Montreal Canadiens training camp resumes on Wednesday with a preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the evening and some of the team’s hopefuls should get another chance to pick up points.
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The Habs, defeated 2-1 by the New Jersey Devils at Bell Center on Monday, are playing their second of eight exhibition games. The players, deployed by head coach Martin St-Louis, trained in Brossard in the morning and then traveled to Queen City.
So Samuel Montembeault and Kevin Poulin will be the goalkeepers in uniform. Up front, Juraj Slafkovsky gets another chance, this time in a top line also made up of Rem Pitlick and Joel Armia. Jake Evans will direct the second series, which will be completed by Emil Heineman and Jesse Ylonen. Also, Filip Mesar and Owen Beck will be part of the third line. In the back, Corey Schueneman and Chris Wideman form the first pair. The other duos will be those of Jordan Harris and Arber Xhekaj, and Justin Barron and Otto Leskinen.
When asked about Slafkovsky’s presence in the squad, St-Louis said his initial plan was very different. The Slovak replaces the sick Jonathan Drouin.
“If I were in his place I would love to play as many games as possible so let’s give him another chance. The more he plays, the bigger our sample gets, the pilot said at a news conference. We have an idea of the number of games he will play but that may change depending on the circumstances. There we focus on everything he does on the ice, in practice and in games. We evaluate it every day.”
keep moving forward
For his part, Barron will also have a second straight opportunity to show his potential. Although the confrontation will take place outside, the tasks do not change.
“The routine is a bit different, but my mindset remains the same. It’s about getting better every day, he said. Overall I’m very happy with my game, the aim is to build on that day by day and make an increasingly positive impression as the camp progresses.
Austin Matthews will not be in uniform with the Leafs. The most prominent names set to take on Bleu Blanc Rouge are goalkeeper Matt Murray, defenders Morgan Rielly, Mark Giordano, Victor Mete and Jordie Benn, and forwards William Nylander and Alexander Kerfoot.
After this duel, CH welcomes the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.
- Also, Josh Anderson put on his skates in the morning. Plagued by an upper-body injury, his case is assessed daily.