Continuing the fine-tuning

BROSSARD - The Canadiens may have had a perfect night on the power play against the Ottawa Senators, but that was no reason to stop fine-tuning their work with the man advantage.

Back at the Bell Sports Complex for practice on Sunday, that's exactly what they did.

Jeff Petry knows precisely the way in which his squad needs to execute in order to keep enjoying success like they did the night before at the Canadian Tire Centre, where they exploded for three goals with the man advantage en route to a 4-0 road win.
"We have to be sharp. The passes have to be tape to tape, because if you're bobbling the puck or it's out in front, then it gives the P.K. a chance to jump," said Petry, who opened the scoring on the power play in Kanata. "It has to be quick and sharp puck movement and then after that, it's a matter of generating shots. If you try to be too cute and overpass, that's when you're going to get the passes that aren't tape to tape. As you generate more shots, the plays are going to open up."

Having a player like Phillip Danault on the unit certainly can certainly make a big difference, according to the Michigan-born defender.
"He's good; he moves the puck well. He's a nice guy to have out there to win you a faceoff to start the power play, because that's huge," Petry said of the Victoriaville native, who won 55.5% of his draws last season, including 27 of the 35 he took with the man advantage. "If you don't win the faceoff and it gets cleared down, it kills 20 seconds. It's an important part to win the faceoff on the power play."

For his part, Danault sees a big difference in terms of the power play's cohesiveness and overall execution.
"I think the difference compared to last year is that we're supporting each other more. We're hungrier. Yesterday, we were on the puck and we won our one-on-one battles," shared Danault, who earned a helper on Petry's goal before scoring a power play goal of his own in the third period. "The faceoff at the beginning of the power play is also very important. If you win it, you have a shot or two guaranteed. The way we position ourselves on the faceoff can help us a lot."

Still standing
After suffering a groin injury in the first practice of training camp, defenseman Karl Alzner was back on the ice with his teammates and declared himself ready to go.
The 30-year-old rearguard is fighting for a spot on the Montreal roster after spending much of 2018-19 with the AHL's Laval Rocket, and the timing for his return to action couldn't be any more crucial.
Alzner knows exactly the kind of mindset he needs to employ to maximize his chances as training camp carries on.
"Just to make an impression. I think everyone knows what I can do and that needs to be elevated; it needs to be more," explained the 6-foot-3, 213-pound blue-liner. "If and when I do get the opportunity, I can't go through games just being not noticed; I don't think that's something that anyone can do anymore. Just really making sure I'm on every shift."

The Habs did announce another round of cuts on Sunday, with goalie Cayden Primeau and defenseman Otto Leskinen being reassigned to the Rocket.

That means goaltender Charlie Lindgren also gets to stick around to show what he can do, and the 25-year-old is grateful for the opportunity.
"If you ask the coaching staff and the guys in this locker room, I think they all have a lot of faith in me just like I have a lot of faith in them," outlined Lindgren, who's in the second year of a three-year contract with the Canadiens. "It's a good spot to be in; it's positive."
The Canadiens resume their preseason schedule at 7:00 p.m. on Monday night at the Bell Centre when the Toronto Maple Leafs come to town. For tickets,
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