Author: Dose

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Altercations: NHL asks CH and Capitals to be more careful

In the Canadiens’ last game against the Capitals, things got a little chippy.

Especially at the end of the second period, when Tom Wilson and Josh Anderson were seen fighting… on the Caps bench.

The images made the rounds on the web:

Things got a bit chippy at the end of the second period, and they also got a bit chippy during the warm-up.

Arber Xhekaj went to send messages to Brandon Duhaime and Tom Wilson during the warm-up…

To keep things from getting out of hand by the end of the series, the league decided to intervene.

How?

By warning both clubs to be more careful during altercations. Clearly, the NHL is not satisfied with what happened in Game 3 of the series against the Caps:

I think it’s funny.

Actually, it’s more ironic than anything else.

Max Lalonde makes a good point on Twitter: the league is asking the Caps and the CH to be careful…. but the NHL isn’t even capable of punishing dangerous hits like it should.

Herein lies the problem:

I can’t wait to see what happens.

There was so much intensity in the last game that we can expect to see the same thing tonight at the Bell Centre… especially if the atmosphere is as supercharged as it was Friday night.

But I’ve got a feeling that leaving the league won’t do much to change the fact that the two clubs seem to hate each other right now. And that promises to be the case for the rest of the series!

Breaking news

– To be continued…

– Lions second round playoff schedule:

– Bon.

– That’s right.

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Samuel Montembeault: Martin St-Louis talks about a day-to-day absence

Samuel Montembeautl was unable to finish the final match.

He left the game, clearly bothered by a lower-body injury.

The Habs recalled Cayden Primeau this morning to assist Jakub Dobes tonight in Game 4 of the series against the Washington Capitals.

As for Monty’s injury, we didn’t have many details.

But Martin St-Louis provided a few: in his press conference, the CH coach spoke of a day-to-day absence.

At least we’re not talking about a long-term absence.

It’s Dobes who will have the mandate to be good in front of his net until Montembeault is able to return to the game.

But as for Monty… the CH must be hoping for a speedy return, because we’re talking about the team’s #1 goaltender.

After all, he’s the one who got the club to the playoffs.

And without necessarily being perfect, Montembeault really had a hand in the team’s victory this week, and he’s having a good series so far.

All this to say that we’ll have to wait for more news on Samuel Montembeault’s injury.

But at least we know that he’s not so seriously injured that his playoffs are over… and that’s the good news.

Because the Habs will need their best goalie to go the distance in the playoffs :

In gusto

– Nice !

– To be continued.

– Indeed.

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Training: Patrik Laine and David Savard are absent

It’s another big game tonight for the Montreal Canadiens.

In fact, Martin St-Louis’ team trained this morning in preparation for tonight’s Game #4 at the Bell Centre against the Washington Capitals.

Several things were on our radar at this practice session, including Patrik Laine.

Well, unsurprisingly, the latter was absent from practice.

However, David Savard is also absent.

As for the goalies, Samuel Montembeault is not on the ice.

Details to come

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Expect Cayden Primeau to assist Jakub Dobes tonight

Since Samuel Montembeault left Wednesday’s game against the Washington Capitals, we’ve all been waiting with bated breath to find out whether he’ll be able to play in tonight’s Game #4.

Jakub Dobes came on in relief, and did well to finish the game.

However, the ideal remains to have a healthy Samuel Montembeault.

Unfortunately, the Quebecer is unlikely to play tonight.

Expect Cayden Primeau to back up Jakub Dobes tonight, according to Eric Engels.

Details to come

Extension

The CH may officially recall Primeau soon.

We’ll know more at the Tricolore’s training session at 10:30 a.m.

The Caps are still waiting for news on Logan Thompson.

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Rebuilding ahead of schedule, says Jeff Gorton

I don’t know if we all realize how incredible it is that the Montreal Canadiens are in the playoffs right now.

It’s a huge surprise and a huge success that we didn’t expect at all at the start of the season, when all the players and members of management were talking about the mix.

Seeing the CH in the playoffs right now is really just a treat.

No one expected it, and everyone was pleasantly surprised to see Martin St-Louis’s group take matters into their own hands and make a big comeback towards the playoffs.

It’s a huge step in the right direction, and the experience currently being gained by each of the Tricolore’s young players is simply priceless.

We could never have imagined that this team would already be making the playoffs, when the plan wasn’t to make the playoffs so quickly.

In fact, according to Jeff Gorton, the rebuilding plan is unfolding faster than originally anticipated.

Inan interview with Dan Rosen for the NHL’s official website, Gorton stated that the CH had exceeded expectations this season.

Even with the rebuild going faster than expected, Gorton admitted that in meetings and closed-door conversations at the CH, everyone is hoping things will go faster.

“Publicly, we’re out there saying we’ll need patience, but inside all the meetings and gatherings, we’re all hoping we’ll be further ahead than people think.” – Jeff Gorton

When Gorton joined the Habs three years ago, it was clear that the rebuilding plan would take some time, and that patience would be required.

The fans had all bought into the plan, willing to be patient, and ultimately live to see better days.

And today, we’re all pleasantly surprised and so happy to see the CH back in the playoffs sooner than expected.

Obviously, the rebuild isn’t over, but the vast majority of the Tricolore’s core for the next few years has officially arrived, according to Gorton.

As proof, during Wednesday’s CH victory over the Caps, the power play was led by five players aged 25 or under.

In short, being ahead of schedule is nothing but positive, and it changes plans for the off-season somewhat, if Gorton’s comments are anything to go by.

Several players have proved that they want to be here and be part of the sequel via their performances, so that will be something to consider this summer.

To find out more, read Dan Rosen’s full article here.

In a gust

– An excellent addition for the Blues.

– Wow. Two completely different styles.

– He’s simply mind-blowing.

– Everything’s going wrong with CF Montreal.

– Bravo !

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Series highlights: Gabriel Landeskog scores his first NHL goal since 2022

Four NHL series continued yesterday, with three games #4 and one game #3.

Each of these games was decisive, with one team also facing elimination.

Without further ado, here’s a summary of the four games.

1. Gabriel Landeskog scores first goal in 1041 days

And there you have it.

Landeskog hadn’t played in the NHL since the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022, and we all thought his career was potentially over.

But he found a way to return for the playoffs, three years after his last NHL game.

And last night, in his second playoff game, the Avalanche captain scored his first goal in 1,041 days.

What a magnificent moment.

It’s great to see Landeskog back in the NHL, even though he was only 29 when he had to retire due to a serious knee injury.

At 32 today, the Avalanche captain looks to be back in top form, and it doesn’t get much better than that.

As for the game itself, well, among other things, Landeskog’s goal gave the Avalanche a 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars to level the series.

The Avalanche completely dominated this game with 48 shots, while MacKenzie Blackwood was perfect, turning away all 23 Stars shots.

Game #5 of the series takes place in Dallas on Monday at 9:30pm.

The series is tied 2-2.

2. Senators avoid the worst and stay alive

The Toronto Maple Leafs had the chance today to become the first team to advance to the second round by sweeping the Ottawa Senators in four games.

But, true to form, the Leafs were unable to finish the job.

The Ottawa Senators found a way to survive and win their first playoff game since 2017.

For the third game in a row, the two teams went to overtime, but this time, the Leafs didn’t come out on top.

However, the Leafs did have a chance to close out the debate, as they benefited from a four-minute power play courtesy of Drake Batherson, who hit Chris Tanev in the face with his stick.

The Leafs didn’t capitalize on this opportunity, and that kept the Senators’ hopes alive, eventually winning the game on Jake Sanderson’s game-winning goal.

The Sens stay alive with this 4-3 victory, as the series heads back to Toronto, this time for Game #5, scheduled for Tuesday at 7pm.

The Maple Leafs lead the series 3-1.

3. Lightning close gap on Panthers

After losing both their home games, the Lightning were already virtually on the brink as the series moved to the Panthers’ Sunrise home.

Tampa had no room for error, as Jon Cooper’s team simply couldn’t afford to fall behind 3-0 in the series.

Fortunately for the Lightning, they found a way to win Game #3 and close the gap in the series.

Although the Lightning were outshot 34-22, they managed to win 5-1, in a game where Andrei Vasilevskiy clearly got the better of Sergei Bobrovsky.

Jake Guentzel scored two goals and Nikita Kucherov had three assists.

The next game in the series takes place on Monday at Sunrise, starting at 7pm.

The Panthers lead the series 2-1.

4. Golden Knights level series against Wild

Last night, the Minnesota Wild had the chance to hurt the Vegas Golden Knights, and jeopardize the predictions of most field hockey fans by taking a 3-1 series lead.

Unfortunately for the Wild, and for my prediction, the Golden Knights leveled the series last night, winning 4-3 in overtime.

Vegas dominated the game 46-32 in shots, but got a hand from the referees, especially on their third goal, when in my opinion there shouldn’t have been a goal. The two players jostling in front of the net should have been chased off.

The Wild didn’t give up, however, and equalized less than a minute later.

But in the end, it was the Golden Knights who came out on top, thanks to Ivan Barbashev’s winning goal.

Game #5 of this series takes place on Tuesday in Vegas, starting at 9:30pm.

The series is tied 2-2.

In Burst

– Here are yesterday’s results.

– Here are yesterday’s top scorers.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Today’s program: four games #4.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
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The Rocket will begin its series on the road this week

It’s done, we now know the identity of the Laval Rocket’s playoff opponents: it will be the Cleveland Monsters.

The Monsters won both games to eliminate the Toronto Marlies in the first two out of three round of the AHL playoffs.

It was a goal by Quebec’s James Malatesta in the second overtime that gave the Ohio team the win.

The series between the Rocket and Monsters will therefore begin on Wednesday or Thursday night, depending on whether the basketball series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat requires a fifth game. The Cavaliers hold a 3-0 series lead.

Here’s the complete series schedule:

You may have noticed a strange detail: the Rocket will play its first two games on the road even though the team finished first in the AHL.

Because of the distance between the two clubs and to limit travel, the series starts at the home of the neglected club for the first two games, while the last three games are played at the home of the favorite.

So, as the series progresses, the ice advantage shifts to the team that finished ahead in the standings.

I’m really not sure about this formula..

I understand the financial concerns behind the decision, but it seems like a lot of hay. The advantage of the ice, yes it’s playing more games at home, but it’s also being able to take advantage of its crowd to start the series with momentum.

It seems to me that a 2-2-1 formula where you start the best team at home makes much more sense, regardless of the distance between the clubs. In fact, if the Rocket had played the Marlies, that would have been the formula for the series.

What’s more, with just a few days to go before the start of their series, the Rocket could be in for a change in front of the net, depending on how the situation with Samuel Montembeault evolves.

If the Canadiens’ goaltender is injured, the team will logically have to recall Cayden Primeau, thus depriving the Rocket of its number-one starter.

Jacob Fowler is not an option for the CH, as he only has an American League contract.

Moreover, if Montreal has to recall Primeau, it’s probably Fowler who will start the playoffs for Laval, while Connor Hughes is currently injured.

However, all this depends on Montembault’s state of health.

In gusto

– The Rocket is ready!

– Into overtime again!

– Lots of blue in Ottawa.

– Big game to end the night.

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Patrik Laine often missed the net: a sign of his injured finger

As is often the case, especially in the playoffs, the situation surrounding Patrick Laine’s injury is rather nebulous.

During Game 2 of the series against Washington, Laine was playing a rather ordinary game and didn’t seem to be enjoying it, so much so that Martin St-Louis benched him during the third period.

Many thought this was to punish the Finnish forward. Yesterday, however, Laine was not present at the Habs’ morning training session, and the team announced just before the game that he would sit out due to an upper-body injury.

This already removed the possibility of a knee injury, as Laine was struck on his injured knee by Capitals players during the second game.

What’s more, Maxime Truman’s keen eye noticed that number 92 had difficulty clapping in the dressing room after last night’s game, probably indicating a right hand or wrist injury.

Then, an X user noticed that in the video, Laine can be seen wearing some sort of protector on her ring finger, strongly suggesting an injury to that finger.

The kind of injury that can affect a player’s pitching.

And for the past few weeks, Laine has been having a lot of trouble reaching the opposing net despite having one of the most accurate shots in the NHL. This was particularly evident during the power play in Game 2 against the Capitals.

Let’s just say that a finger injury would explain what we’ve been observing for a while: the big Finn isn’t at 100%.

However, if Laine’s shooting accuracy seems to be affected by his injury, the strength of his shot is not, as Nicolas Cloutier explains in an article published today on TVA Sports.

The Finn’s hardest shot in the series was 88.06 mph (141.72 km/h), while his most powerful throw in the regular season was 90.69 mph (145.95 km/h).

So at least his injury doesn’t affect his velocity.

It may sound strange to say, but this injury comes at almost the perfect time for the Canadiens and Martin St-Louis, who don’t have to make the decision to leave Laine in the stands when the team has just played its best playoff game without him.

And if the players continue to perform like they did last night, that gives him time to recover from his injury and come back when he’s 100%.

Breaking news

– Defeat for CF Montéréal.

– Charlie Lindgren is ready!

– Knights tie the series.

– Gros save!

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Expected goals per 60 minutes: CH’s 1st trio is the best in the NHL since the start of the playoffs

We’ve been saying it all season long, and last night was another fine example.

When the Habs’ first trio is in form, it really shows in the team’s results.

And in Game 3 of the series against the Capitals… the first trio wasn’t good: it was excellent.

Cole Caufield threaded the needle and added an assist, Nick Suzuki hit the target (and celebrated again with great emotion) and Slaf was able to score too.

But what’s impressive is that the three of them ended their night’s work with a total of 19 shots on goal (!!)… 11 of which belonged to Caufield.

CH #13 was everywhere on the ice last night. Perhaps the presence of Johnny Gaudreau’s father helped!

The first unit has been doing its job since the start of the playoffs, and it shows in the advanced statistics.

Because in terms of expected goals per 60 minutes… the trio of Caufield, Suzuki and Slaf ranks 1st in the entire NHL since the start of the playoffs.

The three musketeers have been really effective offensively since the start of the season:

All three players in the first trio are performing well, but some of that success belongs to Juraj Slafkovsky.

Without making too much noise, Slaf is really starting to understand his role within the unit.

He gets the puck out of the back and is able to create space for Caufield and Suzuki.

I agree: I’d like to see the Slovak be a little more physical. I’d like to see him be mean and hungry every night, which isn’t always necessarily the case.

But right now, he deserves credit.

We knew he had what it takes to be a good playoff player… and we saw it in Game 3 against the Caps.

It’s a cliché, you may say, but good teams are able to get good results when they can count on the performance of their best players.

That’s the case with the CH right now after three games: Suzuki (two points), Slaf (one point), Caufield (three points) and Lane Hutson (three points) have been really good since the start of the playoffs.

But to beat the Capitals, it’s going to take contributions from the other trios as well – like last night – because the first unit can’t do everything on its own every night.

In bursts

– It’s crazy too.

– Love the mentality.

– Boom.

– Enjoy the game!

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Alexandre Carrier’s series: no one misses Justin Barron in Montreal

In December, Kent Hughes completed a transaction with Barry Trotz. The CH sent Justin Barron to Nashville, and in return, Alexandre Carrier went the other way.

And it didn’t take long to realize that Hughes had made a good move. Carrier’s arrival solidified the defensive brigade, and more importantly, brought a true top-4 right-handed defenseman to the fold.

With David Savard no longer capable and Barron not becoming one, Carrier became truly essential.

And even though he was stable and solid all season long, we could feel him tearing it up a bit alongside Mike Matheson at the end of the campaign…

Except that since the start of the playoffs, Carrier has been playing great field hockey. Yesterday, his goal at the end of the first period was a nice exclamation point for the man who plays very, very big field hockey against the Capitals.

He scored, he’s doing a great job against Alex Ovechkin, he’s absorbing a ton of checks and he’s solid in his zone: does anyone miss Justin Barron in Montreal?

The Tricolore’s defensive top-4 (Hutson, Guhle, Matheson and Carrier) is playing big minutes game after game, and while all four are playing good field hockey, to say that Carrier has been the team’s best defender so far is a bit of a stretch.

Guhle gave his teammate some love in front of the media today, praising #45’s consistency.

Carrier doesn’t have as sexy a style of play as Lane Hutson, he’s not as physical as Kaiden Guhle and he doesn’t have Mike Matheson’s skating stroke, but he’s extremely effective. He knows his role and has played it wonderfully since the beginning of this series.

He’s never the one who jumps out at you when you watch a game… but for a defenseman like Carrier, that’s more of a compliment than a criticism.

Without Carrier (and with Barron), the CH would probably have trailed 0-3 in the series… and that’s if they’d made the playoffs in the first place.

When you consider that the Habs have been playing much better field hockey since Carrier’s arrival, it’s easy to make connections.

In a gust

– A special evening.

– Come on!

– It was perfect.