Hockey

Jared Davidson fight: Martin St-Louis wants to add this aspect to his team
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Jared Davidson fight: Martin St-Louis wants to add this aspect to his team
Credit: Getty Images

Preparatory games are all about winning points in the eyes of management, and yesterday, if there's one player who won points, it was Jared Davidson. And why? Because he played as a team, fighting to defend his club's honor.It was a good fight, by the way.

In his team's 2-1 win, Davidson found a way to stand out from the crowd and bring something different from the others in the eyes of Martin St-Louis. I say that because the coach understands that sandpaper like Davidson's is good in a club.

Are we saying Davidson will make the club? That's not what we're mentioning, no. But what we are saying is that the prospect has realized, like Florian Xhekaj, that he can make a name for himself with his physical game and his ability to throw down the gloves. The chair available on the club's bottom-6, it can be used by a guy who plays hockey like that. Because yes, Davidson is tough, but he can play hockey.I think Florian “the Unicorn” Xhekaj has a head start on Davidson if the club ever decides to go in that direction instead of giving the job to Joe Veleno, for example.But Davidson did what he had to do yesterday

That said, if the club were to give a job to a youngster, Owen Beck is clearly a possibility. Yesterday, he looked better than Oliver Kapanen (not playing with NHL guys) on the ice… and I'm not just saying that because of his goal, the only regular of the game for the Habs.

Clearly, Beck didn't miss his audition. Neither did the guys in his line (Filip Mesar and Sean Farrell),but that's not all I'm taking away from yesterday's game. Which players deserve a mention from the Canadiens on the heels of a first prep game

1. The goalies were excellent. In fact, they saved the game. While the Canadiens were being dominated by the Penguins' B Club, Samuel Montembeault got the job done. He was in control, giving away just one goal on 21 shots, and when Jacob Fowler came into the game, it was the same thing. Aside from a shootout goal, the rookie gave nothing away on 13 shots in his first career prep game. It was his composure that caught the eye. The guy looked ready… and seeing him with Monty can inspire confidence in the club's future. No?

2. The club has a few things to work on (including its five-on-three), but above all, the guys will have to get used to Ivan Demidov, who can make passes from anywhere.What a hockey player, that one.

3. Noah Dobson wasn't the most impressive player. However, he still ate up minutes (24:16) and took his wanderings with Mike Matheson. He's going to be good. 4. Adam Engstrom hasn't been the most visible of players and even earned himself Gilbert Delorme's“J'regrette, il doit être meilleur” this morning. He ‘ll have to do better next time.

'prolongation'

The Habs will practice this morning in preparation for tonight's game. In

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