurry. Wesley Roston dropped the gloves with Kaleb Dietsch, and both benches spent plenty of time watching from the penalty box. It had the feel of a real Montreal-Ottawa clash.
Montreal found another gear in the third. Jean-Samuel Daigneault tied the game with a blast from the point, and then Nadeau completed his hat trick by scoring again off a Mittelstadt feed.
Tour du chapeau pour Josh Nadeau! 🧢 Josh Nadeau completes the hat trick! MTL 4, OTT 3 #GoHabsGo
But the Senators weren’t done. Thorpe missed a hit, it turned into a knee-on-knee collision, and he was sent off. Ottawa immediately cashed in, with Cover earning his fourth assist of the night on Eskild Bakke Olsen’s equalizer.
The teams went to overtime tied after 60 minutes, but neither side could settle it in three-on-three play. In the shootout, Alexander Legkov put Montreal ahead with a slick move, Vecvanags stopped Cover, and Parker Trottier added another for the Canadiens. That was enough for a 5-4 Montreal win.
Ottawa may have looked stronger on paper, but Montreal had the better night on the scoreboard.
In Other News...
Canadiens Should Be Watching Kirill Marchenko Very Closely
Kirill Marchenko is suddenly a name worth monitoring around the league, and for the Canadiens it is the kind of situation that can shift quickly if Columbus decides to take calls. Marchenko was productive last season with 67 points and carries a $3.85 million cap hit, making him the sort of forward who would draw attention from teams looking for help without having to tear up the rest of the roster.
The uncertainty comes from the Blue Jackets own internal picture, which has been a little hazy of late. Marchenko missed a recent team golf event, though he has since arrived in Columbus, and Rick Bowness has not exactly painted a detailed picture of where things stand. Don Waddell has also left the door open to movement by saying he is willing to listen on players, so this is one of those situations Montreal will want to keep an eye on rather than wait to hear about after the fact. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Just Put Arber Xhekaj At Center Of A Big Camp Battle
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Xhekaj has already built a resume of 230 games over four seasons with the Canadiens, and his physical style has made him a recognizable part of the mix when Montreal wants more edge on the back end. Now the real issue is how he fits into the opening-night picture, with a regular role still to be earned and the camp competition expected to be wide open. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Players Make One Thing Clear About Martin St. Louis
The Canadiens decision to extend Martin St. Louis through the 2029-30 season only formalized what has been building for a while in Montreal. Under his leadership, the club has steadily climbed, turning incremental progress into playoff appearances and better point totals, and the players around him have been quick to note how much his coaching has mattered.
Nick Suzuki and Chris Kreider have both been among the strongest voices backing St. Louis, pointing to his teaching ability and obvious passion for the game. Kreiders respect for him goes back even before St. Louis arrived in Montreal, while Suzuki has made it clear the coach has earned a level of trust in the room that is hard to miss, which makes the long-term commitment feel as much like a reflection of the players as the front office. [Read more 🡒]