Are we experiencing September 2021 a second time? We had to check our calendar when we saw Mattias Norlinder flying on the ice on Sunday.
The Swede, whose arrival in America was once the most anticipated event since the Resurrection, more or less fell into oblivion last season, during which the Canadian nevertheless employed 11 defenders, without ever remind.
Norlinder makes no secret of it: his first full year in North America was not easy. In his first 38 games, this defender, best known for his offensive contribution, was limited to seven assists with an ugly differential of -10. He finally scored a first goal, which seemed to mark a turning point. He ended the campaign in good style with 2 goals, 12 points and a differential of 3 in his last 29 games.
Sunday, he not only scored a nice goal by accepting a raised pass from Nick Suzuki, but above all played with a confidence that we feared we would no longer see in him.
Stéphane Robidas, coach responsible for defenders at the Canadiens, said he noticed a lot more “details” in Norlinder’s game compared to his camp last year. “We see his progress,” he summarized.
As in the past, Norlinder also played with fire on a few occasions, including stupidly having the puck stolen by Ty Smilanic at the opposing blue line in the second period, and completely forgetting to cover Riley Kidney in the defensive zone in overtime .
There has long been talk of finding the optimal winger to complement the duo of Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. Almost no one had Tanner Pearson’s name on their bingo card. However, it was he who was entrusted with this mission on Sunday.
The 31-year-old certainly hasn’t injected any speed on this unit, but he’s proven this isn’t his first barbecue either. On Caufield’s goal in the second period, you might think Pearson would have been under more pressure from David Savard in real life, but the pass he served from behind the net was nevertheless precise and quick.
Relieved to finally play a match after a 10-month absence caused by a left hand injury that degenerated, Pearson said he had a lot of fun playing with the two best attackers on his new team.
“I just wanted to get the puck and give it to them,” he said. I’ve played with a lot of good players in the past, and they have this in common: they want the puck. With a shooter and a good playmaker, things will go well. »
Pearson did not comment on the possibility of extending his audition on the first line, especially since he is still a newcomer. He nevertheless mentioned that the chemistry became clearer as the match progressed.
Even though assistant coach Alex Burrows mentioned after the game that Pearson could be used “anywhere” in the lineup and that he gave the Canadian “great depth,” it’s worth remembering that the Ontarian played alongside top players over the past few seasons in Vancouver. In 2021-22 and 2022-23, his most frequent line partners have been J.T. Miller, Conor Garland, Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser, all of whom were in the Canucks’ top six.
Speaking of combinations, Kirby Dach and Sean Monahan were together again on the same unit on Sunday. Something tells us that their association could survive until the start of the season.
Saturday morning, after a disastrous intra-team match at the Brossard training center, Cayden Primeau’s morale was somewhere between his calves and the soles of his feet.
This did not appear on Sunday. Called upon during the first half of the match, he was perfect in stopping the 11 shots he faced – the number of shots was calculated by the RDS network. He notably stood up against Dach, who arrived alone in front of him after stealing the disc from the very shaky Brady Keeper.
“I felt good,” Primeau said simply at the end of the day. The young man was animated by a look that had nothing to do with the day before.
“I followed the puck well, I moved my feet well and I tried to be big in front of my net,” he listed.
This performance will not give Primeau the keys to the Bell Center, especially not in a context where he must overtake an established veteran to obtain a position in Montreal. But it will certainly put him back on the right track for the coming days.
We can expect him to see a lot of action over the next week, as CH plays four preparatory games at home. Nothing is official, but since they did not play on Sunday, Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobes could well share the task Monday night against the New Jersey Devils.
Jared Davidson continued his good training camp by scoring the first goal of the game with a sharp shot that beat Jake Allen on the stick side. He scored a hat trick Thursday in another intrasquad game. With an American League contract in his pocket, this fifth-round pick in 2022 is sure to leave a good impression before heading to Laval. He also had a strong match with his future teammates Brandon Gignac and Gabriel Bourque, one of the best trios on Sunday. “He’s been surreal this week,” Alex Burrows said after the game. His future is bright, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him again soon. »
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Goalkeeper Quentin Miller was the victim of the first cup of the camp, late in the afternoon, but it was not without having filled up on good memories. The 18-year-old Montrealer played the second half of the game, as well as the overtime period and shootout. He then gave in to Nick Suzuki, who gave him a sublime feint, but he stopped Cole Caufield’s shot. “I try to stay in the present, but it was really fun! “, he exclaimed afterwards. He too has scored points in recent days. First at the rookie tournament in Buffalo, then in the first days of camp. He will now join the Quebec Remparts, where he will be the starting goalie this season. Attackers Cédrick Guindon and Florian Xhekaj were also transferred to their junior club on Sunday. Goalkeeper Jan Spunar was released from his professional trial.
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Sunday’s game was essentially devoid of contact, with one exception. The giant John Parker-Jones found himself with all four irons in the air after Tobie Bisson threw him onto the ice. The defender probably felt that the attacker had taken a little too much to capture a return shot near Jake Allen at the end of the first period. A tasty anecdote that the two will be able to talk about at the Rocket selection camp in a few days.
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Mike Matheson hasn’t lost his cool this off-season. In the first period, he successively stole the puck from Jakov Novak and Jake Evans, each time with disconcerting ease. And in the second, he came very close to catching Lias Andersson, who had been awarded a penalty shot in “pursuit”, a fun formula adopted during the camp. In fact, if Matheson didn’t make it, it’s because Brandon Gignac joined Andersson before him.
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Yes, Joel Armia still plays for the Canadian. He was even very visible on Sunday, and perfectly in tune with his usual signature. He had at least four chances to take good shots in the first period, but never hit the target. He later demonstrated his herculean strength by carrying Johnathan Kovacevic and then bringing the puck back on his forehand. His shot hit the post. Despite these failures, the Finn did not play a bad match to the right of Jake Evans and Emil Heineman.
