The Montreal Canadiens managed to erase another 3-1 deficit at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night, winning their pre-season match by a 5-4 final in overtime. While the results in the win and loss columns remain immaterial, the Leafs were icing close to what will be their regular lineup this season, so it was encouraging to see a young Habs roster keep up with them.
Speaking of youth, Mattias Norlinder and Logan Mailloux had arguably their best pre-season games, in perhaps their last opportunity to impress the coaching staff.
Norlinder has struggled since coming to North America, but appeared to be finding his footing last year in Laval. He had a big goal for the Habs to open the scoring against the Leafs, coming on the power play no less, an area of the game at which the team has been struggling to say the least.
He seems to be one of the few players on the roster right now who can make things happen on the power play. His confidence with the puck appears to be at an all-time high, and he’s trying things that just weren’t present in his game in the last couple of years. He may have fallen pretty far on our annual top-25-under-25 list, but if he continues playing like this, his stock can only rise with pundits and the organization alike.
For his part, Mailloux had some regrettable moments in the game, most notably a retaliation penalty against Nick Robertson, but overall was able to show his undeniable athleticism. He had no easy minutes, having to skate often against the likes of Auston Matthews, but led the team with four shot blocks, and saw 66.67% of shot attempts in favour of his team while he was on the ice.
From the offensive blue line and in, we really saw a glimpse of what kind of player Mailloux can be. He is capable of very impressive plays in the offensive zone, and while he didn’t find the scoresheet, he left no doubt that he has the tools necessary to do so. His defensive lapses have grown fewer and further between through his pre-season action, and he’s making the most of the opportunity the coaching staff has given him by keeping him at camp a little longer.
If it was indeed the final chance for these two defencemen to state their case, they did about as well as could be asked of them against stiff competition. If they are sent down, they should both be strolling into the Rocket’s locker room brimming with confidence, as they’ve both been among the most improved players at Habs camp this season.
The best course of action for both of these players is likely to let them start in Laval, as unpopular as that may be with the broader fan base. The top four is essentially sewn up in Montreal already, and they both need more minutes to really find their games. That being said, there has to be some comfortable sleeps ahead for Martin St-Louis knowing that he has three potentially viable options (including William Trudeau) to call up from the farm when he has a need.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. We have some days off here, but will return with one more pre-season entry this Saturday night before the regular season kicks off on October 11.
