TOR@MTL: Another chance for Jesperi to shine

BROSSARD - After surviving the latest round of cuts, youngster Jesperi Kotkaniemi will be put to the test again on Wednesday night.

And, it will be against a far different Maple Leafs squad than the one the Canadiens handled rather easily earlier in the week in Toronto.
For this matchup, head coach Mike Babcock will be featuring offensive weapons aplenty up front, including forwards John Tavares, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Nazem Kadri and Patrick Marleau.
No doubt the Canadiens' brass will be paying close attention to the 18-year-old Finn's play against their Atlantic Division rivals.
"I want to see it. I know he's got a lot of confidence. He believes in himself. He's got some great players that he's playing with. So far, he hasn't seemed to be rattled by any of that stuff," said head coach Claude Julien, ahead of Kotkaniemi's fifth preseason audition. "I think tonight is probably his biggest and best test since the start of training camp."

According to the Habs' bench boss, Kotkaniemi's performance against Toronto's veteran lineup will certainly play an important part in determining his immediate future.
"There's no doubt as you get closer to the start of the season where teams are bringing pretty close to their "A" squad, that you have to look at things closely and say - Where is he when it comes to that level? Is he capable of holding his own? Is he maybe a little ways away?," explained Julien. "There's no doubt those kinds of tests come into the discussion when a decision is to be made."
At Wednesday's morning skate, Kotkaniemi centered a line flanked by Jonathan Drouin on his left and Artturi Lehkonen on his right.
Rising to the occasion?
During his post-practice press conference, Julien indicated that the tilt against the Maple Leafs "will be the biggest and best test for the team as well" as his group looks to extend their winning streak to four straight games.
With the start of the regular season just one week away, Brendan Gallagher is eager to see what the Habs can do against their toughest challenge thus far during the preseason.
"It's always exciting when you get closer and closer to opening day. You iron out the last little kinks and feel like you're getting ready. For us, it's been going well, but there are some things we want to work on and get better at. It's a great test for us," said the six-year NHL veteran. "We're playing a good hockey team. Hopefully, we can go out and execute well."

As for the Canadiens' preseason success to date, Gallagher attributes it primarily to an important attitude adjustment.
"I think all the players will say the same thing. We can feel it. There's a different attitude for sure. There's a different energy level. I think we're putting more importance on preseason with what we went through last year. You look at where it started. It really started with Game 1 of preseason. We had a very casual attitude. That's something we wanted to fix," explained Gallagher. "Right from the first training camp skate, I think the attitude, the compete, the work ethic, and just pushing each other to get better has been improved and it's carried into our play in preseason. Guys get more and more confident within the structure, within the system. It leads to feeling better about yourselves. It's been a good camp so far, but we've got two tough tests left [including Saturday's preseason finale in Ottawa] to kind of finish it off and go into the season feeling good."
A young and dynamic duo
Defensemen Victor Mete and Noah Juulsen will once again be paired together on Wednesday night.
Following the morning skate, Mete expanded upon the partnership that is growing stronger by the day.
"Last year, we roomed a bit together when he was up here. That got us kind of more being friends. We did everything together," mentioned Mete. "Coming in this year, we're familiar faces with each other. We hang out with each other pretty much every day. It kind of leads to on the ice, and I think so far it's been pretty good."

Mete is hopeful that the duo will remain intact for years to come in Montreal.
"If we can start now at age 20 and 21, and try to keep going as long as we can, I think that'll be really good," shared Mete. "If you can build chemistry when you're young, then in the long run it'll be more successful."
News and notes from the South Shore
Goaltender Carey Price will get the start against the Maple Leafs and is expected to play the entire game on Wednesday night, according to Julien.
He also provided an update on the health status of forward Matthew Peca.
"It's a groin injury. It looks to be minor," said Julien. "With this type of injury, it's something we evaluate every day. Sometimes, it goes away quickly. Other times, it might take longer than we hoped. But, it doesn't looks serious right now."
Tickets for the final home preseason game are available
HERE
.