There is a method to Dominique Ducharme’s perceived madness
Share this story
Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Coaching the Montreal Canadiens is never an easy job. It’s an even harder job once you get to the post-season. Add in the fact that you’re an interim head coach, that your team has a worse record than under your predecessor, and there’s a week break before the first game against an historic rival.
You get the point.
Canadiens interim head coach Dominique Ducharme raised eyebrows when he announced that Alexander Romanov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Cole Caufield would not dress for the first game of their series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The decision puts players like Jon Merrill, Brett Kulak, Corey Perry, and Eric Staal firmly in the spotlight.
Price allows two goals, Gallagher held scoreless in AHL conditioning stint
sportsnet.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sportsnet.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Canadiens need to rediscover pace, pressure to succeed vs. Maple Leafs
In this edition of the Daily Dose, Danielle Michaud chats with Eric Engels about the goaltending situation in the upcoming Maple Leafs and Canadiens playoff series. | May 17, 2021, 1:45 PM
May 17, 2021, 1:45 PM
MONTREAL The team we have now, I think it sends a message to the league and to our own players that we mean business, we’re here to win and we can play any way you want to play.” Marc Bergevin, Jan. 3, 2021.
In nine years as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens, Marc Bergevin has never offered a more bold assertion than the one you see above.
Article content
After enjoying two days off following the end of their regular season, the Canadiens hit the ice for practice Saturday morning at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard to begin preparations for their first-round playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The forward lines head coach Dominique Ducharme set up gave an indication of what the lineup will look like when the series begins next Thursday night in Toronto (7:30 p.m., CBC SN, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM). Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Cole Caufield and Michael Frolik were wearing grey jerseys and were on the fifth line, indicating they will be healthy scratches. All the other forwards were wearing red or white jerseys.
MONTREAL The Montreal Canadiens are headed into the playoffs on the back of a five-game winless streak, losing 4-3 in overtime to the Edmonton Oilers with a rag-tag roster that will look far different from the one that will face the Toronto Maple Leafs in a week’s time. It’s all over now. The Habs will now get two days off before a few days of practice with the full group to properly prepare for their first playoff series against their rivals since 1979. With spots in the lineup on the line for some of the players who hit the ice in Wednesday night’s meaningless game, at least one player seized his chance to make an impression. Cole Caufield put up his first multi-point game in the NHL and seemed to thrive in an elevated role next to Nick Suzuki. The other players on the bubble did little to sway opinions about their game.
vimarsana © 2020. All Rights Reserved.