STU COWAN
EDMONTON — The Canadiens wrap up their three-game Western Canada road trip Sunday against the Oilers at Rogers Place (7 p.m., SN, RDS, TSN Radio 690) and their biggest challenge will be trying to stop Connor McDavid.
The 20-year-old Oilers star leads the NHL scoring race with 23-52-75 totals, four point ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby (34-38-72). McDavid logged an incredible 26:53 of ice time as a centre during his last game, a 3-2 shootout loss to the Penguins Friday night at Rogers Place, scoring once in regulation time and once in the shootout while registering nine shots on goal.
“Honestly, the biggest challenge is really shutting down the best player in the world,” Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty said after practice Saturday. “You saw how dangerous he is last night. When he wants to take over like last night … it looks like he took over the game. I know they didn’t win, but he had opportunities to close that game.
Wayne Gretzky statue outside Rogers Place in Edmonton #Habs #Oilers pic.twitter.com/4HSvHKHV6A
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 11, 2017
“We really want to focus on him,” Pacioretty added. “It’s not too often where a player can stand up here, honestly, and say that you want to key in on one guy, but he’s just unbelievable. You got to try and slow him down through the neutral zone, that’s the biggest thing. If we’re able to limit those rushes where he comes through the neutral zone with speed, it should give us the ability to play a little bit more in their end.
“The way he comes through the neutral zone with speed with the puck … you don’t see too many guys who can skate with the puck with that speed and make plays at that speed as well. You don’t see anybody, actually, that can do that. So a big part of our game is to key on him and hopefully we can do that.”
This will be the second and final regular-season meeting between these teams this season. The Oilers beat the Canadiens 1-0 in a shootout at the Bell Centre on Feb. 5. Canadiens backup goalie Al Montoya made 32 saves during the game, including stopping McDavid on a breakaway in overtime.
(Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
My #Habs Notebook from Edmonton: Carey Price and Alexander Radulov ready to face #Oilers Sunday: https://t.co/kQg93bcyn3 pic.twitter.com/db17xB3iZY
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 12, 2017
McDavid impresses Julien
Canadiens coach Claude Julien has also been very impressed by McDavid and was asked after Saturday’s game if he could compare the Oilers phenom to any other star player from the past.
“I’d like to say he’s pretty unique,” Julien said. “He’s such a skilled player and he skates so well. Every time you watch him, he goes around Ds like they’re standing still. He’s got so much speed and his cross-overs are outstanding. He’s picking up speed. We got to make sure we’re above him tomorrow and that we try and take his time and space away, just like probably every coach in the league has said before playing him. His speed attached to his skill level just makes him such a dangerous player.”
Byron recovers from flu
Paul Byron, who missed Saturday’s practice with the flu, has recovered and will be in the lineup against the Oilers, meaning Andreas Martinson will be a healthy scratch, along with defenceman Brandon Davidson. Tomas Plekanec (upper-body injury) and Nikita Nesterov, who missed practice Saturday for a maintenance day, also won’t be in the lineup.
The Canadiens did not have a morning skate Sunday because of the early 5 p.m. local start. Here’s how the lines and defence pairings looked at practice Saturday.
Pacioretty – Danault – Shaw
Lehkonen – Galchenyuk – Radulov
King – Mitchell – Gallagher
Martinsen – Ott – McCarron
Plekanec
Markov – Weber
Emelin – Petry
Beaulieu – Benn
Davidson
Goalie Carey Price, who missed Thursday’s 5-0 loss to the Flames in Calgary with the flu, practised Saturday and will start against the Oilers, looking for his sixth straight win.
Plekanec still not ready
Tomas Plekanec, who has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury, practised Saturday while wearing a non-contact jersey, but won’t be in the lineup against the Oilers.
“No, not tomorrow,” he said after practice while untying his skates. “I don’t know when, but it’s close.”
Plekanec had the longest streak of consecutive games played on the Canadiens before suffering the injury, suiting up for 236 straight games dating back to March 29, 2014. Plekanec said his streak was mainly due to luck.
“It’s hard … you got to be really lucky to be able to play that many consecutive games,” said Plekanec, who has struggled offensively this season with 7-17-24 totals in 66 games. “Very lucky, I would say, and there were many games where the trainers get you through when you have some bumps and stuff like that. But it’s the same as any other player.”
As for watching games from the press box, something he’s not used to, the 34-year-old veteran said: “You have a different point of view in the game … you can learn more from watching from the top. It’s a little bit different from when you’re close or watching on TV. But when you’re up there it’s like (expletive) I want to be out there … I don’t want to be sitting here.”
Plekanec has one more season left on a two-year, US$12-million contract.
Pacioretty now has the longest consecutive games played streak on the Canadiens. The game against the Oilers will be the captain’s 151st consecutive game, dating back to April 11, 2015. Phillip Danault and Torrey Mitchell are tied for second, having each played in 119 consecutive games.
Canadiens fall to second place
The Ottawa Senators (39-22-6) moved ahead of the Canadiens (38-22-8) into first place in the Atlantic Division with a 4-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche Saturday night.
Both teams have 84 points, but Ottawa has played one less game.
Andrei Markov works on shot at #Habs practice in Edmonton pic.twitter.com/nEE6uudNPt
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 11, 2017
Julien has high praise for Lucic
The Oilers’ Milan Lucic was part of the Boston Bruins team that won the Stanley Cup in 2011 with Julien as head coach.
“I thought he was a great player for us,” Julien said about Lucic. “He came in as a 19-year-old and had such a good training camp that we kept him. But not only that, how he handled himself in his first year and I remember him playing on our top lines by the end of the year. He was really good for us.
“As he got older, he also became a leader,” Julien added. “His voice was definitely heard in that dressing room. He was a guy that you could rely on on a lot of those big nights. He’s a big-game player.”
Julien recalled Game 7 of the playoff series against Toronto in 2013 when the Leafs were beating the Bruins 4-1 with 14:31 left in the third period. The Bruins rallied to win in overtime on a goal by Patrice Bergeron.
“He just came to the bench and he started telling guys that we were going to turn this thing around,” Julien said about Lucic when the Bruins were losing 4-1. “And not only did he say it, but he took charge and he made it happen. It was a good example of what Milan Lucic can do when he sets his mind to it.”
In 67 games with the Oilers this season, Lucic has 14-23-37 totals with 41 penalty minutes and is minus-7. Lucic has been playing left wing on a line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins at centre and Jordan Eberle on the right. In Edmonton, the line has been dubbed the $6-Million Man Line because all three players have $6-million salary-cap hits this season.
Lucic is in the first season of a seven-year, US$42-million contract.
Familiar face with Oilers
Former Canadien David Desharnais will play his first game against his former team after being dealt to the Oilers on Feb. 28 in exchange for defenceman Brandon Davidson.
Desharnais scored his first goal as an Oiler Friday night in Edmonton’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Penguins at Rogers Place. In three games with the Oilers, Desharnais has 1-1-2 totals and is averaging 12:16 of ice time. He is playing centre on the Oilers’ third line between two other former Canadiens: Benoit Pouliot and Zack Kassian.
Desharnais is wearing No. 13 with the Oilers.
Former #Habs David Desharnais at #Oilers practice in Edmonton #HabsIO pic.twitter.com/T1mPneRkEJ
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 11, 2017
Another Bruins connection on Oilers
Lucic isn’t the only Bruins connection on the Oilers. Edmonton GM Peter Chiarelli is the man who built Boston’s 2011 Stanley Cup team before being fired by the Bruins in April 2015 after nine years on the job. Chiarelli wasn’t unemployed long, with the Oilers hiring him later that month.
“I think he’s definitely got a lot of talent here,” Julien said about Chiarelli. “But also, Peter’s way of doing things he’s also got some size in his lineup. When you get your Patrick Maroons and the Lucics, it just makes room for those (skilled) guys. He likes the combination of both. I think I’m seeing a lot of similarities on what he’s doing here and what he did when he built a Stanley Cup champion in Boston.”
Entrance to #Oilers locker room at Rogers Place in Edmonton #Habs #HabsIO pic.twitter.com/KfhEp6l5BQ
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 11, 2017
What’s next?
Sunday’s game will wrap up the Canadiens’ three-game Western Canada road trip. They will fly home after the game and enjoy a day off on Monday.
The Canadiens will then get back to work Tuesday with an 11 a.m. morning skate scheduled in Brossard before facing the Chicago Blackhawks that night at the Bell Centre (7:30 p.m., SNE, RDS, TSN Radio 690). After that, the Canadiens don’t play again until the weekend when they have back-to-back games against the Senators Saturday in Ottawa (7 p.m., SN, TVA Sports, TSN Radio 690) and Sunday at the Bell Centre (7:30 p.m., SN, RDS).
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