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Top 5: Brad Marchand crashes into the Blue Jackets’ timeout

It was a big day for hockey yesterday, with 24 National Hockey League teams in action across 12 games.

There were plenty of goals, and some very interesting highlights.

Here’s a rundown of the day’s hockey in the NHL.

1. Brad Marchand crashes Blue Jackets timeout

The Columbus Blue Jackets visited the Florida Panthers yesterday, and it was a crazy game from start to finish.

Twice, at 4-1 and 6-4, it looked like the Blue Jackets were going to win the game, but both times, the Panthers came from behind to force overtime.

And in that famous overtime, the Blue Jackets decided to take a timeout at a certain point, in order to implement a strategy to score the winning goal.

There was nothing unusual about this timeout, until Brad Marchand crashed in to see and hear the strategy announced to the Blue Jackets’ players.

A hilarious scene, ending with the Blue Jackets players staring at Marchand and pushing him away with their sticks.

It’s a really comical moment, and it fits perfectly with the character Brad Marchand has been since he’s been in the NHL.

And the Panthers’ forward must have had time to grasp what the Blue Jackets had to say, because in the end, it was Florida who prevailed in overtime thanks to a Sam Bennett goal in the dying seconds.

A crazy match won 7-6 by the Panthers.

2. Nathan MacKinnon scores a magnificent winning goal

The NHL’s best player this season is, without a shadow of a doubt, Nathan MacKinnon.

The Colorado Avalanche forward has been nothing short of dominant this season, as he leads the NHL in scoring with 48 points and 24 goals, all in 28 games.

MacKinnon is largely responsible for the Avalanche’s impressive success this year, as also evidenced by his +35 differential.

And yesterday, MacKinnon was at it again, scoring twice in the Avalanche’s 3-2 overtime win over the New York Rangers.

In fact, he scored one of the only goals of its kind in overtime to give Colorado the win.

3. Cal Ritchie scores between his legs

The New York Islanders were in Tampa Bay last night to take on the Lightning, giving us a very close game.

In the end, there were very few goals, as the Islanders won 2-0 with an empty net and a 32-save shutout from Ilya Sorokin.

There weren’t many goals, but at least the one goal on a goalie was a goal, as rookie Cal Ritchie fired a shot between his legs on the powerplay.

A fine goal that kept the Islanders in the top-3 of the Metropolitan Division.

4. Brandon Bussi steals a goal from Steven Stamkos

The poor Nashville Predators are really struggling again this season, and yesterday was no different, as they lost 6-3 to the mighty Carolina Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes jumped out to a 5-0 lead, so the Preds were never in the game, which is extremely frustrating, especially when the opposing goalie is at the top of his game.

Indeed, in addition to being destroyed on the scoreboard, the Preds were robbed by Brandon Bussi, when the latter made a miraculous save on Steven Stamkos.

An impressive save that must have further frustrated Stamkos, who is already having a difficult season.

For Bussi, it’s a sixth straight win, and eighth win in nine starts this season, which is a remarkable record for a rookie goaltender, even if he is 27.

5. 22nd goal for Morgan Geekie

Here’s one who’s seriously starting to make a name for himself in the NHL, and is even entering the discussion for Team Canada at the Olympics.

The Bruins’ forward has been impressive this season, scoring like he breathes, as evidenced by his 22 goals and 32 points in 30 games this season.

In fact, he scored his 22nd goal yesterday, when it turned out to be the winning goal in the Bruins’ 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.

It will be very interesting to see what Team Canada does.

Extra time

– Here are all the results from yesterday.

– Here are yesterday’s top scorers.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Today’s NHL schedule: eight games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
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Phillip Danault is attracting interest from several teams

I don’t know if you’ve checked out hockey.db recently, but if you’ve visited Phillip Danault’s page like I have, you might have been surprised to see his stats.

His four assists in 27 games are certainly not what you’d expect from him in Los Angeles.

Ouch! Remember , he earns $5.5 million for another season after this one.

(Credit: hockeydb)

Things are so bad that the Québécois, who is trying to get out of this slump, is reportedly attracting the interest of several teams and, more than ever, could change addresses.

In any case, the Kings are listening to the calls, according to Frank Seravalli. With so many teams looking for a center in this market, Danault could be a target for many clubs not named the Canadiens.

The 24 is probably no longer a shadow of the man who scored 54 points in 2022-2023 (for the past three seasons, his stats have only gone downhill), but he’s still a good defensive center and, in a bottom-6 role, could be a great acquisition for a Stanley Cup contender.

Not that the Kings (third in the Pacific Division) aren’t Stanley Cup contenders, but, clearly, they could part with the Québécois.

My colleague Maxime Truman said almost a month ago that we should stop tying Danault to the Habs, and I repeat: Montreal needs a second center who can score, not another defensive center.

The fans liked Danault (I’m part of that group), but let’s not forget that this is a new administration. For them, the 32-year-old center is just another four-point player, not a “Habs veteran.”

If the Québécois really does change addresses this season, it’s likely that his next team will have to take 100% of his salary ($5.5 million for two years).

Overtime

– Heavy loss.

– Nice pass from Michael Hage.

– The Jays are always busy.

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Logan Mailloux doesn’t think he would have had a “fair” chance in Montreal

Logan Mailloux’s stay in Montreal has been fraught with obstacles, right from his selection in the 2021 draft.

It wasn’t easy, and we know it was a choice of the previous administration. The new one didn’t have the same sense of belonging.

Finally, on July 1, he was traded to the Blues for Zachary Bolduc. In an interview with Marc Antoine Godin (Radio-Canada), the former Habs defenseman admits he doesn’t think he would have had an “honest” chance of landing a job with the big club.

I don’t think that, in the future, I would have had an honest chance (in Montreal) with all the players they have on defense. So I think it would have been difficult. – Logan Mailloux

It’s true that the Habs have several defensemen and, a few days before the trade, Noah Dobson had been acquired by the Habs. Alexandre Carrier is there, Kaiden Guhle plays on the right, and David Reinbacher has an almost guaranteed spot on the right side of the blue line for several years.

And on the left, forget it!

It’s true that there weren’t many spots in Montreal, but if he’d deserved it, Martin St-Louis and the coaching staff would have found a place for him.

The problem (according to what he told the Radio-Canada journalist) is that he never had a position to lose, but rather one to win. In St. Louis, he had a job to lose and, with a good practice camp, he didn’t lose it. At least, he didn’t lose it in the opening game.

Since then, things have gone a little less well, but the right-hander is optimistic and happy to have an opportunity.

I feel more in the rhythm of the game since my return [from the minors]. – Logan Mailloux

In 15 games this season, he has just one assist and a differential of -15…

He’s happy in St. Louis and I’ve never hated him. I hope he gets back on track. But it’s hard to ignore all the negativity that surrounds him.

Overtime

– At the last second.

– Jon Cooper had reason to be unhappy Thursday night.

– KK is back.

– Morgan Geekie at the Olympics?

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Jakub Dobes: there’s a chance we’ll see him again tomorrow (and that would send quite a message)

Tonight, the Canadiens are in Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs. And for the occasion, Jakub Dobes will be in goal.

The 24-year-old goaltender is actually on a good run. Last Saturday’s game against the Avalanche was painful, but he has won three of his last four starts (by being solid in front of the net).

And with no end in sight for Samuel Montembeault, goaltending suddenly becomes quite tricky. And starting tomorrow, things could get bumpy.

For the moment, we’re expecting Monty to be in the net tomorrow (it’s “probable,” according to Martin St-Louis). But Stu Cowan, who answered fans’ questions in a piece for Montreal Gazette, noted that if Dobes does well tonight, he expects to see him back in net tomorrow.

And that would send quite a message.

The fact that St-Louis hasn’t confirmed beyond any doubt that Montembeault will be in net tomorrow is a pretty strong message in itself. After all, before the start of the season, the coach had made it clear: in two-games-in-two-nights situations, expect the goalies to share the task.

But if Dobes is the starter again tomorrow, all that’s going to take the edge… especially when you consider that there will be (short) travel between the two games. It’s not like both games are at the Bell Centre.

But the Habs are in the thick of the playoff race right now, and they need to win games. If Dobes is the goalie who gives them the best chance of doing that, he’s the one who needs to have the net.

And at the start of the season, we saw what happened when a fired-up Dobes was repeatedly left on the bench. Maybe the coach has learned from that, too.

Overtime

– Inter Miami are MLS champions. The club defeated the Whitecaps.

– Whew.

– I’m going with 4-2 Montreal. How about you?

– It’s not ideal. At the same time, these guys take care of the toughest minutes to let the others focus on offense…

– No, Oliver Kapanen is not a second center. Nor was Jake Evans a year ago.

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A journalist from The Athletic sees the habs making it to the finals this season

The Canadiens haven’t had a bad start to the season. The club has a 14-9-3 record since the start of the campaign, putting it in third place in the Atlantic.

That’s far from bad for a club that’s still turning the corner on its rebuild.

That said, there are some worrying signs. Goaltending isn’t exactly a strength in the city, and the Habs really look out of place when they face real powerhouses.

Recently, journalists from The Athletic were asked to make a number of predictions. Of the lot, they were asked to give their verdict on their choice of team to win the Stanley Cup, but also on the runner-up.

And of the 25 journalists polled, one named the Habs as the runner-up.

We don’t know who the journalist in question is, but it’s pretty special to see the Habs get one vote. The Panthers, two-time defending champions (but having a difficult season), also received a vote.

Obviously, the club is far from the favorite, as the Hurricanes, Lightning, and Devils all garnered more votes. And in fact, to see that all 25 journalists see the Cup being won by a Western team says a lot about the state of the Eastern Conference.

Of the 25 journalists, no fewer than 20 see the Habs making the playoffs. Only five teams (the Hurricanes, Devils, Lightning, Panthers, and Capitals) received more votes.

And there’s a pretty big split after that: the Senators, who follow the Habs, got just 16 votes, while the Penguins follow with just 10.

Obviously, if the club wants to make the playoffs, it will have to stay the course over the next few months, which is no easy task. But given that the Habs have been winning less and less in recent weeks, it’s interesting to see the club continue to be such a popular choice to make the playoffs.

And to see that one person sees the club making it to the finals this season is… something.

Overtime

– Lane Hutson gives Ivan Demidov some love.

– Indeed.

– He’s (really) on fire.

– Interesting.

– Really?

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Slaf: We are finally seeing the player the Canadiens drafted

Ahhhhh, the good old spring of 2022…

At the age of 17, Juraj Slafkovsky had just been named MVP of the Olympic Games after scoring 7 goals in 7 games, helping Slovakia to the bronze medal. Several fine shots from the slot, some interesting puck control sequences…

It was enough to start talking about him as a serious rival for Shane Wright as a potential first overall pick.

Then there was the World Championship in May, an even tougher competition than the Olympics, including several NHL players (among others, Mathew Barzal, Drake Batherson, Nico Hischier, Mikael Granlund, Timo Meier, Tomas Tatar, and Dylan Cozens).

Once again, it was the young Slafkovsky, barely 18, who was his country’s best player, with 9 points in 8 games.

We still remember a few sequences in which he carried the puck with authority from his own territory into the opponent’s zone, foiling 2-3 players along the way. Spectacular and authoritative.

It was towards the end of this competition that all doubts had dissipated in my mind: The Habs, who had just won the lottery, owed it to themselves to draft the big Slovak winger.

While I was always disappointed by my viewings of Shane Wright in the OHL, the way Slafkovsky managed to leave his mark on these international games, his willingness to make a difference with and without the puck, to stand up when it counted most, had greatly impressed me.

In my mind, he wasn’t miles ahead of Wright and Cooley, but between the three of them, the real top dog of 2022 was him.

And it was he who seemed to me to be the optimal choice for the “little” Habs, the one in whom I had the most confidence on a five-year horizon and on a career horizon with the Canadiens.

And the Habs’ management obviously came to the same conclusion a few weeks later when they called him up to the stage in the middle of the Bell Centre, at the risk of offending many on the spot already proudly wearing a Shane Wright jersey!

A timid first season at 18

Unsurprisingly, the 6’3″, 238-lb. colossus began his NHL career at age 18 under the supervision of Martin St-Louis and Adam Nicholas.

It was still a questionable decision.

After all, baby Slaf still had a lot of confidence to build at the professional level and a lot of basic things to work on, including playing with his head held higher, having been “picked up” a few times during that first season cut short by a knee injury.

Slaf sometimes tried to make plays with the puck, but at 18 in the NHL, we hadn’t really been able to see the previous season’s dominant player with Slovakia again.

A first breakthrough at 19, then a “plateau” at 20

It wasn’t until the second half of the 23-24 season that we saw a more confident, consistent, and effective Slafkovsky in a more precise role. Alongside Caufield and Suzuki, “the Big Guy” was now winning his battles along the boards, spotting teammates with great passes, and scoring his share of goals near the opposing net.

In his age-19 season, Slaf recorded close to a point per game in the second half. He also scored 14 points on the powerplay, for a total of 50 points. Not bad.

All prospects were now open. A 65-70 point campaign seemed a very strong possibility at 20 years of age in 24-25.

But a short-lived start to the season, in which he played 21 games between late October and early December without his usual partners, seemed to make him lose his bearings.

St. Louis had tried to make him the player who would revitalize Kirby Dach and become the powerhouse of the second line. It didn’t work. In fact, no one seemed in a position to relaunch Dach in 24-25. The Albertan simply wasn’t fit enough to keep up with the NHL pace.

But, back with Caufield and Suzuki, everything fell into place once again for Slaf in the second half and he finished last season with 51 points, one more than the previous season, despite 4 points less on the powerplay (10).

All in all, not a real progression, at least not offensively.

The famous fourth season…

At the dawn of his fourth season, a season often decisive for forwards of his stature, we were still entitled to expect him to finally move up to the next level in 25-26.

Still playing alongside Suzuki and Caufield, the first 15-20 games showed us the big winger useful to his two comparses, often keeping the game alive in the opponent’s zone, winning battles, stealing pucks, taking up space, creating space, and so on.

Although we would have liked him to be a little more consistent and involved on certain nights, Slaf generally played well, and with a little more luck, he could easily have accumulated 5-6 more points on his record, including 2 goals he seems to have scored on deflections against Chicago and Columbus that the NHL never credited to him.

But, through it all, we still didn’t see the incisive, dominant and creative player with the puck that the Canadiens had drafted.

Could this player really exist in the NHL, or was it just a figment of the imagination, a fantasy?

A stint alongside Demidov and the big break?

No doubt wanting to rebalance his line-up by stirring the proverbial soup, Martin St-Louis recently inserted his big #20 alongside his superb rookie, Ivan Demidov, and the surprising Oliver Kapanen.

Did he also want to see once again what Slaf had up his sleeve as a “locomotive” — and this time “veteran” — on this young second line?

Perhaps he did.

In any case, it was on this occasion that we finally saw the real Slafkovsky, the one who in his draft year could remind us of a cross between Jaromir Jagr and Marian Hossa: a big, talented winger capable of driving his line, carrying and protecting the puck, and creating plays for his teammates.

The experiment, though conclusive, only lasted a few games, but could have benefits for Slaf back on his usual first line. We also know that we can put him back with Demidov if need be, depending on the opponent.

So, against the Jets, we saw him take charge with the puck all over the rink, in no way hesitant and much less quick to give the puck to Suzuki and Caufield.

We also saw him more confident and comfortable in front of the goal on the power play, in the role of ” bumper . ” After 26 games, Slaf has already equaled his personal mark of 6 power-play goals in a single season. A strong indicator of things to come…

With 9 goals in 26 games, if he keeps up this pace, “the Big Guy” is heading for a 28-goal season… and 150 body checks, a fact reserved for players with a big enough impact, let’s put it that way…

But, if you ask me, I think this pace could intensify, as Slafkovsky, who enjoyed a 5-goal streak in 7 games in late October and early November, has now scored 3 goals in his last 4 games.

Slafkovsky is just beginning to realize that he now has the experience (226 games at 21!) and all the tools to become a dominant player night after night in this league.

All he needed was that little extra dose of confidence that his time with Demidov has given him.

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Martin St-Louis is clear: he has a plan in mind for Zachary Bolduc

Zachary Bolduc hasn’t played much since the start of the week. After being benched for Tuesday night’s game, he played less than eight minutes against the Jets the following day.

And obviously, given that he’s seen as one of the club’s key players of the future, there’s been some chatter.

That said, there’s a desire on both sides to calm things down. On Thursday evening, Bolduc gave his coach some love in an interview with La Poche Bleue… and today, his coach did the same.

In a press briefing before today’s game, St-Louis insisted that Bolduc is a player with immense potential who, in fact, excels offensively.

According to the coach, Bolduc still needs to improve his defensive game… but St-Louis has no doubt that he will.

The coach points out that Bolduc hasn’t played a ton of games in the Bettman circuit (this will be his 124th career game tonight), so it’s normal for there to be ups and downs in his game. But what’s clear is that he doesn’t see him as a finished product, far from it.

He has a plan in mind to help him reach his full potential. And this, even if Bolduc seems to go through the wringer more often than some of his teammates.

One might think that, as with Cole Caufield in recent years, St-Louis wants to instill in Bolduc the importance of a good 200-foot game. The coach has obviously changed his methods over the years (Caufield never really got away with it, after all), but this year we can see just how much all that hard work has paid off when we watch Caufield play.

The #13 is now a much more complete player than he was when he arrived in Montreal. And you’d think St-Louis would want to make that adjustment with Bolduc, too. We’ll just have to see what happens over the next few weeks.

Overtime

– Of note.

– A few weeks off for Shane Pinto.

– Interesting.

– Indeed.

– No, Zac Gallen hasn’t found a buyer (yet).

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Clothing and artificial intelligence: Ivan Demidov’s agent blames the condensed schedule

Over the past few days, Ivan Demidov has been the talk of the town. The problem is, it hasn’t necessarily been for the right reasons: the kid has launched his clothing brand… but it’s been done all wrong.

Seeing the designs generated by artificial intelligence didn’t sit well, especially considering that Demidov was depicted as right-handed on one of the designs. It looked like a haystack.

As a result, Demidov’s clan has come infor quite a bit of criticism in recent days. And his agent obviously felt the need to go public to set the record straight.

In an interview with Sergey Demidov(Research Ground), Dan Milstein explained that artificial intelligence was used for a very specific reason: due to the condensed schedule, Demidov didn’t have time to take part in a photo shoot.

He praised the youngster’s mentality, as he really wants to focus on hockey during the season.

Milstein explains that the idea took shape during practice camp due to changes in the NHL dress code. It was proposed to Demidov, who came on board, with the aim of launching the whole thing before the holidays.

The logical question is, if the kid didn’t have time to take pictures, why did they want to launch it before the holidays? You’re free to make up your own mind about that.

And as for the designs showing Demidov as right-handed, Milstein explains that this is an honest mistake that will be corrected. But even so, he says the fans’ outrage at the whole thing is a good thing.

In his opinion, it shows just how committed Montreal fans are. Nothing less.

We all agree that, despite everything, it’s not bad. Milstein’s explanation takes the heat off his client (which was certainly the objective), but it doesn’t really make the project look any better.

Let’s see how it all turns out now.

Overtime

– No change in the Habs lineup tonight. Remember: there are no extras with the big club at the moment, but the Rocket are also in Ontario, in Belleville. Lucas Condotta will be missing, however, as he awaits the birth of his child.

– Interesting.

– Nice read.

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Playing time and Calder Trophy: “Ivan Demidov isn’t thinking about it at all”

Everyone in Montreal loves Ivan Demidov, and everyone talks about him constantly, given all the talent and potential he possesses.

We want to see him perform, and since the start of the season, we haven’t been disappointed.

The Canadiens fans love what they see of their little Russian jewel, and that’s why they’re constantly analyzing him and talking about him.

There’s a lot of talk about Demidov, whether it’s the hotly contested Calder Trophy race with Matthew Schaefer and Beckett Sennecke, or the Russian’s ice time.

But for Demidov, these are two subjects and two situations he thinks nothing of.

Indeed, that’s what Ivan Demidov’s agent Dan Milstein said in an interview with RG Media’s Sergey Demidov.

Milstein made it very clear that his client had no intention of winning the Calder Trophy, and that his primary goal was to continue improving and helping the team.

Demidov doesn’t focus on individual trophies, because his priority is 100% the Stanley Cup.

Understandably, the 19-year-old prodigy is really focused on his contribution to the team’s performance, and doesn’t attach any importance to his individual prowess or achievements, at least for now.

And as for ice time, it’s obviously been a big topic of debate in Montreal since the start of the season, with many fans and analysts criticizing Martin St-Louis for not giving the Russian enough playing time.

Well, once again, according to Milstein, we learn that Demidov isn’t worried about his playing time at all, and doesn’t even think about it.

Milstein points to the last game against the Winnipeg Jets, in which Demidov played a season-high 19 minutes and 29 seconds, as a benchmark, indicating that everyone but Demidov noticed.

The Habs’ #93 has never once whined about his playing time, as he focuses on making the team win and doing as much as possible with the time he’s given.

Overtime

– Joseph Woll sidelined again by the Leafs.

– Note.

– It’s looking good for tomorrow morning’s race!

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Puck to the face against the habs: Charlie McAvoy has lost nearly 20 pounds since

So far this season, the Canadiens and the Boston Bruins have only met once, which is a shame considering it’s a historic rivalry.

What’s more, the November 15 match-up between the two rivals isn’t one that will go down in history, as the Bruins managed a 3-2 win at the Bell Centre.

However, it will clearly go down in the life of Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy.

Why?

Because it was in this game that McAvoy was hit directly in the face by a powerful shot from Noah Dobson, fracturing his jaw and forcing him to leave the game.

Since then, McAvoy has been sidelined by jaw surgery, forcing him to eat only soft food for some time to come.

As a result, we’ve just learned in the last few hours that the Bruins defenseman has lost nearly 20 pounds since the incident at the Bell Centre.

20 pounds in less than a month (21 days to be exact) is huge, especially for a professional athlete who is followed by the best teams of trainers, doctors, and nutritionists.

It really shows how much this event is affecting McAvoy’s life, who still can’t eat anything solid.

The Bruins defenseman explained that he had tried mixing and grinding chicken and vegetables, and that it was absolutely disgusting.

So McAvoy admits to focusing mainly on soups, milkshakes, and ice cream until he can start eating solids again in a few months.

It’s truly a horrific rehabilitation process for McAvoy, who isn’t likely to see any NHL action anytime soon, when he might even miss the Olympics.

In short, we wish him all the best for the future.

Overtime

– Magnificent.

– The Habs will want to keep their distance in the standings from the Leafs.

– Ouch. What a horrible season for Hamilton.

– For those interested.