Wednesday Habs Headlines: Canadiens overcoming talent deficit with high pace

Montreal Canadiens news and notes

• The Habs are following the recent trend for underdog teams: get faster. [ProHockeyTalk]
• Ismo and Riitta Lehkonen were on hand for Tomas Plekanec’s 1000th game, as a token of appreciation for everything Plekanec has done for their son Artturi. [Montreal Canadiens]
• Plekanec has never been one to understand why he’s receiving such praise, and that’s what makes him so loved in Montreal. [The Athletic]
• Tomas Tatar was the wildcard in the Max Pacioretty trade. [Radio-Canada]
• Tatar is opening eyes with his hot start to the season. [Sportsnet]
• Nicolas Deslauriers won’t change his style on the ice. [La Presse]
• Is Nikita Scherbak’s time with the CH running out? [Montreal Gazette]
• Monday night’s victory over the Detroit Red Wings was a little bit of revenge for Xavier Ouellet. [RDS]
• The Habs transition game was a key factor in the offensive outburst. [The Athletic]
• Claude Julien would agree, and says the new up-tempo style is fan-friendly as well./

Claude Julien: “I think the fans are enjoying our style of play because it’s exciting, it’s energetic and there’s a lot going on. We are in the entertainment business and we have to give a good product.”

— Dan Robertson (@DRTSN690) October 16, 2018

• The coach says the goal is to keep Jesperi Kotkaniemi in Montreal for the long haul, so long as the player can keep up./

#Habs C.Julien on J.Kotkaniemi: "He's here, and our goal is to keep him here."

— Richard Labbé (@Richardlabbe) October 16, 2018

• Joel Bouchard is stamping his authority on his team, as evidenced by his outburst today when practice was a little too sloppy for his liking. [RDS]
• Josh Brook is having a torrid start to his WHL campaign./

#GoHabsGo⁠ ⁠ D Josh Brook is ranked 3rd for the most points among WHL defenseman with 11 in seven games (4g, 7a). He is the youngest in this list.

— amelia mcguire (@AMHockey_) October 16, 2018

Around the league and elsewhere

• More feuds, more personalities, means more fun for the NHL. [ProHockeyTalk]
• Six early surprises so far this season. [Sportsnet]
• An oral history of the Chicago Blackhawks renaissance. [The Athletic]
• Down Goes Brown has a look at the Connor McDavid vs. Auston Matthews debate. [The Athletic]
• How the evolution of shrinking goaltender equipment is contributing to the early-season goal glut in the NHL. [The Athletic]
• Arizona Coyotes forward Alex Galchenyuk has been cleared for contact as he recovers from a lower-body injury. [Sportsnet]
• Andrei Vasilevskiy discusses his Vezina Trophy nomination, his mask, and turning into an octopus to stop Alex Ovechkin. [Raw Charge]
• We’ve seen own goals occur when a team has pulled its goalie on a delayed penalty, but this one, from a game between Avangard Omsk and Barys Astana of the KHL, is unique./

Delayed penalty gone WRONG. pic.twitter.com/w4fIqSSjkR

— KHL (@khl_eng) October 15, 2018