The Habs May Have A New Elite PK Duo

It also started with Kapanen cutting off a William Nylander pass and going up ice to score his first NHL goal as he drove along the right half wall to rip the puck past Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz to tie the game at 1. Not only was it his first NHL goal, but it occurred on the penalty kill, which is something that he shares with Hall-of-Fame defenseman Chris Chelios as the only two players in modern Habs history to score their first NHL goal while shorthanded. This is a big accomplishment that should definitely give Kapanen more confidence in his game on the penalty kill going forward. 

While Kapanen was the one who scored, his forward partner on the penalty kill was just as good at breaking up passes and heading up ice for chances. On the first penalty kill of the game, the duo had another two scoring chances that almost gave the Habs a lead just from shorthanded chances. 

This goal gave the Habs momentum for the rest of the first period, and it was looking like the Canadiens could actually win the game at some point during the end of the 1st period and beginning of the 2nd period. Unfortunately that wasn’t meant to be, but the way that Newhook and Kapanen play on the penalty kill is certainly the type of hockey that can give their team a good amount of momentum for a while. 

They weren’t as dominant on the offensive front of the 2nd penalty kill that they played, but they managed to show good hockey IQ by playing solid defensive hockey in their own zone, limiting the Maple Leafs to a single shot on goal during their time on the ice. 

For two guys who don’t get power-play time, it seems like Kapanen and Newhook may have found themselves a role that will help the Canadiens win games this season, but it will need to be proven over a good sample of games to make sure they really are a great penalty kill pairing.

Martin St. Louis mentioned in his pre-season press conference on Tuesday that he believed that Kapanen’s hockey IQ and Newhook’s speed would create a great duo, and as of now, he is looking smart to have put them together, but we’ll see more with a bigger sample size soon. 

Kapanen and Newhook are definitely reassuring Habs fans that the penalty kill can still be good without Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia, who they lost during the off-season. Tonight’s game against the Red Wings will be another test for this duo. Can they continue to shut down opposing teams’ top players?