But that being said, the players’ goal is to win and since the return from the break, that’s what’s happening. Yes, the rest really did the Canadian team some good in February.
But you know as well as I do that the guys are playing to convince Kent Hughes not to sell at the deadline. Nick Suzuki said it out loud in the last few days.
And yesterday, Alexandre Carrier hit the same nail.
After the victory against Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s Carolina, he said he wanted the team to stay intact after March 7. This is also a good message from a veteran of the club.
Players are not cheating.
Guys in the room want to keep the group together.—-#Habs Alexandre Carrier
The 2024-25 #Canadiens are sending a message to management. #NHL
Of course, it’s up to management to decide. If Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes have chosen the path of selling rental players, there’s not much the players can do.
It’s if the managers are undecided that the players have room to maneuver.
But okay. The question to ask is also to know how much it’s worth trading certain guys to make the locker room unhappy. Why lose a David Savard for a mid-draft pick, for example?
So many questions… and the answers, that’s in nine days.
Look at Luke Schenn. He’s been on a losing team for a few months now and already, he’s criticizing his Nashville Predators teammates. And he’s doing it in a pretty intense way.
Yesterday, in front of the media, he said he had never been part of a group where it was downright impossible to score goals.
Tensions are rising for the Nashville Predators in what’s been a loooong season
Schenn is a veteran in the game and he wants to win. Seeing him make such public statements clearly shows that there’s frustration in the Preds’ locker room.
It’s normal, up to a certain point… but it’s still intense, all of this.
Obviously, the Preds are possibly the biggest disappointment in the NHL in 2024-2025. But let’s say Schenn shouldn’t be making friends by deciding to air his dirty laundry in public like that.
As a GM elsewhere in the NHL, I’d take that into account before acquiring his $2.75 million per year contract for another 16 months. Because yes, clearly, he must want to get out of there by the March 7 trade deadline.
But he’s not the only one to have acted that way last night.
Seth Jones, who wants a change of address to have a chance to win, clearly said in front of the media that he didn’t understand why his teammates weren’t improving on the ice.
“We’re the exact same team right now as we were game 1. It’s pretty evident out there. We haven’t made any strides to be a better, more simple hockey team, and it shows.”
In his case, he’s been losing for several years. And last night, the team lost 2-1 against Salt Lake City… but without a healthy goalie, it would have been much worse as a result.
But the difference? Bedard doesn’t throw his teammates under the bus while waiting for a trade. That’s more like Seth Jones’ situation, who clearly has his mind elsewhere and is stuck in Chicago because of his contract.
Here are good reasons to hope that the Habs can get their heads above water. The culture is good in Montreal right now, but…
in a hurry
– To read.
Chatted with GM Bill Armstrong on Utah’s trade deadline plans. Plus some updates on Ivan Provorov, Seth Jones, Jake Evans and more. My latest for @TheAthletic https://t.co/J2ZBadWEiw
Le niveau d’intensité que démontre le @CanadiensMTL prouve que l’équipe a manqué de gaz avant la pause. Le calendrier était malade et l’équipe jouait du hockey des séries. On voit que la pause a fait du bien a bien des joueurs.
Do you want to see the goal of the year? It’s possible since last night, Hutson did it.
But be careful: when I say Hutson, I don’t want to talk about Lane. And that, even if the little defender of the Canadiens scored his first power-play goal in the NHL.
Cole Hutson plays in the NCAA at Boston. And apparently, the one who has the same kind of talent as his brother decided to open the machine to laugh at everyone on the ice.
To make a play like that, it takes talent. And confidence.
Of course, even if he’s small, Hutson has more space to make plays like that in the NCAA than he will the day he makes the jump to the pros. He’s a prospect of the Capitals.
But that being said, he’s really impressive to watch. We also saw him at the World Junior Championship: the guy knows how to play hockey.
It should be noted that Lane Hutson is proud of his brother. He commented on an Instagram post about it and also shared the play sequence in his story. He’s proud, the big brother.
In his story, we notice that he also has an ad, he who has apparently partnered with a company related to sleep. For those who are interested, I put his post here.
I have the feeling that the Capitals will want to leave Cole Hutson another year in Boston, a bit like the Canadiens did with Lane. And then, we’ll see what happens.
Let’s not forget that the Capitals’ defensive brigade is not the same as the CH’s…
I’m told that the Flyers haven’t gotten many calls on defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. Fewer than they expected. There is a decent chance now he sticks around post-deadline.
Things can change quickly. But that’s where it stands at the moment.
Canadiens players want to win hockey games. Like everyone, you’ll tell me.
But since the return of the break, it’s obvious. The guys are playing for their survival, but also to keep players in town. Nick Suzuki and Alexandre Carrier said it in the last few days.
Yesterday, the win (a second in two games since the return of the Four Nations Tournament) by a score of 4-0 at the hands of the Hurricanes proved the guys’ point. But it didn’t bring the Canadiens closer to the playoffs.
(Credit: Sportsnet)
Yesterday, the top three teams in the Atlantic division won. The Red Wings and the Blue Jackets won. The Rangers, the Flyers, and the Sabres won. The Bruins lost, but in overtime.
The Islanders and the Penguins lost, which means the Patrick Roy-led team didn’t catch up to the Canadiens. The Senators, however, didn’t play.
There’s the difficulty with the standings: other teams are playing. Not only are they playing, but they’re also playing against each other. And sometimes, games end in overtime, which adds a point to the standings for a losing team.
So the Canadiens’ five points are hard to catch up to. It won’t stop the players from trying and working hard, but it won’t stop us from looking at what’s happening on Tankathon.
(Credit: Tankathon)
Note that in the coming days, the Canadiens will face the Sharks at home and the Sabres (away and home), which could lead to wins within reach before the trade deadline – and before the trip out West.
But if Kent Hughes decides to sell rental players…
But despite everything, we shouldn’t focus on the negative since, during yesterday’s game, Martin St-Louis’ men shut out the Carolina Hurricanes 4-0.
What do I take away from all this?
1. Last year, Juraj Slafkovsky stepped up in the second half of the season, when playoff hopes were nonexistent. This season, he started poorly, but he’s finding his way when the team is further away from the playoffs.
Is he worse under pressure? The question arises at this point. #EmptyCalories #ScoringWhenItNoLongerMatters
2. The Hurricanes were struggling, but the Canadiens did enough to win. And that’s even if the team only took 18 shots on goal… including just two in the second period.
At one point, around the middle of the third period, the team had only 11 shots on goal. And it was 3-0 at that point. #Opportunism
3. Josh Anderson has been missing practices for several weeks due to an injury. And yesterday, he violently crashed into the boards, which forced him to miss the end of the game.
He didn’t leave in an ambulance, and last night, he was still being evaluated. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t play tomorrow night, let’s say.
With Kirby Dach injured and Josh Anderson uncertain, the Canadiens may only have 12 healthy forwards. And in such a scenario, the 12th player would be Michael Pezzetta, whom the team doesn’t want to play and who returned from the break injured.
Is a recall from Laval on the horizon? Who knows.
4. Yesterday, the Canadiens’ best players scored. Patrik Laine (again), Juraj Slafkovsky (again), Nick Suzuki (three points yesterday), and Lane Hutson found the back of the net.
For Hutson, it was his first power-play goal in his career. The Canadiens were 2-for-5 on the power play yesterday. #Suzuki #Hutson
5. Defensively, the team looked good. It’s been a while since the team has played that well (since Kaiden Guhle’s injury, perhaps?) and Mike Matheson is at the heart of the story.
He makes a difference when he’s at his best.
6. Samuel Montembeault earned his fourth shutout of the season. He’s been doing well since his return from the Four Nations Tournament, with two wins.
7. Jesperi Kotkaniemi showed up in Montreal with notable indifference. He wasn’t booed, he wasn’t applauded: he was simply ignored by the Bell Centre crowd.
That’s just the way it is.
8. Seeing Owen Beck on the second line allowed the team to add speed to the top six. He looked like an NHL player and played nearly 12 minutes on the ice.
It also allowed the team to keep the bottom six intact, and it paid off. The return of Emil Heineman is really helping the team, as he’s playing very well.
9. Did the Canadiens play well because the Hurricanes were out? Let’s recall that in recent days, Carolina players were spotted at the Palma.
Was Carolina having a rookie party in Montreal?
Michel Bergeron always said: the worst for an athlete is often the second night after a big party… https://t.co/d2u30FxUTI
10. Is it 100% Mikko Rantanen’s fault that the Hurricanes gave up yesterday? No. But did he do everything to help his team win in Montreal?
No.
overtime
The Canadiens will have a day off today. We’ll have to wait and see how Josh Anderson is doing since coach Martin St-Louis won’t be speaking to the media.
I’m looking forward to seeing the lineup tomorrow against the Sharks.
The Chicago Blackhawks are having another miserable season.
And now, it’s starting to show in the team’s morale.
Last night, during the game between the Hawks and the Utah team, the camera was pointing at Connor Bedard at one point… And the star of the Chicago team just looked desperate.
He didn’t look like a guy super interested in what was happening… even if his team was leading 1-0:
Montreal finally finished the game with two goals in five attempts on the power play. Not bad against the best penalty kill in the NHL…
Despite 14 shots, the Canadiens won 4-0.
The Canadiens, who beat the Hurricanes in regulation time for the first time since 2018, now have a record above .500. It’s the first time since 2020 (excluding the COVID mini-season) that the team has a record above .500 this late in the season.
The team will play its next game on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks at the Bell Centre. A good opportunity to continue this nice streak after the break, then.
Overtime
– Josh Anderson left the game in the third period and never returned. His health will be monitored. Let’s recall that he hasn’t been 100% for a few weeks.
Anderson never fully unfolded his back after his collision with the board.
– Meanwhile, Oliver Kapanen is doing well in Sweden.
Oliver Kapanen has 4g 4a in his last six games and is one of only four SHL regulars averaging a point per game. That is mighty impressive for a 21-year-old. Here are his goal and assist from today’s 5-2 Timra victory. pic.twitter.com/qANRCih3qz
Matthew Tkachuk’s last few days have been quite eventful.
First, he sparked hostilities in the crazy game two Saturdays ago, and a few days later, he was in the front row to see his country lose in the final against Canada.
Obviously, he started the game injured, and instead of giving up his spot to a guy like Kyle Connor, he insisted on playing for 20 and a half seconds. Josh Morrissey is a better team player, he knows that having played would have been selfish on his part.
Well, he never mentioned Tkachuk’s name directly, but it’s clear that it was an arrow aimed at him.
Yesterday, the American was a guest on Jimmy Fallon’s show and let’s say his presence wasn’t unanimous. Everywhere on social media, you could read comments like: “did you bring your silver medal?”, ” shouldn’t you be in rehab instead of bragging on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon?”
I understand that his presence there was going to attract many Americans, but it was in a “second-place” mentality that he bragged about the four-nation confrontation.
He also talked about his Stanley Cup conquest, but after the All-Star break, let’s say the timing isn’t a coincidence.
Tkachuk is one of the best players in the NHL, and so far, he has a great resume. But let’s say that playing in such an important game while injured in a selfish way leaves a mark on his record.
Josh Morrissey and the other Canadians could never.
My column on why Canadians have good reason to be upset with Wayne Gretzky, who Donald Trump would like to see become “Governor of Canada.” The Great One’s silence on U.S. president wanting to take over Canada and make it the 51st state is deafening: https://t.co/Yplbtwk1tY
Last week, David Reinbacher made his big return to the game after a few months of absence.
In his first game, he was obviously a bit rusty, but overall, he had two very good consecutive games. He didn’t play the second game in two nights over the weekend to get some rest.
His coach had already said that he was impressed, but today on BPM Sports, he reiterated his words. He even said that he could be a top-3 defender on an NHL team.
In an interview with @MartinLemay , Pascal Vincent showed great enthusiasm for David Reinbacher’s potential
Vincent is impressed: he’s not in the highlights, but he has a good reading of the game and has a very good stick. Without making comparisons, Martin Lemay, mentioning Jaccob Slavin, reminded people what a defender with a good stick can do.
Confidence with the puck is an aspect that also surprised Vincent.
But obviously, the former fifth overall pick in the 2023 draft is not perfect, and according to his coach, his physical strength needs to be worked on. The Austrian is big and tall and needs to use his size even more. However, he is still young and has plenty of time to improve in this area.
On the Processuspodcast, Simon Boisvert also noticed that the right-hander wasn’t himself and it was as if he was afraid to do what he does best. Snake and Mathias Brunet gave the example of Lane Hutson, who wasn’t afraid to be himself.
But we have to be patient with the defender. He’s still young and had a pretty tumultuous professional start in North America. This season won’t be lost, and the guys from Processus have even opened the door to him playing games with the big club as early as this season.
Maybe he’ll even have a chance to start the year in Montreal next season. Four months ago, it was a highly unlikely scenario…
In brief
— Obviously.
The forward was relatively clear about his desire for the rest of his career. https://t.co/1cd71nJCdw
— John Tortorella didn’t want to get back on the plane with the Canadiens. [JdM]
— To listen.
INSIDER TRADING…
— Schenn, Laughton remain best fit for Leafs
— Tavares extension ‘doubtful’ before Mar. 7
— Gourde back before Mar. 7?
— Oilers unlikely to trade for goalie help
— Can Stars make pieces fit with Jones?
— IIHF, NHL & NHLPA to meet
Even though he had to come back from a serious injury and was given time to get back on track, we’ve reached a point where it’s normal to say that Kirby Dach is not having a great season.
He had a lot of difficulties at the beginning of the campaign and often looked lost on the ice.
Dach had a better period before getting hurt again (again)… But we can’t say he was excellent either.
The 24-year-old forward is not helping the Canadiens as much as he did in his first year in Montreal. Martin St-Louis has tried everything to get him going… But it never really worked.
And as part of the Hurricanes’ visit to the Bell Centre tonight, Martin Lemay had fun on the Retour des sportifs by asking his guests a “funny” question.
Kirby Dach… or Jesperi Kotkaniemi?
Eric Bélanger, who was one of the guests on Martin Lemay’s show, leans towards the second option:
I went with KK because I like what I see from KK right now. And that tells you how tough a season Kirby Dach is having. – Eric Bélanger
.@belly2020 would take Jesperi Kotkaniemi on his team over Kirby Dach
The player who has played over 800 games (820) in the NHL says he prefers to have a player who competes every night.
He backs up his argument by saying that KK is better than Dach at center and that KK has been more consistent on the ice lately, unlike the Canadiens player.
I agree with his comments.
But just by asking the question, we realize that the Kirby Dach trade never had the expected impact in Montreal.
We know that it’s been tough for KK since his arrival in Carolina… And yet, some people would still take Kotkaniemi over Dach, even though he hasn’t been able to establish himself as a real impact player in Carolina.
This says a lot. And it helps us understand that the Dach experience in Montreal is not working out as we had hoped when he arrived with the Canadiens.
It’s ironic, but Hendrix Lapierre is in a similar situation to Bourque.
I say it’s ironic because the two were selected in the first round of the 2020 draft.
They have never been able to carve out a regular spot with their team and now their names are making waves.
But where we see that there are easy links to make between Bourque and Lapierre, it’s when we look at the overall NHL standings.
The Stars (3rd) and the Capitals (2nd) are among the best teams in the National League. And it’s normal to see that they want to do everything to win the Stanley Cup this year with the players getting older on their respective teams.
It may be the last chance for Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin in Dallas… While in Washington, the end of Alex Ovechkin’s and John Carlson’s careers is approaching.
This is why Lapierre’s name is getting attention in Washington:
“We’ve had the wow factor. These guys are good enough and now they have the goaltending. I’m expecting complimentary, depth pieces.”@RealKyper, @GordStellick & @SamAMcKee debate how big the #LeafsForever should swing at the trade deadline.
https://t.co/bgsXyYBvf5
(@JeremyFilosa) 
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(@puckempire)
