First chance to see the Habs in game action tonight. The headline was Tomas Plekanec appears to have picked up where he left off last year with two goals, the second of which was a brilliant drag and shoot that baffled Patrick Lalime. Andrei Kostitsyn scored on a break that wasn't one of his patented deke-you-out-of -your-pants moves but encouraging nonetheless.
Marc Denis picked up the win with 60 solid minutes of work but he did falter in the third period. Call me crazy but I don't know if it's a foregone conclusion that Jaro Halak makes the team. He has never cracked an NHL roster out of camp, a feat that Denis has accomplished on more than one occasion.
Like Maxim Lapierre, it wouldn't shock me to see Halak start another season in Hamilton. He is still the odds on favorite for the backup job.
Other standouts included Ben Maxwell, Max Pacioretty and Yannick Weber. The two big forwards didn't look out of place and on a team with less depth could contend for roster spots. Weber saw time on the PP and I found myself waiting in vain for him to unleash the slap shot that earned him the "Swiss Missile Launcher" moniker in Kitchener.
Not sure if that's an appropriate nickname. Not only is it a mouthful but the Swiss aren't exactly known for their missile launchers. Perhaps "the army knife" (a reference to his Mark Streit-like versatility).
Four games in the next five nights, looking forward to seeing how more of the young guys and vets are looking.
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