MONTREAL — Joe Veleno took off down the wing and hit the speed burst button right as he was crossing the offensive blue line. The television broadcast clocked him double-clutching from second gear to fourth, going from 26 kilometres per hour up to 34 to open up the space that might enable him to do something special.

Instead, Veleno just did what the situation called for. He had started the play one-on-two and only marginally improved his odds after stepping on the gas, so when he got into that space, he used it to just get a simple shot on net.

This five second sequence was among several solid ones Veleno had in Montreal’s final exhibition game. It was the type of sequence that secured his job with the Canadiens months after he signed a one-year deal with them worth a fraction more than

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