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“The Canadiens are better off without Patrik Laine”: Antoine Roussel is right

Patrik Laine spent the summer saying he was ready for the 2025-2026 season and wanted to stay in Montreal.

But in the end, he didn’t have a great camp, he didn’t start the season well, he got injured… and now, more than ever, his chances of staying in Montreal are slim.

In short, things changed quickly.

What we noticed was that he was having trouble fitting into the identity of the Canadiens. His talent was coming out of his ears, but he was too lazy and slow on the ice.

In short, he didn’t belong on a top-6 team, and he didn’t get a lot of minutes on the club’s bottom two.

Since he didn’t even belong on the first powerplay, and the club’s overall powerplay has been better (not to say elite) since the changes, it’s clear that nobody misses Laine.

And that’s what made Antoine Roussel say that the Canadiens, unfortunately for #92, are better off without Patrik Laine.

It’s a shocking sentence, but it’s reality. No one could write such a sentence with Kaiden Guhle without seeing his reputation tarnished.

But with Laine, it’s different. After all, the performances aren’t up to scratch.

At this point, in the best of all possible worlds, the Canadiens must be hoping that his return, sometime in 2026, will have an incredible effect on the Finn and whip him into shape.

That said, in the past, nothing has really whipped Laine. I don’t see why it would be any different this season… even if he is in an end-of-contract situation.

overtime

– Changes in New York?

– Of note.

– Former roommates gossip every day.

– He’s strong.

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Top-5: Two late goals in 29 seconds give Islanders victory

Last night, there were five games on the bill.

Here are the results and highlights of those five games:

1. Two goals in 29 seconds give Islanders victory

In New York, the Blue Jackets were in town.

Columbus led for much of the game, but late on, it all came crashing down. The Jackets allowed two goals in 29 seconds, and not only did the home team win, but the visitors didn’t collect a single point.

Matthew Schaefer was sensational once again, scoring two goals.

He leads the NHL in goals for rookie defensemen with five.

And among all rookie players, all positions combined, he’s first in points (tied with Ivan Demidov) with 10.

(Credit: NHL.com)

What a comeback by the Islanders.

Elvis Merzlikins couldn’t believe his eyes.

2. Sam Dickinson scores his first NHL goal

The Wings were in San Jose yesterday to take on the young Sharks, who put on a good show.

Late in the game, young defenseman Sam Dickinson picked a good time to score his first NHL goal.

The goal sent the game into overtime.

Overtime decided nothing in the end, so the shootout was necessary.

James van Riemsdyk scored the shootout winner.

Cam Talbot then closed the door.

3. Fifth straight Lightning victory

The Lightning started the season very poorly.

But lately, it’s coming back. Yesterday, they faced the Mammoth and won 4-2. It was the fifth straight win for Jon Cooper’s team.

Utah had scored the first goal of the game.

But at 2-2, Jake Guentzel scored the winning goal.

Nice move at the mouth.

In addition to the goal, the American picked up an assist.

On the losing side, Ian Cole played a part in both his team’s goals (two assists).

4. Cutter Gauthier continues to shine

The mighty Devils took on the young Ducks yesterday.

Cutter Gauthier took charge with a goal and an assist in a 4-1 victory. He now has 12 points in 10 games.

Since the start of the season, he’s been very impressive and is probably the best player on his team.

Another young player dominating in Anaheim is Beckett Sennecke. He also finished the game with a goal and an assist.

Anaheim reminds me a lot of the Habs.

It’s the young guys who are dragging the team along. Here, you can see Jackson LaCombe’s magnificent pass.

Despite the defeat, Jack Hughes found the back of the net.

His 10th of the season.

5. Finally a Flames win

Things are really bad in Calgary. After winning their first game of the season, the club has lost 11 of the next 12.

Yesterday, in Philadelphia, they held on to win 2-1.

A third win for the Flames. Jonathan Huberdeau opened the scoring.

The Québécois didn’t stop there, however.

He also scored his club’s second goal.

Travis Konecny closed the gap late in the third period, but it was too little too late.

Dustin Wolf did well in front of the visitors’ net, stopping 17 of 18 shots.

Overtime

– Yamamoto week, indeed.

– Six players collected two points or more yesterday.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Four NHL games on tap tonight.

(Credit: Google)
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Samuel Montembeault will obtain the departure of soir

At the moment, the Canadiens have 18 healthy skaters in the line-up. So there’s no real question about who will be dressed for tonight’s game.

The Flyers are in town, remember.

We can therefore expect yesterday’s practice line-up(Brendan Gallagher and Joe Veleno switched places) to be used for tonight’s game.

The only real issue is the starting goaltender.

And according to Stu Cowan and Renaud Lavoie (among others), expect Québécois Samuel Montembeault to play tonight.

It’s interesting to see that the Canadiens want to continue putting their faith in Samuel Montembeault, who is officially the Montreal franchise’s #1 goaltender.

And doing so against a more “catchable” opponent at home is also a good idea for the man who just launched his poutine (which looks good) with McDo.

Because Dobes is on fire (he was named the third star of the month for October), expect to see him play on Thursday, on the road, against the mighty Devils.

Who will play on Saturday? You might ask, but it’s still early days.

Obviously, the pressure will be on Monty. Not only will he have to win, but he’ll also have to perform well to prove he can play up to his talent.

A big game in store, then.

in Overtime

– Cole Caufield against his friends tonight.

– Get out of here, I need to see my boyfriend.

– What do you think?

– Really?

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Tight ranking: bad news for the Habs on the trading market

Tonight, the Flyers will be in town.

If the Canadiens win this game, they could become the first NHL team to reach the 10-win plateau. That’s no mean feat, let’s face it.

And if the stars align, Montreal could also be at the top of the NHL standings.

(Credit: NHL.com)

Because, yes, the standings are the talk of the town these days. As we mentioned yesterday, all Eastern clubs are playing for at least .500 since the start of the season.

Four clubs (Canadiens, Devils, Red Wings and Penguins) in the East have 18 points… and the other 12 have between 15 and 13 points. It could hardly be tighter than that, let’s face it.

And of necessity, that’s going to affect the trade market.

Questioned on the subject this morning on BPM Sports, Renaud Lavoie affirmed that, yes, the fact that no one is out of the race right now will have an effect on the transaction market.

Obviously, some clubs are going to go under later than expected – and yesterday’s Penguins game was an excellent reminder of that. Everyone agrees on that.

That said, it was expected that several clubs would sell very quickly to improve their chances of getting Gavin McKenna. And now, the ranking changes the game.

The effect this will have, then, is that some selling clubs will put the brakes on in the short term.

For the Canadiens, who were unable to get their hands on a second-line center this summer to back up Nick Suzuki, this will undoubtedly postpone the moment when Kent Hughes gets his way.

Is it the end of the world? No. After all, it slows down the market for the Canadiens, but it’s also true for the other teams in the Eastern race.

But it’s something to keep an eye on.

overtime

– Read more.

– I hope Anthony recovers.

– The question is: Does Jared Davidson deserve a recall? Me, I’d go with the Unicorn, in case of a recall.

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The Canadiens have been without an extra player for nearly a week now

Before the trip out West, the Habs didn’t really have any extra players. All the guys who were healthy had a place in Martin St-Louis’ line-up.

During the trip out West, the club had some extras. Joshua Roy only played when Kirby Dach couldn’t and Marc Del Gaizo probably didn’t even come close to playing.

And since the club’s return to Quebec, the Habs are back to just 18 skaters.

Unless there’s a recall soon, we already know which players will be playing tonight. And when I say “players” in my previous sentence, I don’t mean goalies.

Did it strike you or not?

Would the Habs benefit from a little internal competition? Hard to say. After all, at the moment, things are going pretty well for the Habs, who are playing inspired hockey.

So, for the time being, Kent Hughes’ objective is clear: to have as few guys upstairs as possible, so as to be able to collect money under the salary cap on a daily basis.

Without Carey Price’s contract in the way, it’s now possible to do just that, to gain flexibility in the run-up to the trade deadline. And it could pay off in a big way, if the GM plays his cards right.

Since the Canadiens spend a lot of time at home in November, it’s easy to imagine that, if need be, a guy from Laval could quickly be recalled to fill a hole.

(Credit: NHL.com)

Note that the Rocket will be playing on the road a lot in the next few days, but that these will be games in places where recalling a player quickly isn’t a huge issue. #Belleville #Springfield #Hartford #Providence

So if the Canadiens are in a bad spot, recalling a player isn’t a big deal.

(Credit: Rocket)

Remember, if Kaiden Guhle and Patrik Laine were healthy, the Canadiens might have more active players on hand. After all, if both guys were back tomorrow morning, I don’t see which player would be traded to the Rocket.

But the guys are injured, so it’s a hypothetical scenario.

overtime

– It’s coming.

– To be continued.

– Joe Veleno: what do you think of his production? [JdeM]

– Reminder: it’s game day.

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Bad timing: Samuel Montembeault brings out his poutine (and Mike from Rona is there too)

Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobes are off to opposite ends of the season.

While the younger Montembault was named the NHL’s third star of the month, the Québécois hasn’t got off to the start he’d hoped for. He seems a little unsettled.

In fact, as we speak, we’re wondering who will be playing tonight.

But McDo couldn’t have foreseen this start to the season. Just as it was hard to predict that Cole Caufield would be heading for Laval in November 2021…

That’s why, despite everything, it’s the Québécois goaltender who’s this year’s McJoueur.

The campaign is called “A Snack for Snacks”, since Monty’s nickname in the Canadiens dressing room is snack. David Savard gave him that nickname back in his playing days.

So it’s no surprise to see Montembeault pulling out a poutine.

There are French ads featuring Monty and Mike at Rona (good flash, that) and there are also ads with English subtitles for English-speaking audiences.

How well do the Anglos know Mike at Rona? Never mind: it’s a good idea.

The concept of the ad is that the goalie of the Montreal Canadiens pulls out a poutine that’s all the rage… And to fix everything afterwards, Mike at Rona is there.

In a press release, McDo points out that Montembeault loves poutine so much that he ate it on his wedding day.

extension

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a duo for McDo, since in the past, Cole Caufield has sometimes given the line to Ron Fournier, Claude Legault or even Tyler Toffoli.

And Montembeault isn’t the only player to have teamed up with a poutine recently: Ivan Demidov also did so via a commercial with Ashton.

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Top-4: Leafs lose 3-0, score four times in third period to win

There were four NHL games last night.

The Canadiens weren’t in action: Martin St-Louis’ men will face the Flyers at the Bell Centre tonight.

But let’s take a look at what happened yesterday:

1: Leafs… Wow!

We’re transported to the third period.

The score is 3-0 in favor of the Pittsburgh Penguins… and nothing seems to be working for the Leafs. But we know that things can change quickly in the NHL, and we’ve seen proof of that too.

The Leafs scored not one, not two, not three… but four unanswered goals in the third period to run away with the win.

It’s one of the greatest comebacks in league history:

The Leafs finally won by a score of 4-3… and can say thank you to their big guns, who stepped up in the third period.

Auston Matthews scored once, while William Nylander found the back of the net twice.

When the best are the best, it helps. And God knows there’s plenty of talent in Toronto…

2: A fine feat for McDavid, but…

The Oilers were in St. Louis last night to take on the Blues.

And Connor McDavid’s team couldn’t come away with the W, even though the Blues have been one of the NHL’s worst clubs so far this season.

Dalibor Dvorsky scored his first NHL goal in his club’s victory:

It was Pius Suter who gave his club victory by scoring with one minute and 23 seconds left on the clock.

A painful 3-2 defeat for the Oilers :

In the game, Connor McDavid picked up two assists, and with them he reached the 1,100-point plateau in his NHL career.

He became the fourth-fastest player in history to accomplish the feat:

3: Brock Boeser takes care of the Preds

The big story of yesterday’s Predators-Canucks game was Brock Boeser.

The Canucks’ sniper had quite a game, collecting three points, including this second-period goal :

Boeser will be remembered as the most impactful player in this game… because he, too, scored his team’s winning goal in overtime.

The Canucks won 5-4, and probably the Preds would have liked to see the sequence that led to Boeser’s overtime goal again :

Evander Kane also distinguished himself by scoring his first two goals for the Canucks.

Boeser finished the game with two goals and an assist, while Kane finished with two goals.

4: The Kraken is too strong for the Hawks

We had to wait until the third period to see the Blackhawks score a goal in their game against the Kraken.

It came at a good time… because they were losing 2-0 at the time:

But in this game that won’t go down in history, we have to talk about Jordan Eberle… who is still proving his usefulness on the ice today.

The Kraken captain scored his fifth goal of the season and helped his club leave Chicago with a 3-1 victory.

He scored the insurance goal with less than four minutes to play in the game:

The Hawks had started their season well… but now they’ve lost a third game in a row.

Will they fall apart over the next few weeks? I tend to think it’s possible…

Prolongation

– Wow.

– Top scorers of the night :

(Credit: Screenshot / NHL.com)

– 10 games tonight in the NHL :

(Credit: Screenshot / Google)
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Michael Hage played wing in his most recent NCAA game

When people think of Michael Hage, they mostly think of him as the future second center for the Montreal Canadiens.

He’s got what it takes to fill that role: Hage has a nice offensive touch to his game, he’s got good size, he’s creative with his hands, he’s got good vision…

But Hage isn’t the best in the face-off circle. And in his team’s last game, the Habs prospect wasn’t used at center as he has been since the start of the season: instead, he was moved to the wing of his team’s first line.

Hage posted a 47% efficiency rate in the face-off circle in 25-26, and that’s not exceptional by any means.

In 24-25, he finished his team’s season with a 46% efficiency rate in the face-off circle. He hasn’t necessarily improved, so… and it’s interesting to see that he played a different position in his last game.

We know him as a center, after all. But maybe that can change over time…

We know that the Canadiens have great faith in him. And we also know that the Canadiens need to find a guy who can play center on the 2nd line for the long term in Montreal.

Does the fact that Hage played wing in his last college game mean he’ll never be able to fill that role? No, not necessarily.

A player’s effectiveness in the face-off circle needs to be worked on… and Hage is still young too. Because it’s true that we know what interesting qualities he has as a center because he’s capable of doing a lot of things with the puck.

All in all, it’s cool to see him touch other aspects of the game by playing on the wing. Things are going well for him this season (15 points, including 6 goals, in 10 games) and he’s proving that he can make the jump to the pros at the end of the current NCAA season.

It remains to be seen whether he’ll play wing or center, though.

And if he does play wing in the NHL, the Habs will have to find another solution to Montreal’s notorious second-center problem…

Overtime

– With good reason.

– Oops.

– Hehe.

– News in the MLB.

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Arthur Kaliyev accused of stealing over $50,000 from ex-girlfriend and former teammates

This is one crazy story.

Does the name Arthur Kaliyev ring a bell? A player who has often been linked with the Montreal Canadiens in recent years, but who was never able to make it in the NHL?

Well, everything seems to point to the fact that the Habs have avoided a certain catastrophe. Because things aren’t going well for the main player today…

In an article in the New York Post, we learn that he is accused of stealing over $50,000 from his former girlfriend and several former Kings teammates to pay off his gambling debts.

His former girlfriend doesn’t understand why the NHL hasn’t turned its nose up at the case… and she doesn’t understand how the principal is still allowed to play professionally after what he did to her and after what he did to his former teammates.

Wow.

It’s still pretty spectacular.

Gambling problems can get really bad for some people, and professional athletes aren’t immune to situations like this either.

We all remember what happened with Evander Kane a few years ago, after all…

It’ll be interesting to see how this one pans out. Kaliyev, who had so much potential, is now with the Belleville Senators in the AHL after playing for the Rangers last year and starting this NHL season in Ottawa.

There are probably more details to come… and I wonder if the NHL will decide to investigate the matter too.

Again, we’re talking about a completely crazy story.

Overtime

– Sick.

– Yes.

– Bummer.

– Well done.

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All clubs in the East play for .500 or more

Incredible, but true.

When you look at the standings, you see that every team in the East is playing for .500 or more. And even though the sample size is still small, the season didn’t take off yesterday either, you know.

The Bruins play for .500, but since they’ve played more games than anyone else, they have the same number of points as the Lightning, who are third in their division.

(Credit: NHL.com)

It’s pretty crazy that the Canadiens, who are turning the corner on their rebuild, are in first place in the East when the playing field is this tough. The Montreal club is better than 15 clubs playing well.

The Habs (.750) are the only club playing for at least .700.

(Credit: NHL.com)

One reason for the high number of points is that there have been many three-point games since the start of the season. Many games go to overtime.

And since the Habs often win in overtime, it’s normal to see Martin St-Louis’ men at the top of the East.

At some point, you’re going to have to win games in 60 minutes, because it’s hard to always get back into games, and because wins in overtime or shootouts are worth less than regular tie-breaker victories.

But the Habs are winning, and that’s better than losing. No?

The Red Wings (3), Lightning (2), Devils (1) Hurricanes (3), Blue Jackets (2), Rangers (2), Senators (2), Bruins (2), Capitals (1), Panthers (1), Maple Leafs (2), Sabres (1) and Flyers (3) have all won at least one game over 60 minutes.

And the Habs have five, as we all know.

Only the Penguins and Islanders haven’t won in overtime in the East. And only the Habs, Red Wings, Devils, Hurricanes, Blue Jackets and Bruins have never earned a point in a setback this season.

Many of these teams have a negative differential, which means you have to take some and leave some. Mathematically, we know that normal will return.

It’ll be more like the West, at some point. Over there, there are no fewer than six teams below the .500 mark, and of the lot, the Flames really suck.

Here’s how it looks.

(Credit: NHL.com)

When you think that, in the past, the West was stronger than the East… it’s clear that this hasn’t been the case for some time. Will that change? I don’t know.

It’s also worth noting that seven of the last ten Stanley Cup champions have come from the East.

(Credit: NHL.com)

overtime

– Interesting.

– Of note.

– This is good.

– The question on everyone’s mind.

– Ah well.

– That’s fair enough.