Noah Dobson and Oliver Kapanen on the first power play during practice

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Noah Dobson and Oliver Kapanen on the first power play during practice
Credit: Patrick Guillet

Without Nick Suzuki, it's clear there's a hole in the lineup.

For now, Oliver Kapanen is filling in for him on the first line. He's gone from the bench during the playoffs to the first line in just a few months.

Yeah…

But we also can't forget that there's a power-play role to fill. After all, the team captain has played a key role on that unit for years.

It's worth noting that Oliver Kapanen has been practicing on the first power-play unit. That's not surprising, since someone has to fill in for #14. And since Kapanen is developing chemistry with the guys on the first line, it makes sense to have him on the power play as well.

I would have put Alex Newhook on the power play, but oh well.

But the real surprise is that instead of seeing Chris Kreider or Zachary Bolduc take the last spot, it was a defenseman (Noah Dobson) who was there.

Do we want to give Lane Hutson more freedom? Who knows. But the Habs aren't usually big on sending two defensemen up at the same time.

Without Ivan Demidov, we need a guy who can create opportunities, that said… and Hutson will have the freedom to move more freely.

On the second line, Bolduc, Newhook, and Kreider were there. Alexandre Texier was alongside them… and Adam Engstrom also had his spot on the second line.

I know Mike Matheson (who seems to be nearing a return) was practicing on the penalty kill. But is that a hint that Engstrom might earn a spot in the lineup tomorrow? We'll see in due time.

Alternatively, one might also think that Engstrom was just warming someone's seat. That's also a possibility worth considering when analyzing the situation.

Stay tuned.


In a nutshell

– Oh, really?

– Fine in Ottawa.

– It's official.

– Good question.

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