Author: Dose

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Lane Hutson is already back on the ice in Montreal

The Montreal Canadiens’ season is unfortunately over.

It only lasted a week and a half longer than the 16 NHL teams that didn’t make the playoffs, but it was a VERY important week and a half for the future.

These five games will have given the team’s young players a lot of experience, and they’ll have had a chance to see what the playoffs are all about in Montreal.

In short, there’s nothing but positive to take away from this season, and that’s what stood out most in the players’ comments yesterday, as they all emptied their lockers and spoke to the media.

Lane Hutson was one of those who explained how excited he was for the team’s future, as he hopes to sign a contract extension with the CH this summer.

Hutson is so excited, in fact, that he’s already started training for next season.

This is no joke: the Tricolore’s number 48 has already jumped on the ice in Montreal since Wednesday’s loss.

It’s really amazing how much Hutson eats field hockey, and how much he loves to play it.

All season long, the young CH defenseman skated many times in optional practices, in addition to playing 82 regular-season games and five playoff games.

In short, Hutson is tailor-made for field hockey, and he wants more of it.

Of course, when I said that Hutson was training for next season, I meant it as a joke, because Hutson may very well be skating just to see if he can make it to the World Hockey Championships.

Yesterday, Hutson explained that he hadn’t yet decided whether he would go, so that’s something to keep an eye on over the next few days, as the tournament kicks off next Friday, May 9, in Sweden and Denmark.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Hutson went to play for the USA, especially since he’s playing with his brother, Cole Hutson, who has already confirmed that he’ll be representing his country.

Anyway, let’s see if Hutson adds even more field hockey to his already insane season, when he went from playing 38 games in an NCAA season to 87 games in the NHL, including the playoffs.

But no matter, it’s already mind-blowing to know that Hutson is already skating and training, even though the season has just ended.

In a flurry

– As far as I’m concerned, the team that wins tonight’s game is going to the Stanley Cup Final.

– Let’s see if the Lightning want to trade him this summer.

– Montreal CF are still looking for their first win of the season.

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Series wrap-up: Blues force Game 7 thanks to three goals in two minutes

The first round of the National Hockey League playoffs is drawing to a close, with only two series remaining.

Six teams have already qualified for the next round, and a seventh could be added to the group last night.

Here’s a recap of Game 6 of the Winnipeg Jets-St. Louis Blues series.

Blues force game #7

We knew it wasn’t going to be an easy series for the regular-season champions, the Winnipeg Jets, and last night proved it again.

The St. Louis Blues played another strong game at home, winning a third game at home, this time by a score of 5-2.

Both teams remain unbeaten at home.

So, while the Jets had a chance to end the series and move on to the second round, they couldn’t put the pressure on the Blues.

And the story of the game, once again, was the holding of Connor Hellebuyck, who was once again VERY ordinary.

The best goaltender of the regular season showed once again this season that he simply can’t perform well in the playoffs.

He needs to be better, but he just can’t do it.

Last night, Hellebuyck was thrown out of the game for the third time in the series, whereas in the regular season, he hadn’t even been thrown out once.

All was going well for Hellebuyck and the Jets until the Blues scored three goals in just over two minutes midway through the second period.

Alexey Toropchenko then added insult to injury with an unanswered fourth goal for the Blues.

In short, the game was decided then and there, and the Blues never looked back.

As a result, the Blues remain unbeaten at home in 15 games.

The series is now tied 3-3, with Game #7 taking place this Sunday in Winnipeg starting at 7pm.

Jets fans are clearly very worried about Connor Hellebuyck, who isn’t inspiring any confidence at the moment.

The Blues will have to take advantage of this and find a way to win their first game abroad.

Overtime

– Here are yesterday’s results.

– Here are yesterday’s top scorers.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Today in the NHL: Game #7 between the Avalanche and Stars.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
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Jacob Fowler earns first career AHL shutout

The Laval Rocket won their first playoff game in Cleveland against the Monsters.

Fowler was solid and the first trio led the charge offensively.

On this Friday night, it was the second game of the series between the Rocket and the Monsters.

Here is Pascal Vincent’s line-up:

You can see Jacob Fowler getting his second straight start.

Nice gesture of confidence from Vincent on his young protégé.

The Rocket started the game like a lion, setting the tone quickly.

With just over two minutes left in the game, Jared Davidson scored directly after Florian Xhekaj won the face-off.

Well, it wasn’t as powerful as Ovechkin’s shot on the face-off, but it had good velocity all the same.

The first period really went Laval’s way.

After 20 minutes, the shots were 11-6 in favor of the Rocket.

Fowler wasn’t tested much, but he held down the fort.

The Monsters had only one real chance to score, which obviously came from little Trey Fix-Wolansky.

For once, it wasn’t the first trio that stood out for the Rocket, but the 4th trio of Xhekaj, Davidson and Luke Tuch. A line I like, by the way.

Once again, the second period went in Laval’s favor.

Cleveland was limited to six short shots, just like in the first 20 minutes, while the Rocket recorded nine.

In this period, captain Lucas Condotta doubled his team’s lead with a precise shot:

Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Xavier Simoneau were credited with an assist.

After 40 minutes of play, the score was 2-0 for Pascal Vincent’s team.

After five playoff periods against Cleveland, Laval has yet to be beaten five-on-five, which is pretty impressive.

Cleveland simply wasn’t in the game in Game #2.

Laval completely outclassed the Columbus Blue Jackets’ club team.

With just over 13 minutes left in the game, Quebec’s Alex Barré-Boulet scored his first goal of the playoffs.

Sean Farrell picked up his 3rd point of the series, while Laurent Dauphin was also credited with an assist.

And finally, Gustav Lindstrom nailed the coffin with a goal.

Dauphin and ABB each collected an assist on the goal.

The Rocket held the fort for the rest of the game and were able to shutout, thanks to Fowler’s fine work (19 saves).

The Rocket dominated the shots and gave their opponents no chance.

With this victory, the Rocket took a 2-0 lead in the series and will play the remainder of the series in Laval.

The next game is Sunday at 3:00 p.m.

Extensions

– Florian Xhekaj is indispensable to the Rocket, especially in the series. I don’t need to tell you that he doesn’t hesitate to hand out body checks, but his physical presence and versatility give the Rocket plenty of chances. And to think he’s a pro rookie who played mostly on the fourth line.

– Once again, Laval’s defensive brigade was solid, limiting the Monsters’ scoring chances.

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Alexandre Carrier would have returned in game #4 if there had been overtime

In the playoffs, things get a little shaky, as we saw in the series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Washington Capitals.

Many players play injured, and we learn this when we look back on the season.

The CH was banged up, but if there’s one player who looked more shaken up, it was Alexandre Carrier, who left game #4.

He was buzzed by Tom Wilson and didn’t come back from the game.

In an interview on TVA Sports with Jean-Charles Lajoie, Carrier said that if there had been overtime in Game #4, he would have been back in the game. All this, despite his poor condition.

You can listen to the full interview right here:

He was talking about how his family (especially his wife) really didn’t appreciate seeing him go down fighting the way he did.

And that’s understandable. Nobody wants to see a loved one get manhandled by a Tom Wilson.

Carrier was a pillar on the blue line for the CH in this series, and I’m not the only one who thinks he was the club’s most indispensable playoff defenseman.

He played with aplomb, was involved in all kinds of situations and was very solid defensively, preventing the Caps from getting scoring chances on several occasions.

He and Matheson made a very interesting pair, and we saw them in action at the end of the season, once Kaiden Guhle returned to action.

Matheson didn’t have a great series, causing a few costly turnovers, but the Quebec duo was great to watch.

That’s when you realize that acquiring Carrier (for Justin Barron, one-on-one, mind you) was crucial. Everyone (on the defensive brigade) was in the right chair and he brought a lot of stability.

Transactions like this are something Kent Hughes can do whenever he wants.

I can’t wait to see what he does in the off-season to improve his club.

In gossip

– Lane Hutson is a true field hockey fanatic.

– Hellebuyck gave his thoughts on the goal to the referees.

– It was to be expected that this would have repercussions in the moment.

– A slap to center field for Springer.

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The CH in the playoffs in 2026: Théodore wouldn’t bet on it

The Montreal Canadiens have given their fans all kinds of emotions.

Whether it’s a series of wins and losses, the surprise arrival of Ivan Demidov, injuries or a last-ditch playoff appearance, there have been plenty of turnarounds.

One thing’s for sure: the CH’s performance this season has surpassed most expectations.

Seeing the club play in the playoffs may seem encouraging, but José Théodore isn’t convinced.

The former Tricolore goalie doesn’t believe the team will make the playoffs next year.

That’s what he said in his column for Les Amateurs de Sports on 98.5 FM.

“Is the Habs in the playoffs next year? Iiiiiii, that’s a very good question. I wouldn’t be surprised [if they miss the playoffs]. I’m not willing to put $2 down that next year we’ll make the playoffs, unless we make some changes.” – José Théodore

Théodore did, however, add a caveat: it will take some changes to the line-up to increase the chances of participating in the spring dance.

And that makes sense when you think about it.

Clearly, it’s going to take a #2 center and another veteran right-handed defenseman to make up for the loss of David Savard on the blue line.

On the other hand, I don’t think any of this is mandatory for the CH to make the playoffs in 2026.

The current group should very possibly get better and will have matured and gained experience with the playoff run.

What’s more, Demidov has what it takes to become an impact player offensively next year.

There should be some changes to the lineup, major or minor. It can only be the addition of an experienced right-handed defenseman and the arrival of Florian Xhekaj on the 4th line.

On the other hand, the CH shouldn’t rest on its laurels, because as Mike Matheson said: “Just because we made the playoffs doesn’t mean other teams will let us do it next year.

And the Quebecer is right. We’ll have to redouble our efforts, because the other teams will know what the CH is capable of.

In his same 98.5 FM column, Théo had a lot to say about Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov.

“He made a lot of mistakes that you can’t make in the playoffs, he made a lot of turnovers and he didn’t pick the right moments to go on the attack.” – José Théodore

“Demidov is an exceptional talent. But from what I’ve seen in 5-6 games, he needs to go to Laval for a bit to eat his crusts, because right now he hasn’t given me enough for him to have a guaranteed job with the CH.” – José Théodore

Théodore seemed very critical, as he usually is, but he still makes some good points and brings CH fans back down to earth by saying that not everything is beautiful. There’s work to be done, that’s for sure.

In bursts

– Fowler wasn’t tested much in the first period, but he’s holding down the fort.

– It’s going to be tough for DeBoer’s troupe.

– Interesting.

– Read on.

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Samuel Montembeault: The “elite contract” is coming, says Renaud Lavoie

I’ll start this piece by saying this.

I’ve wept over Samuel Montembeault in recent years, because there have been times when I’d have liked to see him more solid in front of his net.

But Monty doesn’t deserve to be criticized. On the contrary, in fact.

Monty still managed to get the CH to the playoffs.

You’ll tell me that he had a few bad performances here and there in the latter part of the season, and I agree.

But Monty finished tied for 6th among NHL goaltenders in wins this season.

And without him… never, ever would the Habs have been able to cause an upset by making the NHL playoffs.

The only goaltenders to sign more Ws than Monty this season? Connor Hellebuyk, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Jake Oettinger, Sergey Bobrovsky and Adin Hill.

Not a bad group:

(Credit: NHL.com)

Monty’s current salary is $3.15 million per season.

But he’s under contract until the end of the 2027 season.

Still: Montembeault has proven himself enough to ask for a nice salary increase.

And according to Renaud Lavoie on BPM Sports… Monty is going to break the bank.

The TVA Sports journalist speaks of an “elite contract”:

I’ll guarantee you one thing. The elite contract is coming.

It won’t be $4 million or $5 million. It’s going to be, pay me, because the ceiling (on top) is going up. – Renaud Lavoie

Renaud Lavoie is right: Samuel Montembeault has proven that he’s one of the NHL’s good goalies.

He’s not perfect, of course.

But then again, he’s part of the reason the Habs were able to clinch their playoff berth – when no one expected them to.

And he deserves all the credit he can get.

On the other hand… if the CH decides to offer Montembeault a big contract between now and the summer of 2027, you have to wonder what that means for Jacob Fowler.

Because we know that Fowler has the potential to become the CH’s #1 goaltender. At the same time, Monty has already proven himself…

To be continued.

In gusts

– 👀

– Please note:

– He’s going to be good, that’s for sure.

– Wow.

– Oh.

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Playoff atmosphere will help CH attract free agents (Suzuki and Carrier)

The Canadiens have only played two playoff games at the Bell Centre this year.

And do you know what?

It’s enough to remind us just how special the atmosphere in the CH’s amphitheatre is when the going gets tough. The fans were there to cheer on their club, and they made a lot of noise when it counted.

As the players have always said, playing at the Bell Centre is different.

It’s different because the fans are more than passionate, and because they’re always there to support the players – even when things aren’t going so well.

And seeing the atmosphere at the Bell Centre during the recent playoffs prompts Alexandre Carrier and Nick Suzuki to say much the same thing: it can help attract free agents.

It should also be remembered that the Bell Centre was the scene of a few games in the 4 Nations Confrontation.

And in this regard, several Canadian players told Samuel Montembeault that the facilities at the Bell Centre are truly ideal.

The guys were also impressed by the Montreal market:

It sure helps.

NHL players follow what’s going on elsewhere in the league, and they certainly saw how surreal it was in the two games at the Bell Centre recently.

In Montreal, we simply do things differently:

So much the better if Montreal proves to be a destination of choice for free agents in the near future.

But there’s also the group in place and the management in place that may have a role to play in all this.

The Habs have one of the best young groups in the league, the Habs have one of the Jack Adams finalists in Martin St-Louis… and the Habs also have one of the best GMs in the National League.

There’s a good case to be made for coming here to play.

In gusto

– He’s on a mission.

– 💙🤍❤

– With good reason… right?

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Oilers fans don’t know how to celebrate their playoff wins

But what could they possibly be putting in Edmonton’s water?

After the Oilers’ first win, in Edmonton after two losses in Los Angeles, a fight broke out on a city bus between Oilers fans. Gretzky hit Draisaitl, like..

Around the same time, other Oilers fans were fighting in an alley near Rogers Place.

After game #4, fans came to blows right inside the arena.

Then two days later, as fans gathered in downtown Edmonton to watch the game in Los Angeles, guess what: fans were fighting again.

All this during or after Oilers victories, I remind you..

As my colleague and friend Jean Trudel pointed out on X last night: Oilers fans have “slight” problems with violence.

In Montreal, we rip down traffic poles, but we don’t hit each other on the nose . I’ll have to ask Big Georges why Oilers fans are so cranky towards each other.

I liked them better whenthey were just celebrating topless. It wasn’t mean..

(Credit: YouTube (screenshot))

Note that the Oilers and Golden Knights will face off in the second round. Edmontonians beware: the “enemies” are the players in black, white and gold, not the others in orange and blue. They are your friends.

In a gust

– Hehe.

– Sick.

– He’s got style.

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It was David Savard who asked Kent Hughes not to trade him

On Wednesday evening, David Savard’s career officially came to an end. The defenseman, who enjoyed a fine career spanning 14 seasons (including the last four in Montreal), had announced that he would hang up his skates when the CH season came to an end.

However, we expect to see him back with the organization before long.

That said, even though Savard made the announcement two weeks ago, he admitted that he’d been telling his teammates and the organization for a long time. The guys had known for a while… and so had Kent Hughes.

And speaking of the GM, Savard admitted on TSN 690 this afternoon that he had asked Hughes not to trade him at the deadline.

He knew he was going to retire at the end of the year, so he didn’t want to leave Quebec.

The GM accommodated the Quebecer, who didn’t leave. Savard remained in the CH line-up, and was able to participate in the playoffs for the last time. The guys played “for Savard”, who was really appreciated around town.

The question, though, is whether Hughes turned down trade offers to respect his veteran’s wishes. We know that Savard slowed down this season, so it’s safe to assume that other teams weren’t offering the moon for his services… but perhaps there were offers on the table that were turned down by management.

At the same time, would picking up a third- or fourth-round pick really have been worth it? After all, Savard was a respected veteran in that locker room… and respecting his wishes sends the message that management is listening to the players. And that’s how the word gets out in the NHL…

In the end, then, Savard’s wishes were respected, and it was in a Tricolore uniform that he gave his last skate in the NHL. And keeping him there, under the circumstances, was the right thing to do.

In bursts

– Well done.

– Go Canada!

– The King is injured.

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Mixed up with his brother, William Nylander almost didn’t play in game #6

Would you like a good one?

William Nylander almost didn’t play last night in Ottawa.

Not because he was injured, not because he was sick… but because he wasn’t on the Leafs’ official roster.

It goes even further than that.

If William Nylander wasn’t on the club’s roster… it’s because the Leafs mixed him up with his brother, Alex.

The officials went to the Leafs before the game to let them know they’d made a mistake (which they have every right to do).

The referees let it slide… and Nylander was able to take part in the game.

Imagine the scenario.

Nylander can’t play, the Sens win game #6 at home… and the Sens have enough momentum to win game #7 of the series at the Leafs’ home.

News flash: it would have been mayhem in Toronto.

The fans would never have digested that simple mistake and it would have created so much frustration within the team.

I wonder if anyone will lose their job over this. Because really, we’re talking about an inexcusable blunder.

William and Alex may have the same surname… but still: a club has to do things the right way (especially at this time of year) and this didn’t happen yesterday.

The mistake could have been really costly for the Toronto organization, and they were still able to come out on top, in the end.

And it shouldn’t happen to Montreal, because it would look really bad to just about everyone.

In short

– Well said, Cole.

– Whew.

– Good for you!

– Who wins tonight between the Blues and the Jets?