MTL@TOR: Make it three in a row

TORONTO - With training camp cuts looming, several players continued to make their case to stick around with the big club on Monday night at Scotiabank Arena.

Defenseman Xavier Ouellet was certainly one of them, chipping in with two goals - including the game-winner - in the Canadiens' 5-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The victory extended the Habs' preseason winning streak to three straight games.
"It feels good. I think we played well as a team. It was a really intense game. I got to score some goals, which is always fun. I'm pretty happy with my game, in general," said Ouellet, who agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way contract with the Canadiens on July 1. "I feel better and better on the ice. The more you play, the more you get in the game and you get to skate more. I'm playing some really good minutes, so I feel really good physically."

The 25-year-old rearguard logged more minutes than any other player in head coach Claude Julien's lineup against Toronto, seeing 20:19 of ice time.
He also finished his third preseason outing with three shots on goal, three hits and a plus-four differential.
Ouellet isn't letting his offensive success on Monday night get to his head, though.
"I've had the same mindset since Day 1 of training camp. It doesn't change because of the goals or anything like that," explained the five-year NHL veteran. "I've got to show up every day. I've got to be consistent. I've got to work as hard as I can and be reliable on the ice. I think I've done that so far and I've got to keep going."

Admittedly, Julien was impressed with Ouellet's effort against Toronto, but the verdict is still out on whether or not he'll remain with the Canadiens going forward.
"He's helping himself to win a spot. Right now, they're battling to make this team. Goals are one thing. He had two great shots, but we have to evaluate him on more than that," affirmed Julien. "That's what we're trying to do with the whole package."
The same is true with respect to Finnish phenom, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who continued to shine in his fourth preseason game on Monday night.
The 18-year-old center collected an assist on the first goal of the contest by countryman Artturi Lehkonen, who went on to add another.
"He's continuing to play good hockey. When he's on the ice, things happen. It's encouraging, especially for a player his age. He's a young player that continues to improve," praised Julien, on the third-overall selection in June. "He's showing his own style. He's showing a lot of maturity on the ice for an 18-year-old. It's nice to see."

Tough calls on the horizon
Ouellet and Kotkaniemi are just two of the players Julien, along with the rest of the Canadiens' coaching staff and the Habs' brass, will have to make a decision about in short order.
During his postgame press conference, the veteran bench boss addressed his timeline for trimming down his training camp roster, which currently stands at 43 players.
"We have big decisions, tough decisions to make. That's what we have in front of us in the coming days," mentioned Julien. "We want to get closer and closer. We won't be down to 23 players [on Tuesday], but we're going to get closer to the final group. We'll make some decisions [on Monday night] or [Tuesday] morning. We want to get closer to our final team for the last two preseason games. We'll be going up against teams with a full lineup, just like they will."
Hudon on his highlight-reel goal
Charles Hudon's second-period tally really was a thing of beauty.
His spin-o-rama move - before putting the puck past Maple Leafs starter Garret Sparks - definitely caught everyone's attention.

Following the win, the 24-year-old Alma native explained that the move itself was somewhat improvised given that a Toronto defender was right on top of him.
"Usually I'm going more inside and I'm shooting right away," said Hudon. "But, I was thinking that maybe that guy was going to hit me, so I just tried to avoid getting hit and I just tried to find the puck and shoot it. It was a good goal."