Author: Dose

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Top-5: When Charlie Lindgren decides to score… in his own goal

There were 15 NHL games yesterday.

The Canadiens won in Columbus, but there was also plenty of action in all four corners of the league.

And it shook:

1: When Charlie Lindgren decides to score… in his own goal

To see a goalie score a goal in hockey is rare.

But yesterday, we witnessed a truly special scene in Tampa Bay.

Charlie Lindgren scored a goal… in his own net.

He tried to send the disc behind his goal, but miscalculated his exit.

The result?

This sequence will clearly go down in the bad games of the week, if not the year:

Yikes… Let’s say it’s not ideal, hehe.

But in the end, it all ended relatively well because the Capitals were still able to win 5-4 over the Lightning.

The Habs alumnus’s blunder didn’t hurt too much, then. A stroke of luck!

2: It’s about time for Bedard

Prior to yesterday’s game, Connor Bedard hadn’t scored in his last 12 games.

It was his worst lethargy since the start of his young career.

That said, he took matters into his own hands against the Stars.

Bedsy put an end to his bad streak with a magnificent shot:

In the Blackhawks’ 6-2 victory, we note Bedard’s goal…

But we must also mention Taylor Hall’s performance.

The man who was left out by his coach last week reminded everyone that he’s talented by scoring a hat trick :

It’s got to be good for Taylor Hall’s confidence.

Because we know it’s been tougher in recent seasons, especially since he won the Hart Trophy in the 2017-2018 season…

3: The Sharks can’t escape these games

On Tuesday, the Canadiens lost to André Tourigny’s team after firing just 13 shots on net during the game.

We had a similar situation yesterday…

Before that, the Sens were in San Jose against the Sharks and Macklin Celebrini scored (again):

But here’s what’s interesting…

The Senators won the game 4-3, finishing with an impressive (or not so impressive) eleven shots on goal.

In defeat, Mackenzie Blackwood made… Seven saves.

It’s tough, and the Sharks can’t get away from these games.

It’s part of the learning process… But it’s hard to believe that the guys were really happy after the game:

4: Martin Necas continues his demolition job

Who’s going to stop Martin Necas?

The Hurricanes’ Canadiens player has been on fire since the start of the season, and we saw it again last night.

He contributed to his club’s 4-3 victory over the New York Rangers with two assists.

This one deserves to be seen again and again:

Necas’ two points moved him into first place in the NHL’s all-time scoring column (37).

Behind him are Kirill Kaprizov and Nathan MacKinnon, each with 35 points.

Necas is having the season of his life after being the subject of many rumours this summer…

5: Hat-trick for Brayden Point

I don’t think we talk enough about Brayden Point.

He scored 51 goals two years ago, finished last season with 46 goals and 90 points… But still, he doesn’t necessarily make the headlines.

Yesterday, we saw why he’s so good: in his club’s 5-4 loss to the Capitals, the Lightning’s diminutive forward scored three goals.

He’s having a good season:

Point has now scored 15 goals since the start of the season.

That’s good for 3rd on the NHL’s all-time scoring list (tied with Ovi), behind Sam Reinhart (17 goals) and Leon Draisaitl (16 goals).

The Lightning forward could really challenge for the Maurice Richard Trophy if he keeps up the pace.

Extension

– A beautiful moment.

– Snipe.

– Oh!

– Nice.

– Speaking of the Caps:

– Flyers escape with win over Preds :

– Jordan Binnington makes Blues history.

– Nice goal, too.

– Well done.

– The Bruins are back on track.

– A rare win for the Penguins.

– Wow.

– Looks easy.

– He’s still going strong.

– A steal!

– Top scorers of the night :

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Reminder: there are no games today in the NHL.

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“Shut up and skate”: Maxim Lapierre is (really) fed up with lack of effort

He gives what he can give, Gally.

There’s a growing sense of frustration among Habs fans about the club’s season. Beyond the defeats, it’s often felt that the team isn’t playing with the knife between its teeth… which irritates many.

And rightly so. It’s one thing to lose, but quite another not to show up at all.

This frustration is felt not only by the fans, but also by members of the media. When Tony Marinaro isn’t calling into a graveyard because the club is on the verge of finishing him off, it’s other media personalities who speak out in frustration.

And last night, on Marinaro’s Sick Podcast, Maxim Lapierre also shared his dissatisfaction with the guys’ oft-repeated lack of effort. And no, he didn’t pull any punches:

You make $400,000 every two weeks to play 20 minutes a game at the Bell Centre. Shut up and skate. – Maxim Lapierre

Lapierre, who has never been criticized for his lack of effort during his playing career, admits that he doesn’t necessarily like to use the salary argument, but that it does put things into perspective. He doesn’t want every guy to turn into Connor McDavid, but he does want guys to play with effort.

Skating, shoulder stroking, taking shots: the basics.

Of course, some guys are exceptions to the rule. Last night, for example, Brendan Gallagher (who, considering his injury history and big contract, would be well advised to take it easy) gave up 10 body checks (a career high)…

And tonight, he threw down the gauntlet against Zach Werenski, who’s in a higher weight class than he is. It’s not for nothing that he has a reputation as a warrior.

But obviously, not everyone has Gallagher’s heart… and that’s kind of what Lapierre is criticizing. He wants to see the guys give the impression that they’re there to give 100%.

Maybe if that happened, the Habs would be in a better position… and maybe even in the famous mix.

Overtime

– Good listening.

– Chris Kreider: a trade this summer would be more likely than at the deadline.

– Martin Necas is really on fire.

– Interesting.

– The Juan Soto derby is in full swing.

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Mathieu Olivier knows his name is circulating in Montreal

MONTREAL, QC - NOVEMBER 16: Kaiden Guhle (21) of the Montreal Canadiens battles for position with Mathieu Olivier (24) of the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period of the NHL game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Montreal Canadiens on Nov 16 2024, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC(Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Mathieu Olivier is having a great season.

He’s in his prime, at 27, and has collected nine points (six goals) in 20 games since the start of the campaign.

For a support player and a guy who’s known as a tough guy, that’s more than excellent.

That’s why his name has been circulating in Montreal over the past month.

He’d be a perfect fit for the Canadiens, in the sense that he’s got qualities that can help the club right now. After all, we’re talking about a guy who works his butt off on the ice time after time, and in Montreal, we know that such players are rare these days.

That said, the Québécois is aware of the rumours about him. He doesn’t want to worry about it because he’s concentrating on his game, but it’s playing on his mind all the same:

It’s hard not to hear them unless you live under a rock […] I have family and friends in Quebec, so it comes back to my ears a bit. – Mathieu Olivier

The quote above comes froma TVA Sportsarticle:

It must be special.

It’s easy to get distracted, after all: he’s from Quebec… And his name has been mentioned in some Montreal rumors.

But if it’s not in Montreal (many would like it to be), we can still expect to see Mathieu Olivier change addresses between now and the next NHL trade deadline.

He’s in the final year of his contract ($1.1 million per season), and there are bound to be several clubs interested in his services in the coming months.

That said, if Kent Hughes can’t get him in the next few months, he should at least try to bring him to town in the off-season.

Because it seems to me that players with heart like him would be a welcome addition to the Montreal line-up.

No?

Overtime

– Too bad. 🫤

– He’s going to be good.

– An issue to keep an eye on.

– News in MLB:

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It has to be Cayden Primeau’s last chance tonight

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 11: Cayden Primeau #30 of the Montreal Canadiens looks to push the puck up the ice in the second period against the Buffalo Sabres during an NHL game on November 11, 2024 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Ben Ludeman/NHLI via Getty Images)

There have always been expectations for Cayden Primeau.

Even though he was drafted in the 7th round in 2017.

It was his two years at Northeastern that opened just about everyone’s eyes. Because in the NCAA, the American was dominant.

On the other hand, Primeau was slow to establish himself as a National League goalie.

We’ve seen a few flashes from him, especially in the last season… But I think you’ll agree with me if I say it stops there.

That said, he’ll have the opportunity to face the Blue Jackets tonight in Columbus, as the Canadiens play their second game in as many nights. Monty did well yesterday, and deserves a night off.

But as soon as I heard it was going to be Primeau in front of the net, here’s what I thought:

This has to be his last chance.

It takes longer to develop a goalie than a forward or a defenseman, and that’s nothing new.

But when you look at Primeau’s 25-year-old stats this season, you realize he doesn’t look like a National League goalie:

  • 1-2-1 record (appeared in eight games)
  • 4.59 goals-against average
  • .842 save percentage

At some point… Enough is enough. The Canadiens have put a lot of effort into goalie development, but you can’t move forward if he’s not getting the job done in front of the net.

If Primeau can’t come up with a big one tonight, I’d like to see the Canadiens go out and get an experienced guy to back up Montembeault.

There’s been a lot of talk lately that there’s a leadership problem in the dressing room… And maybe getting an older goalie could help calm things down.

Because we know that the Monty-Primeau duo isn’t the most experienced duo in the NHL.

To be continued. But Primeau better not get hammered tonight, because I’ve got a feeling it could be the end, otherwise.

And if that happens, I’ll be curious to see what the Canadiens do with him.

Overtime

– Speaking of leadership…

– Sean Monahan gives love to fans in Montreal.

– Still.

– No surprise there.

– The photo is incredibly beautiful.

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Stanley25: The Habs are keeping a close eye on a young Québécois center forward.

It’s already November 27. We’ve already typed 7 of our 10 Stanley25 season 2 episodes.

Only three more to go before the holidays…

Yesterday, it took me all my change to get to the 9millions studio; the COVID cold is hitting hard this year.

But that didn’t stop us from releasing some interesting news during the episode, which I recommend you watch.

1. After talking to one of his contacts at the Rangers during his trip to Vancouver, JT came to a clear conclusion: Jeff Gorton is the big boss at the Canadiens. People who work for other teams confirm that the Canadiens’ decisions are made according to the wishes of Jeff Gorton, not Kent Hughes.

2. Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson are untradeable. Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia could leave, but don’t expect to get anything interesting in return.

3. Some players hung over the chapel in honor of Guy Lafleur… and Geoff Molson didn’t like it.

4. Jean Trudel and I were barred from a Lane Hutson signing last weekend. Logan Mailloux and Lane Hutson’s agents really have a fixation with us…

5. A signing session with Cole Caufield turned into a shitshow last week.

6. The Canadiens (Nick Bobrov, Martin Lapointe and Serge Boisvert) have been spying on young Caleb Desnoyers on several occasions since the start of the season, notably in Quebec City. It will be interesting to see where the Canadiens will draft in the first round next June, and where Caleb Desnoyers will end up on the final lists (especially the Habs’).

Enjoy your viewing, gang!

Overtime

– The Canadiens are in Columbus right now.

– What do you think?

– 900th NHL game for Jon Cooper.

– It’s time to think about the future.

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Mike Matheson won’t be playing tonight

MONTREAL, CANADA - FEBRUARY 17: Mike Matheson #8 of the Montreal Canadiens looks on during the warm-up of the NHL regular season game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Washington Capitals at the Bell Centre on February 17, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Vitor Munhoz/NHLI via Getty Images)

Bad news for the Canadiens.

The club has announced that Mike Matheson, who was unable to play last night, will not be able to face the Blue Jackets in Columbus tonight. He still has a lower-body injury.

Clearly a blow for the defense.

The six defensemen who played yesterday will have to play tonight, given that the Habs have only seven defensemen with them on the road. There are no healthy extras with the club on the blue line, then.

Lane Hutson should, if we do as we did yesterday, get both powerplay waves.

Details to follow…

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A member of the Blue Jackets’ management as the Canadiens’ goaltender

This morning, on the heels of the Habs’ practice in Ohio, there weren’t many people on the ice.

The reason is simple: the club traveled to Columbus yesterday after the game. This meant that practice was reserved exclusively for the club’s reserves, to give them a chance to stretch their legs.

And only two guys skated, as reported by Anthony Martineau: Michael Pezzetta and Patrik Laine.

Either way, it makes sense. Pezzetta has been an extra for weeks and he won’t be playing more tonight. I really wonder how he feels about all this.

And Laine? He’s not ready yet. We knew he was traveling with the club, but he won’t be playing against his old club tonight. We’re expecting him in a week or so, obviously.

So don’t expect any changes to the forwards tonight – unless it’s in the line-up, of course.

Defensively, nobody skated this morning, since of the seven defensemen with the club, six played yesterday and one (Mike Matheson) wasn’t fit enough to play yesterday. He’s currently a doubt for tonight’s game, and we’ll see what the coach says.

Because Samuel Montembeault played yesterday and Cayden Primeau played tonight, neither was skating this morning. But for Pezz and Laine, it still took a goalie.

So, according to Anthony Martineau’s tweet, it was Reid Robertson who donned a goalie’s uniform to face the shots of Laine (a former Blue Jackets) and Pezzetta.

The former university goalie works as an assistant in hockey operations, according to the club’s website. Seeing him practice in a habs jersey is special, but he’s been helping out the Habs.

Had it been in Montreal, perhaps Karel St-Laurent would have been there. But on the road, without a ménage à trois, it takes a different solution.

Overtime

– Good question.

– Auston Matthews: not yet ready to return to action.

– Nick Suzuki, a real first center?

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Autumn 2024: the 5 à 7 in front of JiC (at the photo finish)

Sports fans run on performance and adrenalin. For them, the desire to win is stronger than anything else. That’s why it’s a little harder to support the Canadiens these days…

The desire to win doesn’t just drive the team; it transports an entire fan base.

But this desire to perform can also be found in the media. With the ratings…

The TV and radio seasons are divided into four quarters: autumn, winter, spring and summer.

In summer, no one really cares about ratings. We have irregular programming… and above all, the figures gathered via the various surveys are of little use. Why is that? Because advertising reps almost never sell ads with summer numbers. It’s mainly the fall and spring figures that count. In winter, there’s the Christmas vacation, which maganates the figures by two to four weeks, or more or less 15% to 20% of the survey period.

Earlier this week, I released the fall quarter ratings for BPM Sports/91.9 Montréal. We’re talking about one of the best quarters in the history of the Montreal sports station.

Over the weeks, I’ve also revealed the numbers for the Canadiens’ games on TVA Sports and RDS. Basically, we’ve gone from an average of 500,000 – 600,000 to an average of just over 400,000, mainly due to the rebuild and the poor show put on by the Habs.

Now, many of you have asked me who currently has the upper hand in the sports homecoming war on TV. The 5 à 7 or JiC?

Well, according to the information I’ve been able to gather, 5 à 7 attracts an average – since the start of the season – of 24,000 viewers per minute, while JiC gets 22,000. Yanick Bouchard and Frédéric Plante therefore beat Jean-Charles Lajoie and his numerous guests to the photo finish.

It should be remembered, however, that it’s weeknights when Canadiens games are broadcast on RDS that make the difference. The 5 to 7 ratings are much higher on those nights. Otherwise, it’s a case of whitewash, whitewash.

What’s more, RDS has about half a million more subscribers than TVA Sports…

That’s not much.
Those of you who have been following me for several years will remember that in 2019, 5 à 7 drew an average of 36,000 viewers per minute, while JiC drew 25,000. So we’ve gone from 61,000 people watching French-language sports TV (in Quebec) to 46,000 in the space of just a few years.

The pandemic really changed our behavior. The aging population and massive cable churn too…

So it’s easy to understand why there are so many cuts in the media industry, and why some people in the business are constantly anxious about their professional future.

It’s worth noting that late-night shows are also far less successful than they used to be.

There was a time when 110%, l’Attaque à 5 and l’Antichambre passed the scrape. That’s no longer the case, however, since sports opinions and hot takes have invaded social networks and the FM airwaves. Both RDS and TVA Sports no longer see the late-night slot as a cool spot.

Often, a live broadcast of a less popular sports team or sport works much better than a show that revolves around the Canadiens, which wasn’t the case before…

Extension

Many of you have asked me how ratings are calculated in 2024.

Numéris offers pagers to hundreds of people – based on several geographic and demographic criteria – across Quebec. These people have to wear the pager and plug it into a charger at the end of the day, which sends them the day’s data.

Each radio (in Montreal) and TV (in Quebec) program is encoded with a wave that is imperceptible to the human ear, but which the pager is able to pick up. When the pager picks up this wave, it records a listen.

Online recordings are often encoded on official station websites, but not when they come from social networks. People who record a program, then listen to it again later, are counted (albeit with a slight delay).

In the end, a rule of three is applied to match the listening of a thousand people, for example, with that of a population of several million French-speaking Québécois.

I can’t wait until we find a better way of accounting for all this, but in the meantime, this is still the way the industry works…

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Guy Boucher moves to the KHL

ST. PAUL, MN - NOVEMBER 21: Guy Boucher of the Ottawa Senators looks on from the bench during a game with the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center on November 21, 2018 in St. Paul, Minnesota.(Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images)

Big news for hockey in Quebec.

Guy Boucher, who made his NHL comeback last year (as an assistant in Toronto) before losing his job in the summer of 2024, is back behind a pro bench.

But this time, he’s off to the KHL.

So it’s with Omsk Avangard that the Québécois will continue his journey, as announced by the club on social networks. And if the name rings a bell, it’s because it’s Bob Hartley’s old team.

We imagine Bob had kind words for Boucher recently.

We’re talking abouta two-year contract for Guy Boucher, who arrives in the middle of the season. He takes into his hands a club that ranks eighth out of 12 in the KHL East.

He can therefore aspire to the playoffs, but he has work to do.

He hasn’t been able to find work in the NHL this year. I wonder if he’s been signed for an assistant job somewhere, or if he hasn’t received a call.

But either way, he’s back in a head job for the first time since losing his position in Ottawa.

(Credit: Hockey DB)

Boucher has been exiled before. He coached the Bern club in Switzerland between 2013 and 2016. Otherwise, he has mainly played in the NHL for the past fifteen years.

The Lightning and Senators benefited from a boost in his first year with them. Will Avangard have the same effect? To be seen.

Overtime

– Fighting isn’t easy.

– Lane Hutson: you have to be prepared to take him on. [BPM Sports]

– Hello, Jordan.

– Read more.

– Eh boy.

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10 checks for Brendan Gallagher… and 13 shots for the Canadiens

MONTREAL, CANADA- NOVEMBER 26: A scuffle erupts after the whistle during the third period of the NHL regular season betweenNHL regular season game between Montreal Canadiens and the Utah Hockey Club at the Bell Centre on November 26, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Matt Garies/NHLI via Getty Images)

The statistic of yesterday’s game is clearly the fact that the Habs took only 13 shots on net for the Utah club last night. Needless to say, it didn’t end with a W.

The Habs were relatively opportunistic, scoring twice and pushing the game into overtime. But in nearly five minutes of three-on-three, open play, the Habs didn’t get a shot off.

It gets embarrassing at times.

Those who followed the game saw that the Habs had only 12 shots before the start of overtime, compared to 28 for the opponents. Not shooting at three-on-three would have meant equalling the franchise “record” of 12 shots in a game.

The Habs didn’t shoot, but a 13th shot was added to the recount. Still, it’s the lowest total since 2009 for the Canadiens.

After firing just 17 shots against Vegas on Saturday, let’s just say Martin St-Louis’ club chose the wrong time not to fire. Doing it at home, once again, is hard to accept.

At the end of the first and beginning of the second, the Habs went nearly 20 minutes without shooting. Ark.

18 minutes without a shot… 13 shots in all… no shots on the power play… no shots in overtime… if the Habs had wanted to sabotage their game, they surely would have gone this way.

Cole Caufield (3), Alex Newhook (2), Christian Dvorak (2), Emil Heineman, Jake Evans, Kirby Dach, Joshua Roy, Jayden Struble and Justin Barron were all credited with a shot.

It’s not normal to have time to list them one by one.

But here’s what strikes me most: yesterday, Brendan Gallagher distributed 10 shoulder shots to his opponents. That’s only three less than the number of shots taken by the Habs.

The man who had a run-in with Mikhail Sergachev during the game raised his total from 16 to 26 this season.

The guys need to learn from the Gallaghers of this world, who always give it their all during games. That’s how the Habs will find their way back to winning and – above all – respectability.

Overtime

– Enjoy.

– Blake Snell in L.A.

– What message does this send to others?

– The CHL won yesterday.

– The Lions have a good goalie.