Author: Dose

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Dylan Strome: his wife gave birth in the middle of the match against the Canadiens

Yesterday’s game between the Capitals and the Canadiens went badly. We’re not done talking about it yet.

But for Caps player Dylan Strome, the outcome of the game isn’t really important right now. Why not? Because, by surprise, his wife gave birth to the couple’s third child in the middle of the first half.

He got the confirmation at the first intermission, but learned just before the game that the baby was on the way. It was too late to do anything, so he just played his game.

He looked very emotional (with good reason) in front of the cameras following the match. He praised his wife, who gave birth without him being able to be by her side.

As we speak, he needs to be by his wife’s side… but it’s a good reminder that it’s tough, being a hockey player.

In fact, it was a bizarre evening at the Bell Centre, as Strome’s story was one of three events that attracted attention off the ice.

Case in point?

According to Anthony Martineau, a Centre Bell employee (in security) got stuck in a garage door. He was lifted into the air several times.

He also lost consciousness while being offered help. But he’s doing better now.

And finally we have to talk about Kent Hughes, who was spotted with a splint on his right arm. A bit like his players, he’s not immune to injury, unfortunately.

A strange evening at the Bell Centre, then… for all the wrong reasons.

overtime

– Wow.

– All the better.

– Steven Stamkos: his name refuses to die in Montreal. [BPM Sports]

– Well done.

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Tom Wilson will not be suspended

Bad news for those hoping for a suspension for Tom Wilson.

Rumor had it that the NHL wouldn’t be punishing the Capitals player (who has a history of questionable hits) for his hit on Jake Evans.

And now Renaud Lavoie has confirmed that this is not in the plans.

We’re still waiting for news on the health of Jake Evans, who was unable to finish yesterday’s game following Wilson’s elbow.

It’s unbelievable that a player who takes a swing like that and sticks out his elbow to aim at an opponent’s face is able to get away with it without any penalty.

Not only does he get no hearing, but he also gets away with no fine and no penalty on the game. The icing on the sundae: a goal of his own on the sequence.

The second cherry on the sundae: no Habs player deigned to hit him during the game.

The Canadiens showed once again that they can’t do themselves justice against a big team like the Washington Capitals. #LikeInThePlayoffs

The NHL should have suspended the player and the referees should have punished him… but that’s beyond the control of Martin St-Louis’ men, in reality.

What are they in control of? Going to war for a valued teammate.

We’ll see, at the 11:30 a.m. practice this morning, if the Canadiens have a medical update to announce on the center’s condition.

overtime

– Nice.

– Ouch.

– Interesting stuff.

– They certainly weren’t impressed.

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Even Mike Matheson says: don’t see Samuel Montembeault tomorrow!

Who will be in net for the Canadiens tomorrow?

Let’s agree that it’s a tough question… for completely different reasons than at the start of the season. After all, right now, both goaltenders are on fire.

Did Martin St-Louis mismanage his goaltenders’ confidence by sending on Samuel Montembeault too often in recent weeks, while Jakub Dobes was on fire?

Yesterday, Mike Matheson even gave his opinion on what’s going on with the goalies.

As Renaud Lavoie said on BPM Sports earlier this morning, the defenseman said Monty might need a few days off.

And he’s right.

When you look at Montembeault’s record since the start of the season, you can see that it’s nothing to sneeze at. He’s still one of the worst goaltenders on the circuit.

His two goals yesterday against Ethen Frank (who?) show that his confidence is low. The visitors’ third goal was bad, let’s face it.

In November, the Canadiens’ #1 goaltender posted a 3.63 GAA and .860 save percentage in seven games. He gave up 21 goals in all during the month.

(Credit: ESPN)

Yesterday, after the third goal, he was withdrawn in favor of Jakub Dobes, who didn’t fare much better. Since the Habs have a tougher November schedule, it’s been less obvious for him.

After being the NHL’s best goalie in October, he’s surely the worst in November. His four goals yesterday give him a 0-2-2 record, a 4.76 GAA and a .820 save percentage this month. He also gave up 16 goals on 89 shots.

(Credit: ESPN)

So I repeat my question: who will play tomorrow?

In an ideal world, the Canadiens wouldn’t play Montembeault or Dobes tomorrow. After all, the guys aren’t doing the job… and Matheson’s right: a break could do not only the Québécois good, but Dobes as well.

In addition to tomorrow’s game, the next one is in Utah on Wednesday night. That leaves a few days without a game.

I know a lot of people want the Canadiens to recall Jacob Fowler. However, I think it would be too early (even if he’s rolling well down there) to bring him into an atmosphere like the Habs are in right now.

Remember that this summer, the Habs signed a veteran of the game to back up Fowler down low, but also to be able to be recalled in case of need.

We thought “in case of need” meant injury, but oh well.

Kaapo Kahkonen had a good season with the Laval Rocket, and if I had to choose, he’d be my pick to guard the net tomorrow night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Unlike the guys in place, who have lost their way and deserve time to find their bearings, Kahkonen makes the saves he needs to make. Yes, it’s the AHL… but still.

Let’s remember that Jakub Dobes doesn’t have to go through the waivers to make his way to the AHL.

Because even though Nick Suzuki believes in his goalies (publicly, at least) and Martin St-Louis recognizes that goalies aren’t the only ones to blame, it’s still THE club’s big problem, right now.

A solution must be found, even if only in the short term. Because the Canadiens’ current goaltenders are positioning and moving poorly in front of their net.

We need to get back to basics. And that, as Mike Matheson said, takes time.

The Canadiens may be turning the corner on their rebuild, dealing with major injuries and being the youngest club in the league, but that’s no reason to keep throwing up on themselves.

I say that because last year, when Martin St-Louis talked about throwing up on himself, it was after a game against Washington.

If Kent Hughes can’t make a move externally right now, he has a duty to see what can be done internally to breathe new life into the city.

And that’s even if there aren’t many options in Laval.

We’ve talked about goalkeepers, and now we need to tackle defenders. Because as I said earlier this morning, guys like Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble are having it too easy right now.

Adam Engstrom, Marc Del Gaizo or David Reinbacher: that takes someone. Why not Engstrom?

And offensively speaking, the club might be forced to recall a center (Owen Beck, probably) if Jake Evans is still feeling under the weather this morning.

But could another recall help?

I’m not changing my mind: Florian Xhekaj couldn’t hurt. I don’t care about his start to the season: it’s abnormal that Joshua Roy was preferred to him in the final days.

The Unicorn can turn things around and do the job that his big brother is clearly incapable of doing at the moment. Why not under the circumstances?

overtime

– Alex Ovechkin (1643 points) took Joe Sakic out of the top-10 in NHL history for most points. And he looks like a guy on a farewell tour when you see him off the ice.

– Really.

– It shows.

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Tom Wilson did what he wanted… even if Arber Xhekaj was in uniform

Things are really bad for the Canadiens.

Yesterday’s heavy defeat(8-4 to Washington) confirms that the Habs’ good start to the season, when they beat bad clubs, is far behind us. Right now, the Habs are incapable of winning games.

And it shows in the standings… #OutOfThePlayoffs

(Credit: NHL.com)

In fact, the Canadiens have lost seven of their last eight games. It has given up 23 goals in its last four home games. It has suffered three losses by at least four goals at home since… last Monday.

Since November 9, the club has collected no points at home and only one point (in overtime) in Ohio. That explains the drop in the standings…

(Credit: NHL.com)

We’ll have time to come back to the goalies later this morning (because yes, they must be to blame for the losses), but there’s another element to discuss.

And that is? Physical play.

If yesterday’s game didn’t convince you that Tom Wilson has a place on Team Canadiens for the upcoming Olympics, I don’t know what more it’s going to take.

Because clearly, he can take control of a match single-handedly. That was true last April and it still is.

You might say, however, that if he were to face the Tkachuk brothers and the United States, he might not have as free a field as he did last night in Montreal. That’s true.

But we can all agree that yesterday, big Wilson did as he pleased?

The Canadiens watched Wilson do his thing without reacting. Jake Evans went down fighting after a dirty hit from the Washington Capitals big man and… and what?

And not much. The captain said the refs didn’t see it the way the Habs do… so surely that means the guys aren’t allowed to defend Evans?

In what world does Wilson do what he wants against Evans and get away with it? In what world has Arber Xhekaj been this quiet on the ice? #JoshAndersonCan’tDoAnything

Yes, we can make reference to a potential battle, but it goes beyond that. Because even if Wilson said no to fighting, no one needs his approval to tackle him.

Wilson (who probably won’t be suspended) hasn’t been brewed, and neither have his teammates. Are the Habs’ big defensemen (who didn’t get shuffled all night) too comfortable fighting internally for playing time?

Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble didn’t get the job done, either on Wilson or another Capitals star. What’s the Sheriff up to these days? #RealQuestion

In all this, we must also keep an eye on the health of Jake Evans, who was unable to finish the game. We know he has a history of concussions.

After taking to the ice following Wilson’s hit, Evans left the game, never to return.

Will he join Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook, Kirby Dach and Kaiden Guhle among the club’s injured players? And if so, will the Habs be forced to call up another guy from Laval to compensate?

We’ll see. We can expect to see an Owen Beck-style center come up if Evans is absent, to make sure he never scores.

It’s all very well to say that Joe Veleno played well, that Brendan Gallagher found the back of the net, that Mike Matheson is a stud and that, at times, the Habs looked like they wanted to get back into the game… but it’s still painful, what happened yesterday.

Martin St-Louis may have brought a touch of positivity to the press conference (saying that the club sometimes gave the impression that the game wasn’t over), but his less complimentary comments are worth remembering.

MSL (who no doubt knows that last year, the Habs were also eating a volley a week at this time of the season) felt like his club had gone back in time in terms of mistakes made on the ice.

The coach knows he has to play better in front of the goalies. And the goalies in question will be getting their own text later this morning, because we’ve got a lot to say…

extension

Tomorrow night, the Maple Leafs will be in town. It’ll be the last game of the month at home, since next week the Montreal club will be on the road.

Games in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Denver are on the menu.

This morning, the Canadiens will be practicing in Brossard. What will the atmosphere be like? Will Martin St-Louis be stirring his soup? Will there be any recalls? Will Jake Evans be present?

We’ll be watching closely.

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Top-5: Connor Bedard attacks the official during a sequence

Last night in the NHL, 24 teams were in action.

The Canadiens also played, and lost to the Capitals.

Here are the other results and highlights:

1. Connor Bedard lashes out at the official during a sequence

Contrary to what you might have thought at the start of the season, the Blackhawks aren’t that bad.

In fact, they’re very exciting to watch and they’re playing good hockey. However, yesterday, they lost 3-2 to the Seattle Kraken.

What I noticed about the game was Connor Bedard’s verbal attack on an official during the game.

He didn’t say nice things to her, which earned him an unsportsmanlike penalty.

Tyler Bertuzzi was a different story. What a pass here for teammate Teuvo Teravainen.

Bertuzzi also added a goal in defeat.

Andre Burakovsky left the game following the violent contact.

2. 6-1-0 for the Islanders on their trip

The Islanders were wrapping up their seven-game road trip yesterday in Detroit.

And with a convincing 5-0 win, New York maintained a 6-1-0 record on the trip.

In the victory, Bo Horvat scored his 14th goal of the season.

For a few minutes, he was the NHL’s leading scorer (until Nathan MacKinnon scored later in the evening).

Max Shabanov led the charge for the Islanders in this game.

He scored two goals and an assist, including this magnificent net.

3. Andrei Vasilevskiy’s spectacular overtime save earns Lightning victory

In Tampa Bay, the Oilers were visiting.

And once again, Edmonton escaped against a Florida team. Yet the club had the winning goal on the line.

Andrei Vasilevskiy decided otherwise, however. I don’t know how he stopped it.

Immediately after the stoppage, Jake Guentzel gave the Bolts the win.

It was Trent Frederic who opened the scoring in the match and scored his side’s only goal.

He thus ended a 19-game scoreless streak.

4. Travis Konecny misses an open net

In Philadelphia, the Flyers faced one of the NHL’s worst teams. And logic prevailed: Philly won in overtime.

Travis Sanheim sent everyone home.

Not everything was rosy for the locals.

Travis Konecny even missed a net left open by Joel Hofer.

Speaking of Hofer, he was still good in the game, stopping 25 shots.

Here, he frustrated Trevor Zegras from close range.

5. Sens hold off Ducks

Late in the evening, the Sens were in Anaheim to take on the mighty Ducks.

And Ottawa, thanks to a late goal, got the better of the locals.

The Ducks had taken a one-goal lead, but Ottawa tied it.

Anaheim has a lot of good young players, and their first goal of the game was one of them.

Beckett Sennecke couldn’t have asked for more.

On the first goal of the game, Nick Cousins scored his 200th career point.

Extended

– Unstoppable.

– Zach Werenski continues to climb the ladder.

– What a goal!

– The Panthers won 1-0.

– Alex Ovechkin and Ethen Frank lead the charge.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Four games on the bill tonight.

(Credit: Google)

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Another tough game for Habs goalies

The Canadiens are in the doldrums and needed to get back to winning ways tonight.

For the occasion, the Habs welcomed the Capitals to the Bell Centre. It was the first meeting between the two teams since this spring’s first-round series, which Washington won in five games.

Here’s the line-up for both teams:

The visitors, who had played the previous day at home against the Oilers, quickly opened the scoring with only a minute left on the clock through Alex Ovechkin, who took advantage of the powerplay to score his eighth of the season, his 905th career goal.

It was also on the power play that the Habs tied the score before the end of the first frame when Brendan Gallagher scored his first goal of the season on a play that required a video replay. Noah Dobson and Ivan Demidov picked up assists on the play.

1-1 after 20 minutes of play.

Again with the man advantage, the Caps regained the lead in the second period with a goal from Ethen Frank, his first of the season, on a shot Samuel Montembeault would surely love to see again.

Then it was Frank’s turn to score his second just 1:38 minutes later on what sounded the end of Monty’s night’s work, as he had to make way for Jakub Dobes.

The goaltender change seemed to whip the Habs into shape when Joe Veleno also scored his first goal of the campaign with the help of Mike Matheson and Gallagher.

Unfortunately, Jakob Chychrun gave the visitors back a two-goal lead by thwarting Dobes, who already looked better, on a pass from John Carlson.

However, less than 30 seconds later, Nick Suzuki took the opportunity to score his fifth goal of the campaign. Alex Carrier and Zachary Bolduc had assists on the captain’s net.

Then, the Capitals scored the sixth goal of the period thanks to Sonny Milano’s second of the season with the help of Frank, his third point of the game, and Rasmus Sandin.

5-3 Capitals after two periods.

It was Matheson who revived the Habs’ prospects in the third, thwarting Charlie Lindgren to cut the deficit to a single net.

Unfortunately, despite the team’s best efforts and several good chances, the Habs couldn’t match the mark.
Instead, it was Ovechkin who nailed the home side’s coffin with his second goal of the game, his third point.

Then, number 8 completed his hat trick in an empty net.

And finally, to add insult to injury, Sonny Milano scored an eighth goal for the Caps, a fourth allowed by Dobes.

Final score: 8-4 defeat.

While Montreal didn’t play a bad game, the goalies had another tough night, failing to make key saves and giving their team no chance of winning the game.

The Canadian’s next game is on Saturday at 7pm, when the Maple Leafs visit the Bell Centre.

Extension

The Habs continue to be bogged down with just one win in eight games, and they continue to have problems in front of the net. Meanwhile, Jacob Fowler is performing well in Laval, and perhaps the young goalie might be ready to make the jump and get some NHL starts.

Yes, it might be a bit quick to recall Fowler, but right now the Habs really need a jolt. And if the experiment isn’t a success, we can always send Fowler back to the Rocket to develop.

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Tage Thompson openly attacks his teammates

The Buffalo Sabres are heading for another difficult season. The team currently occupies last place in the Eastern Association, and yesterday lost 6-2 at home to the Flames, the NHL’s worst team.

The club’s defeat particularly displeased Tage Thompson, who was quick to criticize his teammates’ performance:

“I think we go into every one-on-one battle [being] too relaxed, too soft… It’s a lack of respect for the game of hockey, to think you can just be there relaxed and the puck will find you. That’s not the case.”

The 6’6″ center really thinks his team stopped working last night after a couple of wins, forgetting that their wins were achieved through effort.

At 28, Thompson is already playing in his eighth season with the Sabres, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2010.

The forward’s name is already at the heart of several trade rumours in recent weeks, and if he starts to publicly display his frustration, the next step could well be to ask his club to trade him elsewhere.

From a personal point of view, Thompson has interesting statistics with 18 points, including 10 goals, in 20 games, and he could interest many teams looking for a first or second center like the Habs.

Especially since the giant-sized center had a 94-point, 47-goal season in 2022-23, and even if he doesn’t return to that level of play, we can expect 70-75 points per year.

Will Buffalo lose another star player only to see him flourish under other skies?

The Sabres have almost made a tradition of trading talented players who end up blossoming on their new team. Jack Eichel, Ryan O’Reilly and Sam Reinhart are just a few examples.

In short, there really is a culture and development problem for the Sabres, who have been going in circles for several years, and the whole organization in Buffalo really needs to be cleaned up, because it really can’t be easy for the fans.

Overtime

– What do you think?

– Speaking of the former Sabres.

– A few dance steps.

– He could test the market.

– A return home?

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Three goals on 10 shots: Samuel Montembeault was forced out of the game

Samuel Montembeault is in a bad way.

He hasn’t had a good start to the season, but Martin St-Louis continues to have faith in him. He gives him games, and even if the results aren’t great, Monty still plays.

Except now…

Tonight, the Québécois gave the Capitals three goals on just… 10 shots. And Martin St-Louis got tired.

Monty left his place to Jakub Dobes after being chased out of the game:

Montembeault’s game didn’t last long. The Capitals’ third goal came early in the second period (3:38) and it wasn’t going well for the Québécois in front of the net.

That said, Martin St-Louis had a decision to make. At a certain point, he has to stop trusting his goalie, who’s been doing his best this season, and it’s true that Montembeault isn’t helping himself either.

He just can’t seem to get his confidence back…

His performance will be the talk of the town, and what happens next will be interesting in his case. Because there are so many questions to be asked about the next few games and the use of goalkeepers…

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Rumor mill: Expect Brad Lambert’s name to be circulating in Montreal

The name Brad Lambert probably rings a bell.

We’re talking about a guy who was drafted 30th overall in 2022 and has interesting potential. But it’s not working out for him in Winnipeg: Lambert isn’t in a position to make the Jets’ roster, even though he’s had success in the AHL.

And that’s why, right now, he’s unhappy with his situation.

According to Frank Seravalli, the Jets have allowed their youngster to talk to his agent about finding a new team.

He’s asking to be traded… because he believes he can explode elsewhere in the National League. And indirectly, it’s easy to make a connection with the Montreal Canadiens.

The Habs are looking for help and Lambert is a talented player.

He needs a chance to shine… and the Canadiens could give him that chance with the injured forwards they have right now.

I wonder how much it would cost to get him out of Winnipeg…

Any chance of Quinn Hughes being traded this season?

Quinn Hughes is one of the best players in the National League.

At this level, no one can be stubborn. The guy has proven himself and is seen today as one of the most dominant players on the Bettman circuit.

But we know there’s a good chance he’ll leave the Canucks at some point.

That said, Rick Dhaliwal(on the Canucks Talk podcast) mentioned that there’s a possibility of him being traded as early as this season…

If the Canucks feel that Hughes doesn’t want to sign long-term to play in Vancouver, there are doors that could open.

And therein lies the rub.

Hughes is the club captain, but we know that the idea of playing with his brothers is on the family table. Jack has never hidden his interest in making it happen, and we agree that the guys must talk about it pretty regularly.

Anyway.

All this to say that we’ll have to keep an eye on the Quinn Hughes situation in Vancouver…

The Preds are open to anything

The Nashville Predators are looking to make some trades.

At least, that’s what David Pagnotta said in a recent text. Barry Trotz wants to change things in his line-up, and that makes sense when you look at the club’s failure over the past two seasons.

And we knowthey have two scouts tonight at the Bell Centre…

Chris Johnston, on his podcast, mentioned that Jonathan Marchessault’s name is the one getting most of the attention at the moment.

You’d think it would be Stamkos… but no.

And it makes sense in a way, because Marchessault’s contract ($5.5 M per year until 2029) is much less onerous than Stamkos’ ($8 M).

Could the Canadiens enter the race to acquire a Preds player?

I get the impression that this scenario isn’t impossible. But we’ll have to keep an eye on it, because things can change quickly in the National League.

Overtime

– I like this.

– Wow.

– Bravo!

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Jordan Kyrou: the Canadiens have spoken to the Blues “several times”

This summer, the Canadiens were on the case for Jordan Kyrou.

Kent Hughes’ plan was to add a player to his top-6, and the Blues’ fit with what the Canadiens were also looking for. A right-hander capable of putting 65 to 75 points on the board season after season… and who can play center when needed.

Bringing Kyrou to Montreal would have been a huge coup.

But just how interested was the Habs?

According to Pierre LeBrun, Kent Hughes spoke to Doug Armstrong “several times” to ask about Kyrou. But as David Pagnotta said: it was his no-trade clause that changed everything… and right now, LeBrun senses that Kyrou wouldn’t be interested in lifting his clause to play elsewhere.

Hmmm…

It goes to show.

The Canadiens were really interested in the Blues player and pushed to make a deal. Kent Hughes was aggressive in his efforts to help the team, but it didn’t work out in the end.

It would be great to have a player like Kyrou on the team’s top-6 right now…

Let’s not forget that the Canadiens are still looking for a player who can help out on the ice. The injury situation certainly doesn’t help (especially when the Habs have lost two key players in Dach and Newhook), and the club could use some help at certain levels.

But hey. We’ll see what happens next… because we know that Kent Hughes is open to all possibilities.

In Overtime

– Like it or not?

– Classic.

– It’s going to be fun.

– Really?