Forward had an assist, two shots, four hits and a blocked shot in Habs' 4-1 win in Chicago on Friday.
Canadiens forward Owen Beck skates during Saturday's practice for the Heritage Classic against the Jets at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.
Canadiens forward Owen Beck skates during Saturday's practice for the Heritage Classic against the Jets at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg. (Cameron Bartlett / Getty Images)
Last Friday at Chicago, Owen Beck played the best game of his abbreviated stint with the Canadiens.
Indeed, it might have been the best game of Beck’s NHL career, which is in its fourth season, but has been mired by numerous stops, starts, recalls and demotions to AHL Laval.
Beck started the play that resulted in Jake Evans scoring the Canadiens’ opening goal against the Blackhawks during Montreal’s 4-1 victory. He had two shots, four hits and a blocked shot while playing 10:25. It was Beck’s first assist this season, although he has played only three games.
His reward for the stellar performance? Beck was a healthy scratch two nights later — benched in favour of rookie Florian Xhekaj — in the Canadiens’ outdoor Heritage Classic game at Winnipeg.
It was that kind of a week for Beck, who was selected in the second round (33rd overall) by Montreal in 2022. After being a healthy scratch for two consecutive home games against Buffalo and San Jose, he was assigned to Laval for last Wednesday’s Place Bell contest against Syracuse.
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Canadiens’ Owen Beck battles with Blackhawks’ Ryan Donato during first period in Chicago on Oct. 23.
Beck scored an empty-net goal for the Rocket in its 5-1 win, returned to Brossard the next morning for the Canadiens’ practice and was on the team charter that afternoon to Chicago.
“That was a different one. I can’t say I’ve ever experienced that,” Beck told The Gazette before embarking on the team’s four-game road trip. “I’ve gone from here to Laval the next day to play a game and stayed, but I haven’t been up and down. That was different for sure.”
Different, but nothing new for Beck, who is trying to find his place on a Canadiens team deep at forward. It also helped knowing he was going to Laval for one game only, simply to get a match under his belt after being inactive. In five games for the Rocket, he has a goal and assist.
TSN analyst Frankie Corrado, who was in the broadcast booth for the Chicago game, said he was impressed by what he saw from the 6-foot, 199-pounder.
“First of all, it was his ability to work through some contact that was pretty noticeable,” Corrado told The Gazette from St. Louis before Tuesday’s game between the Canadiens and Blues. “Sometimes with young players, a defenceman will go to confront them and it kind of ends their momentum right there and then. I thought he kept his feet moving through that — not just on the Evans goal.
“That’s what guys (discuss) when they talk about having a motor or an engine. I also think he made some good plays exiting his zone. When you talk about coaches trusting guys, that’s the biggest area where they have to earn it. Can you get the puck out of your own zone or out of harm’s way? I thought he did a good job.
“That was the best game I’ve seen him play at the NHL level,” Corrado said.
It would appear Beck and Xhekaj, who returned after missing six games with a lower-body injury, will continue battling for ice time on the Canadiens’ fourth line — at least until captain Nick Suzuki returns from his hand injury in two to four weeks. Suzuki has missed the last two games.
While Beck was coming off a stellar performance, perhaps head coach Martin St. Louis wanted to see what Xhekaj could provide after being injured. Inner competition can bring the best out of players, and Xhekaj didn’t disappoint. He had a shot and six hits in 10:17 of ice time.
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Meanwhile, all Beck can do is make the most of his limited ice time when he plays, hoping he’ll leave an impression with the coaching staff. He has averaged only 8:23 this season and admitted he puts too much pressure on himself. That’s something he has been working on with Laval head coach Daniel Jacob.
Beck won the CHL’s scholastic player of the year award in 2022 while playing junior for Mississauga. He’s intelligent and has always been a deep thinker.
“It’s that competitive nature everybody has,” said Beck, 22. “I feel like I put a lot of pressure on every game … go in and do the best I can. Play my best every single night. It may not be the best idea, but there are other ways to cope with it or deal with it. I’m dealing with those to make sure I’m not harming myself with the pressure.
“I’ve said it before — I think I’m ready for this level.”
hzurkowsky@postmedia.com