Training camp is over: Here’s the biggest area the CH needs to work on

Mathis Therrien
Training camp is over: Here’s the biggest area the CH needs to work on
Credit: YouTube

The Montreal Canadiens' training camp is officially over.

All that's left are the final roster cuts, which are expected to take place today around 2 p.m. with the waivers, before we can really get down to business.

We're all really excited for the season opener on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, especially after the Habs' strong preseason performance.

Indeed, the Habs had a strong preseason, winning four of their five games; their only loss came yesterday in Ottawa, when the Habs' B team fell 4–3 to the Sens.

So there were plenty of positives to take away, both collectively and individually from certain players, which bodes very well for the 2026–2027 season, as everyone seems ready.

However, one area stands out as needing work following this training camp: penalty killing.

It was especially evident last night in both games that this aspect of the Habs' game was truly lacking, as all six of the Senators' goals were scored on the power play.

It's a striking trend, especially since the Habs averaged a 55% success rate in those two games the day before.

And when you look at the entire preseason schedule, their penalty-killing efficiency rises to just 66%, with a total of nine goals allowed in five games.

Obviously, we're talking about a small sample size—and preseason games at that—but still, this is the area we're identifying as needing work ahead of the season opener.

Canadiens assistant coach Derek Lalonde has surely noticed this trend, and he'll clearly want to address it quickly to prevent it from hindering the Habs' success.

Lalonde is in charge of the penalty kill, so he has his work cut out for him to make sure everything runs smoothly and that this is just a preseason blip.

In short, we're all really looking forward to the season starting this Tuesday at 7 p.m. against the Maple Leafs in Toronto,


In a Nutshell

– We're almost there!

– Great win for CF Montréal.

– He's truly CF Montréal's best player.

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