TOR@MTL: About Tuesday Night

138 days.
3,312 hours.
198,720 minutes.
That's how long hockey fans had to wait before the NHL resumed play, give or take a few seconds.

But much like when the Canadiens drafted Lyle Odelein in the 7th round of the 1986 entry draft, it was definitely worth the wait.
The excitement was palpable as the Canadiens took to the ice to face the Toronto Maple Leafs in their one and only exhibition game prior to the qualifying series.
And though there was no Diane Bibaud to welcome them to the show, the Canadiens took to the Scotiabank place ice as the "home team", looking to quickly shake off the rust that had accumulated over the last few months.
But as Neil Young once warned us, rust never sleeps.
It took just 33 seconds for the Maple Leafs to take the lead, when the Canadiens got caught deep in the offensive zone, leading to a miscommunication between the forwards and the defencemen, the exact type of situation you'd come to expect after an extended layoff.
The Maple Leafs doubled their advance early in the second period, taking advantage of an errant pass to score a shorthanded goal, once again pointing to the importance of communication on the ice.
And then things got a little better.
And by a little better, I mean a lot better, because we were treated to what I like to call the "Nick Suzuki special."
No, it's not a delicious sandwich named in his honour at a local deli. Though that'll probably happen in the near future. I'm thinking smoked meat, pickles, and hot sauce would do the trick, but I'm open to more creative options, like spicy eggplant and maybe even fancy mustard.
But I digress.
The Nick Suzuki special is as follows.

First, he picks up the puck in the offensive zone, quickly creating time and space for his teammates as he softly returns the puck to the blue line.
At this point, he shifts back into creativity mode, finding his usual spot on the half boards. That's where things get interesting.
We all know goaltenders will save the majority of the shots they can see, and even a fair amount of shots they don't see, but there's one particular way to make the save much more difficult: pre-shot adjustments.
And Suzuki performs this minor, yet crucial move perfectly.
Take a look at his body language prior to the pass. He sells the shot to perfection, but he's quite aware there's simply no passing lane available.
By curling the puck, he gives the signal to Andersen that the shot is on its way, which freezes the Leafs goaltender as he gets set for the shot.

He then opens up his hands, which opens up the passing lane, and uses his elite playmaking to thread the needle to a wide-open Tomas Tatar, who makes no mistake.
A moving goaltender is a vulnerable goaltender. And a vulnerable goalie is exactly what Suzuki was waiting for.
A stick tap goes out to Brendan Gallagher, who was busy doing Brendan Gallagher things in the crease, creating havoc in the process.

Here's another look at the play in all its splendor. Note the speed of execution, which is essential when working with tight passing lanes.

The Maple Leafs added to their lead shortly thereafter, but the Canadiens did manage to cut the lead to one thanks to Paul Byron's excellent hand-eye coordination.
It's one thing to keep the puck airborne at practice or in the pre-game warmup, but it's a whole other ballgame when it comes to real NHL action.
Jeff Petry may have the baseball lineage, but Byron is the one who showed off his batting skills on Tuesday night, not to mention a little nod to the Montreal Impact with a quick display of skill to kick the puck from his skate to his stick.
Full marks to Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who had a very good game by creating a few turnovers in the offensive zone, and Ben Chiarot, who's heavy shot is consistently underrated around the league.

It was too little too late, as Morgan Rielly put the Maple Leafs up by two midway through the third.
Stats Pack
-At 5-on-5, the Canadiens held a 56 percent edge in shots, and a 51 percent edge in scoring chances, but the high-danger shots tell the tale of this game. While Montreal generated a lot of shooting opportunities, the Leafs held a 11-4 edge in high-danger shots (73 percent). There's a ton of value in putting shots on net, but the Canadiens will have to do a much better job mitigating high-danger shots from their opponents while creating more quality chances of their own.
-As per usual, Gallagher led the offensive charge for the Canadiens, generating three of their four high-danger shots.
-While Artturi Lehkonen, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Paul Byron were on the ice, the Canadiens held a 61.5 percent shot advantage, the highest mark among all forward lines.
-The good news is the Canadiens did not allow the Maple Leafs to score during their three power plays. The bad news is the Canadiens gave up two shorthanded goals.
-Jeff Petry led all Canadiens in terms of shot control (72 percent)
SHOP: Montreal vs Pittsburgh playoff tee 
As expected, the results were a mixed bag for the Canadiens. While the execution left something to be desired, the play from some of the younger players, particularly Kotkaniemi and Suzuki, was quite encouraging.
Communication can, and will, improve, but there's no doubt they'll need to force their way into scoring areas if they're to set the offensive zone on fire Saturday, as they face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first of their five-game series.
Buckle up, it's going to be a wild ride!
(All statistics are 5-on-5 unless otherwise specified, via NaturalStatTrick.com)