Canadiens of Montreal Focus on Power Play Strategy Ahead of Regular Season Start

In Brossard, head coach Martin St-Louis of the Montreal Canadiens expressed his strategic approach to the team’s training camp, especially in relation to the power play dynamics. With the regular NHL season about to kick off, the Canadiens spent significant time on Monday refining their power play strategies.

St-Louis, who has taken full responsibility for the power play unit after the reassignment of Alex Burrows to a development role, has revamped the team’s offensive strategy. “The players haven’t had much time to apply these changes in-game,” noted St-Louis. Only two of the six preseason games saw the participation of most first-wave players, which, he mentioned, affects the team’s cohesion on the power play.

Despite the Canadiens’ struggle with a 0-for-30 record on the power play during preseason, St-Louis remains optimistic. “In a way, I’m almost glad we haven’t shown anything to other teams. That’s a positive,” he expressed on Monday afternoon.

The lineup for the team’s primary power play unit features Mike Matheson, Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, and Juraj Slafkovsky. The secondary unit took a hit with Patrik Laine‘s knee injury, sidelining him for two to three months. Players such as Lane Hutson, Joel Armia, Brendan Gallagher, Alex Barré-Boulet, and Alex Newhook are now tasked with stepping up.

St-Louis highlighted the dynamics in the second unit, saying, “Lane is dynamic at the top, ‘Gally’ is in the center, ‘Army’ can shoot and he’s smart. Barré-Boulet can make plays, and Newhook has speed and can shoot, too.” He emphasized that while the team will continue to work on these concepts, each player brings something valuable to the setup.

Additionally, other players like Josh Anderson, Emil Heineman, and Oliver Kapanen are on standby to contribute if the current configurations underperform when the season begins.