Habs goalie Jake Allen ready to back up young Canadiens defencemen

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen stops New Jersey Devils' Nico Hischier during first period NHL preseason hockey action in Montreal on Monday September 26, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Unless Kent Hughes pulls a rabbit out of his hat, the Montreal Canadiens are poised to start the upcoming campaign with three or four rookies on their defensive roster.

Yet, the guy who may have to clean up any messes isn't stressed.

"I'm not worried about that,'' said goalie Jake Allen, after being perfect against 18 shots in 29:17 of play in his first pre-season outing Monday night at the Bell Centre. "They need experience to grow, and if that's what it takes for these guys to become better players and better people, so be it."

Kaiden Guhle and Jordan Harris did well in the Habs' 2-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils.

Justin Barron had a few miscues to Mike Matheson's right but did make some good plays.

It was a tougher night for the Gianni Fairbrother and Mattias Norlinder pairing.

"We have to be careful and not make an opinion too quickly," said head coach Martin St-Louis. "The sample is still very small. One day, one player is better than the other, and the next day, it can be the opposite. We'll gather the information and make the best decision for the team and the player."

Allen, who is 32 years old and heading into his 10th NHL season, said he was impressed with the progression of some of the young defencemen.

He noted the maturity in their game, despite their ages.

"You can see they don't panic when they get the puck. They don't force the play. They are confident with the puck and keep their heads up," he said. "They act like they belong here."

Allen also noted that the Tricolore's young defencemen could try to do too much during camp to impress management -- though he hasn't seen any of that so far.

"I think the guys understand that the organization is not going to put them at a disadvantage if they are not ready," said Allen. "This is a long-term project. They also realize it's an opportunity that's available to them, and they want to take advantage of it."

St-Louis was clear after Monday's game that Allen belongs with the Habs, admitting that a fight was possible for the second goaltending spot between Cayden Primeau and Samuel Montembeault.

While Allen hasn't played more than 50 games in a season since the 2017-18 campaign, he will most likely be called upon to carry the load this season.

He says he is aware of that and is ready for the challenge night in and night out.

"My job will be to stabilize the situation, be a leader and help my teammates on and off the ice," he said.

The few veterans on the team will bear many of the same responsibilities.

Matheson played for nearly 26 minutes against the Devils. He and David Savard will probably have to get used to the workload.

"Honestly, I feel better than I expected," said Matheson, who was acquired from the Penguins in exchange for Jeff Petry. "I worked hard in the off-season to get ready for this."

St. Louis says he was pleased with the 28-year-old Montrealer's performance.

"He has an elite skating stroke. He was very committed and directed traffic. He was a leader on the ice," he said.

The Habs have the day off Tuesday but will be back in action on Wednesday with a warm-up game against the Maple Leafs in Toronto.

The Winnipeg Jets will then visit the Bell Centre on Thursday.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 27, 2022.