Veleno will replace Kapanen, Dach is out, and Struble is holding Hutson back

Maxime Truman
Veleno will replace Kapanen, Dach is out, and Struble is holding Hutson back
Credit: X / Canadiens

Way to go, Montreal! We made it through four incredibly intense days with the F1 Grand Prix and the crowds for the Canadiens' first two games in Raleigh.

Please, let's all pull together just as well tonight for the first game of this series against the Hurricanes at the Bell Centre. OK?

Deal?

Which Canadiens team will take the ice at the Bell Centre around 8:10 p.m. tonight? The one that seems intimidated by its own fans? The one that tries to win with barely a dozen shots? Or the one that dominated the Hurricanes and the Sabres for 60 minutes (or more)?

Above all, will the Habs do what they've been doing well for months: not lose two games in a row? We'll see.

Here are a few additional thoughts ahead of Game 3:

1. What was Oliver Kapanen doing on the ice with Kirby Dach and Zachary Bolduc at the start of overtime on Saturday night? Why did he play more than 10 minutes in such an important game?

When he received the puck, all he had to do was dump it deep into the zone. Instead, he passed it weakly to the Hurricanes' defenseman, who quickly set up the game-winning goal. If Kapanen isn't capable of clearing the puck deep into the zone (and taking the hit that comes with it), he isn't fit to play in the playoffs. That's it.

Oliver Kapanen practiced with the reserves this morning, while Joe Veleno was with the starters. Martin St-Louis just had no choice but to act. Note that no other changes are expected for Game #3.

2. Noah Dobson isn't playing great hockey right now. He looked slow on the game-winning goal on Saturday and isn't as effective as he was during the regular season. He finished Game #2 at -2.

3. Alexandre Texier's jab to K'Andre Miller's groin was stupid, unsportsmanlike, and selfish. The game could have ended on the ensuing power play.


4. Has anyone seen Kirby Dach? He's been a ghost for the past six games.

(Credit: NHL.com)

5. Lane Hutson looked fine this morning at practice: so fortunately
,
he wasn't injured on Taylor Hall's (very) borderline hit
. Hutson didn't have the puck, and there are limits to the concept of “finishing your checks.”

But check or no check, you have to admit that the Struble–Hutson pairing isn't working.

How can you pair your best defenseman with a defenseman who has been benched more often than not since the start of the series against the Sabres?

And why move Lane Hutson back to the right? Then put him back on the left when he's playing with a defenseman other than Struble?

6. Juraj Slafkovsky and Nick Suzuki tried some very soft fancy plays during Game #2. Weird…

7. Seven points and a +3 rating in his last five games: Phillip Danault might be playing the best hockey of his career right now
. The younger players on the team will need to step up and follow the veteran's lead.

8. Alexandre Carrier is on fire right now
. He's perhaps been the most consistent defenseman since the start of the series against the Sabres: he's recorded a point in every game except three
.

9. Stop suggesting we give Jacob Fowler a game!

10. This will already be the Canadiens' 12th game in May, and it's only the 25th. If the series goes to six games, the Habs will have played 15 times in 31 days this month. #Fatigue

11. There are tickets for around $400 for tonight's game on StubHub and Billets.ca.

12. Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Andrei Svechnikov have combined for just one goal in two games since the start of the series. We can't let them get going at the Bell Centre…

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