Jake Allen is “the real deal”

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Those famous trips out west… they probably rob me of a week or two of my life expectancy because I am looking for my hours of sleep on those days.

But as long as you die a few weeks earlier in 2062, you might as well have fun right now, right? And fun, we have to watch the Canadian now. The team collected their second victory in three games yesterday, a second in as many games against the Oilers.

With five points out of a possible 6, the Canadian is second in the North Division this morning, just one point behind the Maple Leafs (who, however, played one more game).

What do I take away from that 3-1 win in Edmonton?

1. The Canadian played with fire and was able to avoid burns last night. The players were far too undisciplined (seven minor penalties) and miracle, McDavid and his band were unable to register a single power-play goal. McDavid spent no less than 8:35 on the ice in power play. The CH cannot hope to come out like this on a regular basis.

Yes, we can throw flowers at the players present on the Montreal numerical inferiority, but we can not expect them to repeat such a feat night after night.

2. Alexander Romanov scored his first NHL goal sur un tir que Mikko Koskinen would certainly like to see again would certainly have liked to see (veiled shot). Romanov already has two points in three games, a differential of plus-1 and nine shots on goal. To say that he was described above all as a defensive defender …

3. Mikko Koskinen was better than Saturday night, but I don’t even know if he would break through the Montreal reserve team, sincerely. He never looks confident and always seems to box with the disc.

4. Artturi Lehkonen scored his first goal of the season (on a shot Koskinen would like to see again). Tyler Toffoli, Paul Byron and Brett Kulak meanwhile collected their first aid of the campaign. Only Ben Chiarot, Joel Armia and Jesperi Kotkaniemi have still not blackened the scoresheet since the start of the season. Is Armia fast enough (and motivated) to follow Kotkaniemi and Toffoli around the ice? As long as we bet on a slower winger, shouldn’t we call on Corey Perry?

Armia also received a bad penalty when her team was already defending 4-5.

5. Jake Allen has been splendid. Calm and confident, he blocked 25 of the 26 shots he received.

Unfortunately, Jonathan Drouin had the good idea to try to outsmart an opponent when he was the last man in front of Allen. Result : it cost the shutout to the new Montreal substitute.

6. CH have once again scored the first goal they still have not trailed since the start of the season. We haven’t seen him play catch-up hockey yet.

7. Montrealers dominated 34-26 in shots on goal. Zack Kassian’s return was therefore not enough to wake the Oilers up.

8. We were hoping for the offensive awakening of Kotkaniemi’s trio. We will have to wait …

Otherwise, the depth is striking and everyone is contributing now, each in turn.

9. The match as such was perhaps a little less exciting than the first two and yes it was presented at 9:00 pm… but I really liked it all the same. We were not so spoiled in front of our TV in recent years that …

10. The large format Montreal defensive brigade got the job done once again. If I were Victor Mete I would read a few books on patience… whatever Brett Kulak only spent 10:01 on the ice yesterday. Kulak represents Mete’s only hope (if we don’t mention the injuries).

11. Joel Edmundson continued on his growing curve of learning and acclimatization. He was good last night. He looked more like a Ben Chiarot than a Karl Alzner …

12. Jeff Petry collected his fifth point of the season. He is still the best scorer among the defenders of the circuit… and the sixth best scorer among all skaters.

13. I don’t remember seeing so many pubs of online casino / gambling during a Canadian match. Mise-o-jeu, Bet99, Mega Moolah… And I forget.

Tuesday at the Canadian

The Canadiens’ players flew to Vancouver immediately after their victory over the Oilers. They landed at Vancouver International Airport towards 3:00 a.m. Montreal time.

Claude Julien gave his players leave today… them who will therefore have the right to stay in their hotel room or to take walks in the streets of the city.

The CH and the Canucks will face off three times over four days: Wednesday (10 p.m.), Thursday (9:30 p.m.) and Saturday (7 p.m.). My life expectancy will therefore be reduced by a few more weeks …

The Canucks have won only one of their four games so far this season. They are the ones who have allowed the most goals (16) since the start of the NHL campaign.

Will they manage to curb their three-game losing streak against the Montrealers?

I expect to see Carey Price play tomorrow and Saturday. Jake Allen? Thursday…

Note that Price, Weber, Gallagher and Edmundson still like the West.

Quinn Hughes, Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat, Travis Hamonic and Tanner Pearson are the only Canucks players to have two or more points since the start of the calendar. Elias Pettersson has only a meager assist (but a differential of plus-3). We will have to keep an eye on him this week.

Prolongation

– Hopefully Josh Anderson will not have to be absent and that he will be 100% tomorrow, he who had to retire in the locker room at the start of the match.

– The CH forms a family according to the new darling of the team.

– Will Alexander Romanov have as good a first season as Andrei Markov back then?

– Jake Allen was really looking forward to his first game.

– First, CH did the job against the Oilers. Second, he could score a lot of goals against the Canucks.

– Bravo Shea!

– The CH plan is working (for now).

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