Author: Dose

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Game #7 Toronto-Florida: the Maple Leafs, for the honour of the North

Is anyone in Quebec torn this morning?

The Montreal Canadiens’ sworn enemies, the Toronto Maple Leafs, have the chance to complete the comeback against the Panthers and reach the Eastern Final for the first time since 2002.

It would be an emotional release for the city of Toronto, whose hockey fans are definitely among the least fortunate on the planet.

It would also be a first for Canada since 1994, with two Canadian teams in the Conference Finals. As a result, it would be a two-in-four chance – in lazy math – of bringing the Cup north for the first time since the Canadiens in 1993.

Is your desire to see the Stanley Cup return to Canada stronger than your hatred of the Maple Leafs, of your amusement at seeing them lose year after year?

Answers will vary. Now that the average fan is expecting a very competitive team in the next few years, jealousy sets in. There are many who would be jealous to see Toronto bring the Cup back to Canada before Montreal.

And let’s be honest. If the Maple Leafs were to win the Stanley Cup, we wouldn’t stop hearing about it. Their fans are vocal when they lose, imagine when they win. Hell.

The CN Tower created controversy in 2021 when it was lit up blue-white-red to support the Canadiens in their final against the Lightning.

That said, some fans still decided to support Montreal, right from the Final Four, as there was no other Canadian team left. In an article with a very negative connotation, this Toronto editor states that he will reluctantly support Montreal.

Another question: is Canadian pride the same in Quebec? Clearly not, but here’s another: is it the same, more specifically in hockey, in a context of rivalry with the Americans?

To a certain extent, yes. It’s also the pride of our national sport, which can get on board.

Lightning, Panthers, Golden Knights, Stars, Hurricanes…

Teams from the South, from the Sun Belt, have been very successful in recent years. Beyond Canada, maybe it’s time to bring the Stanley Cup back to where the snow is, no?

Prolongation

The Maple Leafs have had the best regular season of the five remaining teams right now. Which means that if they beat the Panthers at home tonight, they’ll maintain home-ice advantage for the rest of the playoffs.

Let’s not fall into the trap of saying that the Canes would be an easy opponent. Rod Brind’amour’s club reached the Eastern Final for a reason, beating the best team in the Conference, but it’s fair to say that Toronto will have faced the toughest challenge against Florida, not only because they are the defending champions, but because they could have overcome a two-game deficit to win.

Finally, the stars could finally align for an all-Canadian final. When the Oilers had just drafted McDavid and the Leafs had just drafted Matthews, we figured a Toronto-Edmonton final was inevitable. It would have taken longer than expected, but it would be just as exciting to see it happen… much more so than Florida-Dallas …

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55 for #55: Stars fans raise $30,000 for the Jets Foundation

When tragedy strikes beyond hockey, NHL fans are always all-class.

A few hours after the Jets organization announced that Mark Scheifele’s father, Brad, had passed away, a magnificent initiative was born.

Dallas Stars fans decided to donate $55 – $55 for #55 – to two foundations supported by the Jets forward: True North Youth Foundation and KidSport Canada.

Many fans in Winnipeg, and across the league, decided to follow the wave when it went to X.

Elliotte Friedman contacted Lia Assimakopoulos, spokesperson for the Jets Foundation, after the game. She told him that an hour after the final whistle, more than $30,000 in donations of $55 had been received in a single day.

No news from KidSport Canada this morning.

Nevertheless, here’s another fine example of the solidarity that characterizes the world of hockey.

he initiative was born on the Stars’ Reddit, as several users set an example by doing so and encouraging others to join the movement. 55 CAD ($40 USD) may be a trivial sum, but $30,000 can make a difference in the lives of many children.

Even if the Jets ultimately lost the series in six games, this mobilization may act as a balm on the heart of Mark Scheifele, who decided to play game #6 despite the events. We have to understand that going through all this while on the road must be even harder, being physically far from his family, and that such gestures may have shown him that he wasn’t alone through this ordeal.

He also received a lot of love after the match, from team-mates and opponents alike. Note that he was in the penalty box when the Stars scored the winning goal…

Overtime

– Hockey inspiration for winning baseball. Read more.

– It’s the start of the Alliance season.

– In addition to the Panthers, we’re talking about 4 clubs that are really “due” to win.

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Series preview: Stars meet Oilers

Game #6 between the Jets and Stars was not a normal game. On the eve of a do-or-die game in Winnipeg, it was the death of Mark Scheifele’s father that set the tone for the day. The #55 finally decided to play the game, despite the news.

In fact, he was the first to make the ropes vibrate in the second period, giving his team the lead. A beautiful moment, and a big smile on his face as he celebrated.

A few minutes later, Sam Steel seized on a long return and made a quick, accurate snap shot past Connor Hellebuyck to tie the game.

The tie persists, the siren sounds, and it’s off to overtime. The Jets still have prospects to force a #7 game, and only need one goal to do it.

But prospects quickly fade. Just 90 seconds into overtime, defenseman Thomas Harley scores from the point to send the Stars to the Western Final for a third consecutive season.

The following demonstrates the great class, after all, of the NHL. Mark Scheifele received a lot of love from his opponents during the traditional handshake. Stars captain Jamie Benn, with whom he had an altercation in the last game, addressed him at length.

And the same goes for his teammates.

¨

For the Stars, it’s an important win that sets the table for a rematch against the Oilers in the semifinals. Dallas has consistently been one of the NHL’s best teams in recent seasons, but hasn’t managed to return to the finals since a heartbreaking loss to the Lightning in 2020. They’ll have the opportunity to do so this year, with a line-up that’s more complete and deeper than ever.

For the Jets, it’s the end of a historic season in which they won 56 games and finished first in the NHL. However, the playoffs were marked by the ups and downs of Connor Hellebuyck, who finally redeemed himself brilliantly in the second round. Winnipeg has a good club, but still has a few holes that showed when it came time to face another powerhouse for 7 games.

Prolongation

– Adam Lowry comments: “We really wanted to win it for him”.

– Heiskanen’s impact… Phew.

– Oettinger stole one here.

– Things are going well at home.

– The schedule is out.

– Game Morning #7…

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Mark Scheifele honors the memory of his father by scoring the Jets’ first goal

The Winnipeg Jets are currently fighting for survival in Game 6 of their series against the Dallas Stars

The team, trailing 3-2, is trying to force a seventh and final game in Winnipeg. To do so, the Manitoba club would have to accomplish something it has yet to do in this year’s series: win a game on outdoor ice.

And who better to open the scoring for the Jets than Mark Scheifele.

If you didn’t know, Scheifele sadly lost his father last night.

To the surprise of many, the forward has decided to still participate in tonight’s all-important and possibly no-look game for the Jets.

One of the reasons he chose to play is because it’s what his father would have wanted.

That’s why Scheifele chose to use this tragic event as a source of inspiration.

Even if everyone would have understood that he missed tonight’s game, the Canadian forward is an important cog in the Jets’ wheel if the team is to continue its spring run.

And to score his team’s first goal just hours after the death of his father is almost a Hollywood scenario for the Jets player.

Unfortunately, the Jets’ lead only lasted a few minutes, as the Stars tied the score through Sam Steel.

At the time of writing, the two teams are still tied 1-1 at the second intermission.

Will Scheifele play the hero by scoring the winning goal? Just imagine the scenario if that were to happen.

Or will it motivate his team-mates to win this perhaps hopeless game?

Overtime

– Historic defeat!

– Must listen!

– Missed net!

– Rimouski survives!

– Jakob Pelletier, grocer.

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Jake Evans blocks Owen Beck and Oliver Kapanen in Montreal

The priority for the Canadiens and Kent Hughes will be to strengthen the team’s center situation.

Although the organization doesn’t say so openly, the most pressing need is for a second center capable of supporting Ivan Demidov and Patrik Laine, which would solve the Habs’ top-6 situation.

However, there could also be movement in the third and fourth trios.

I don’t think Christian Dvorak will be back next season, and if the Canadiens really wanted to re-sign him, they’d have done it by now.

The third center position could then be filled by either Alex Newhook or Kirby Dach, being a position with less offensive pressure than second center.

In Newhook’s case, the fact that he’s left-handed, like Dvorak, could give him an advantage when we know that Martin St-Louis places a great deal of importance on the laterality of his center players, especially when it comes to face-offs.

That leaves Jake Evans, coming off a career-best 36-point season, as the fourth-line center.

Evans, 28, signed a 4-year contract extension worth $11.4 million (annual average $2.85 million).

However, Arpon Basu explained in The Basu & Godin notebook podcast that the presence of Jake Evans blocks Owen Beck and Oliver Kapanen’s chances with the team, notably because all three centers are right-handed.

The problem right now is that the Canadiens have a surplus of right-handed centers. The only left-handed center on the team is Newhook, which could be a problem in our coach’s strategy.

The Rocket’s best left-handed center prospect is Florian Xhekaj.

However, as my colleague Félix Forget explained earlier, we may not see him in Montreal for a few years.

Could Beck and Kapanen be wing options for the Habs? Or should the organization let him play center and get more playing time with the Rocket?

In short, it’s a good thing the Habs are at the point in their rebuild where we’re seeing congestion at certain positions, while the team also has specific needs to fill.

However, let’s hope the Canadiens don’t let some prospects get lost in their development for lack of room with the team.

It’ll be interesting to see what decisions the team’s management makes in the coming months.

Overtime

– Nice message for Mark Scheifele.

– Lions line-up.

– Bad decision?

– Solid start to the season!

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Mark Scheifele to play tonight despite father’s death

Earlier today, there was tragic news for Mark Scheifele.

His father passed away last night.

It’s always so sad when someone loses a loved one like a parent.

And it can greatly affect the morale of the player in question, especially when the latter is a very important player for his club in the midst of the playoffs.

Not everyone can cope with this kind of grief by going back to work. Because even if NHL players “just play hockey”, it’s still their job, and they’re the best at it.

However, we have learned from Scott Arniel, head coach of the Winnipeg Jets, that #55 will play in Game 6 of the series against the Dallas Stars tonight.

Now that’s courage.

As seen in the tweet above, Scheifele is understood to have told his coach that his father would have wanted him to play tonight.

You can watch the clip in which Arniel confirms that Scheifele will play tonight right here:

Game #6 is the most crucial for the Jets, who have been facing elimination since Game 5 and will be looking to come from behind in this series and advance to the Final Four.

Knowing that Winnipeg hasn’t had much success on the road (especially with Connor Hellebuyck’s failures away from home), they’ll need all their assets to get the better of the Stars.

The latter are incredible to watch play, are very well built for the playoffs and big guns (like Mikko Rantanen) have risen in the playoffs.

The Jets will once again face elimination tonight and can hope Scheifele plays some inspirational hockey in honor of his late father.

If Winnipeg can win this game on the road, then we’ll need an ultimate game, to be played in Winnipeg, and there the Jets will have the advantage.

The match kicks off at 8:00 p.m. and is the only game of the evening.

In Overtime

– Crosby collected four points in this game.

– A humiliating defeat for CF Montreal.

– Sad news…

– Very nice gesture.

– Read more.

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David Reinbacher or Noah Dobson: different messages the Habs could send

As we all know, Kent Hughes and his gang will have their work cut out for them with holes to fill, the draft and free agents.

Some names are starting to circulate for inclusion in a potential deal to improve the club now.

Logan Mailloux is one such name, but there’s also David Reinbacher.

But why these two young right-handed defensemen when the Habs only have Alexandre Carrier as a right-handed throwing defenseman?

It’s strange indeed, but since right-handed defensemen are in demand, there’s a way to trade one for a true right-handed impact defenseman.

Noah Dobson seems to be coming back more and more as a potential target for the Habs.

Although Reinbacher is the best prospect on the right flank and Logan Mailloux is having an excellent series and is the closest to the NHL, it takes experience to make up for the loss of David Savard.

If Dobson were to come to Montreal, it would be surprising if Reinbacher were to stay with the organization, because to receive, you have to give.

On the latest episode of The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro, Stu Cowan was on hand to discuss this very topic.

As Cowan mentioned in this episode, he doesn’t know if Dobson is actually available for a trade.

Even if the Islanders aren’t doing super well, they can still benefit from an established 6-foot-4 right-handed defenseman who’s only 25 years old.

On the other hand, keep in mind that there will be a new general manager on Long Island, and there could very well be some big changes.

We’ve already heard the names of Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat in the trade rumours, but why not start afresh with a new GM?

On the other hand, you have to wonder why the Habs would trade their top defensive prospect for a defenseman with a similar profile, but already established.

To ask the question is to answer it.

It’s not complicated: we know what Dobson can bring to the table, whereas for Reinbacher, even though everything seems to point to him being a very good, reliable top-4 defenseman, we don’t know exactly what he can bring to the table.

Despite his young age, Dobson could still bring some experience to the table, having already played six NHL seasons, as well as having some 30 playoff games under his belt. Reinbacher doesn’t have all that.

Matt Ohayon was also in the discussion, and he believes that Dobson is THE player the Habs should target on defense.

Basically, if the Habs decide to keep Reinbacher and not go after Dobson, it’s a step backwards of sorts.

On the other hand, if the Habs trade up to acquire Dobson’s services, we’re talking about a team with an excellent chance of making the playoffs and going further.

What’s more, at 25, Dobson fits in well with the age group of the majority of the Habs, and as I mentioned earlier, he’s experienced and we know what he’ll bring to the club.

In short, Kent Hughes will have plenty of calls and work to do this off-season, that’s for sure.

Overtime

– It’s as if they’d played together their entire careers.

– Unfortunately, things got off to a very bad start for CF Montreal.

– It was to be expected.

– Read on.

– What a goal from the former Montreal CF.

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“We’re at least three years away from seeing Florian Xhekaj as a support center in Montreal”

Florian Xhekaj had quite a first year in the pros with Laval. Arber’s little brother collected 24 goals and 35 points in 69 games, while racking up 175 penalty minutes.

To see him score so much and play so physically in his AHL debut is quite something.

And with such a strong first campaign in Laval, some already see him in the mix for a spot in Montreal next year. After all, Christian Dvorak will have to be replaced and the club needs left-handed centers: the link is easy to make.

On the other hand, others are much more cautious and think it will take a lot longer. Arpon Basu is part of this group… and he talked about it yesterday at The Basu & Godin Notebook.

In fact, according to him, it’s quite simple: Xhekaj won’t be a center in Montreal for at least three years.

Basu says that Xhekaj may need another year in Laval to fine-tune his game, and then he may make the jump to the NHL as a winger to ease his transition a bit. And it’s after (at least) one full season on the wing that Basu sees Xhekaj becoming the supporting center player the Habs see in him.

I suspect that’s a pretty conservative timetable and that we may see Xhekaj at center on a fourth line in Montreal sooner than that(if the Habs considered recalling him in the last playoffs, will they really wait that long before inserting him into their line-up?), but Basu is right about one thing: wait before assuming that he’ll definitely be center of the fourth line next year.

He’s a promising prospect who’s obviously the talk of Montreal because of his last name and his style of play, but that doesn’t mean you have to jump the gun.

Going for a veteran to take on the role of left-handed center back in 2025-26 makes more sense (the names of Nico Sturm and Radek Faksa were mentioned in the podcast), and it would allow Xhekaj to take his time and be ready when he’s eventually called upon to occupy that chair.

I have a feeling that next year, we’ll see him play center in Laval or wing in Montreal… before seeing him play center in Montreal in 2026-27. That said, if it takes another year, it’s not the end of the world: the important thing is that he’s ready when his turn comes.

Overtime

– Pierre-Luc Dubois had fun this year.

– Great Ovechkin.

– Please note.

– Classic.

– Pole for Oscar Piastri at Imola.

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Mark Scheifele’s father died last night

Tonight, the Winnipeg Jets will try to force Game #7 against the Dallas Stars. The club will have to find a way to win on the road, something they haven’t done since the start of the playoffs.

Inevitably, then, the club is having an emotional day… but in the last few hours, the club has had to deal with some sad news: Mark Scheifele’s father passed away last night.

It’s unclear whether he’ll be able to play tonight… but right now, that’s not the most important thing in the story.

Obviously, our condolences go out to Scheifele and his family. It’s very sad news, and we wish him the best in the circumstances.

That said, tonight’s game is a reality… and you have to wonder how this will affect the rest of the team. There’s a world in which the guys rally around Scheifele, a leader on the team and a respected veteran, and force a #7 game.

And that would be beautiful.

On the other hand, there’s also a world in which all this emotion hits the Jets too hard and the club falls apart. They’ve already worked extremely hard to force a #6 game, and the guys, who must be exhausted, must be affected by what’s happening today.

And the Stars are also playing to win.

The most important thing right now, though, is to wish Scheifele and his loved ones all the best. He would undoubtedly have preferred to concentrate on the game tonight, but he must instead be going through an extremely trying period of mourning.

Whether he’s there or not tonight, the Jets will certainly be playing for him, in any case.

Extension

The team’s coach, Scott Arniel, did not speak to the media this morning. Instead, he decided to return to the Jets’ hotel to be by Scheifele’s side, so it was team GM Kevin Cheveldayoff who broke the news to the media.

And all indications are that the news really took everyone at the Jets by surprise. It’s going to be a big day for the club, and let’s hope they can perform for Scheifele tonight.

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Here’s why the NHL frequently recycles coaches

As you know, it’s firing and hiring season in the NHL right now. We’ve seen several coaches lose their jobs… and some have been hired, like Rick Tocchet in Philadelphia and Adam Foote in Vancouver.

In Montreal, Martin St-Louis is back in the saddle… but we’re obviously keeping an eye on Pascal Vincent, who could leave the Rocket for an NHL club.

Having said that, this is also the season when the famous “recycling of coaches” comes to the fore. It’s a phenomenon we see a lot in the Bettman circuit: often, teams will prefer to turn to a coach who has already had his chance in the NHL rather than look for one outside the box.

We often talk about the famous NHL boys club to explain this phenomenon… but in an interview with Eric Leblanc(RDS), Pierre Dorion offered another element to explain this famous recycling: contractual aspects.

Because if a coach is fired and rehired by another team, the team that fired him will save money.

It’s important to remember that in the NHL, coaches’ contracts are guaranteed. This means that if a coach is fired, he still receives his salary until the end of his contract.

That’s why, for example, Patrick Roy is likely to remain at the helm of the Islanders: the club would still have to pay him even if it had to fire him.

That said, in the event that a coach finds work elsewhere before the end of his contract, the team that fired him saves money: it may have to pay him less, or it may not have to pay him at all if he makes enough money with his new team.

Let’s take a concrete example: if Martin St-Louis were to be fired tomorrow morning, he would be paid by the Habs until 2027 (the year his contract ends)… unless another team decides to hire him by then. If that were to happen, the Habs would pay him a lot less… or not at all, depending on how much he earns with his new team. But obviously, that scenario won’t happen this summer, we agree.

For teams with a lot of money, this isn’t usually a problem. The Rangers, for example, didn’t hesitate to pay Mike Sullivan even though they still have to pay Peter Laviolette… but the reality isn’t the same for all teams.

A team with fewer financial resources is better off hiring a coach who is likely to be recycled, because it will be easier for them to fire him when they want to.

So, according to Dorion, it goes further than the famous boys club. There are financial benefits associated with this recycling phenomenon… and that’s one of the reasons why the same names keep coming up.

So don’t be surprised to see coaches being recycled again this year.

Overtime

– Alex Ovechkin will be back with the Capitals next year. He hopes to be able to break into the lineup, hehe.

– Mark Scheifele’s father has passed away. The Jets forward’s presence for tonight’s game is uncertain.

– Quite a goal from Emil Heineman.

– They’re having a miserable season, and the manager gets the axe.