Author: Dose

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Arber Xhekaj in uniform tomorrow: “I don’t think so”

More than ever, Arber Xhekaj is the talk of the town.

After what we saw on the ice yesterday, does the Canadiens’ defenseman deserve to play? Does the CH need to play him to change the dynamic on the ice?

In my opinion, as I mentioned this morning, the answer is yes.

But ultimately, it’s Martin St-Louis who makes the lineup. Will he want to put his #72 (who has played very little in recent weeks) on the ice tomorrow?

If it were up to Renaud Lavoie, he’d still be there. But the informer, who discussed the subject this morning on BPM Sports, made a prediction on the subject.

I don’t think so. – Renaud Lavoie, asked if Arber Xhekaj will play tomorrow

Renaud Lavoie’s theory? In the third, the Habs have taken their foot off the gas and Martin St-Louis won’t want to break an effective formula for finishing the game. Even the Caps coach knows that the club doesn’t give up easily.

Did the journalist hear something between the branches? Possibly, yes.

At the time, however, it was clear that the decision was a special one. After all, it’s not as if Jayden Struble had been indispensable for so much – and even defensively, it wasn’t always straightforward.

Would WiFi have had more than two shoulder shots (Struble’s total yesterday) if he’d played Game #1? Probably, yes.

The Habs 2nd in team hits leader Arber Xhekaj is up in the stands watching Tom Wilson levelling Kaiden Guhle

– /r/Habs(@habsonreddit.bsky.social) April 21, 2025 at 7:23 PM

More importantly, the guys on the other side might have hit a little less hard at times. For example? I’m not sure Brendan Gallagher would have eaten a stick in the teeth if the Sheriff had been on the ice.

In the playoffs, the intimidation factor is still important. And even if Xhekaj isn’t perfect defensively, his ordeal has lasted long enough.

If Xhekaj doesn’t play tomorrow, it may be too late for the CH in this series… even if Xhekaj were to return to action for home games in the next few days.

And the longer he stays in the stands, the more we’ll wonder if his brother won’t end up forcing him out of Montreal.

in gossip

– Ah well.

– Bruce Boudreau is often asked about Jaroslav Halak. #2010[TSN 690]

– David Savard is strong. [TVAS]

– Official.

– Indeed.

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Ivan Demidov and his minuscule playing time

Let’s talk about Ivan Demidov.

This season in Russia, it was obvious: when Ivan Demidov had game time, he produced. And when he didn’t get much playing time, he couldn’t make his mark offensively.

And despite the fact that we only have a slim sample of three NHL games, we can see the same thing taking shape for Demidov under the Habs’ colors.

In his first NHL game, Demidov played about 17 minutes. He had his chances in the offensive zone and was the best player on the ice against Chicago.

Against Carolina? He played less and was more discreet. We saw less of him on the ice.

And yesterday, in his first NHL playoff game (in which he was… discreet), he only played 11:57. He played as much as David Savard, and only Emil Heineman was used less than the Russian.

That’s not much. And that’s even if it was fast and furious for the man who finished the game at minus-2.

During the Carolina game, the CH played to protect the lead, so it was only natural to see Martin St-Louis use less of his worst defensive trio (and in general), that of Demidov, Patrik Laine and Alex Newhook.

But yesterday, most of the CH’s focus was on scoring. And that’s the strength of Laine and Demidov.

What works against Demidov is that the other three trios can’t really be broken down just for him. This leaves him with the most unreliable trio defensively, which affects his playing time.

If the CH had a better second center or if Demidov had arrived at the start of the season, when the trios were forming, it would have been different. But here, it’s not.

Playing with Newhook means he plays less. And Laine, on the other hand, is going to get his playing time on the first wave of the power play, which changes the game.

But even if we understand why Demidov is playing less, the fact remains that a club looking for offense would have benefited from using a player of this calibre.

gossip

– What do you think?

– Martin Fehervary will not play in the playoffs.

– Pittsburgh is on a roll.

– Of note.

– Really?

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Series arbitration is back (and the CH will have to adapt accordingly)

Yesterday, it dawned on us: playoff refereeing is back.

In the playoffs, referees have a reputation for putting away whistles – for better or for worse. And yesterday, that’s clearly what happened in the Capitals’ win over the Habs.

It didn’t take long to realize that this is what would happen. Brendan Gallagher may have a reputation, but a gesture like that speaks volumes…

On both sides, there were some shots that weren’t penalized without much explanation. But let’s just say that the CH ate up several shots that could, in season, have been worth a penalty.

Welcome to the playoffs. It’s like this every year.

The CH guys refused to blame the refereeing after the game (maybe it was done in private), but it’s clear that outside the dressing room, the disallowed clearance that led to the winning goal is the talk of the town.

It changed the game… even if Washington deserved the W in the end.

Seeing Patrik Laine tackled without the puck should have been a penalty. Because without the tackle, he would have taken control of the puck and there would have been no denied clearance.

That’s pretty clear.

So right now, there’s a certain wave of criticism towards the refereeing, which has been quite different from what we see in the regular season. The disallowed clearance was the icing on the sundae.

Let’s just say a lot of people are talking about that one.

Of course, it’s clear that throughout the game, things got out of hand and the Capitals’ actions went unpunished. But we know that in the playoffs, referees don’t want to steal the show by handing out too many penalties.

So it’s up to the CH to adapt, up to a point. After all, defeat isn’t just about icing…

Yes, it may mean dressing Arber Xhekaj for the next game, but we must also understand that the Habs will need reinforcements to play physically in the playoffs.

There are guys who take a club to the playoffs and there are guys who take a club through the playoffs. Does the CH have enough players from the second group? Does the second center the club wants to bring in this summer have to be from the second group?

in full

– To be continued.

– Three years already.

– What a catastrophic contract for the Rockies.

– Interesting.

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Arber Xhekaj must play on Wednesday (because Jeff Gorton must learn from his mistakes)

You know the story of Jeff Gorton.

The former Rangers GM was fired because Tom Wilson injured Artemi Panarin in 2021 and the big boss (the owner) in New York didn’t like to see his club so soft and so shuffled.

The Rangers didn’t have what it took to strike back at Wilson. And it showed.

Now it’s 2025. And once again, a Jeff Gorton team (the Canadian, this time) has seen Tom Wilson rule: yesterday, Jeff Gorton’s club didn’t play the way it’s capable of playing because of the Caps player.

Mind you, we’re not saying that Wilson completely annihilated the Habs. It would be disrespectful to Josh Anderson (playoff version) to say that Wilson has completely slowed the club down.

But without a doubt, he led his team in that style. And it took a while for the Montreal Canadiens to adapt and get into yesterday’s game.

The CH playing catch-up field hockey? No, no, no…

Even though the club ended up pushing the game into overtime(before losing 3-2), you have to wonder what it would have been like if Martin St-Louis’ men had been able to start the game on time.

Perhaps the result would have been different. Perhaps…

After all, if the club had been a little more protected, maybe all the guys would have felt a little bigger more quickly in the game and it would have produced different results.

And I’m not just talking about the officiating (although that’s a factor): I’m talking about keeping the Capitals calm.

That’s when we come back to Jeff Gorton and think he needs to learn from his mistakes by asking his coach to play Arber Xhekaj for Game #2 of the series.

When my colleague Maxime Truman wrote a piece called “Arber Xhekaj: the guy who may save Jeff Gorton’s job” last October, he may not have known how right he was.

IF the Sheriff were to be in uniform tomorrow, the Capitals, by necessity, would be calmer.

Whether it’s taking Jayden Struble or Emil Heineman (I doubt the CH wants to play with 11 forwards, though) out of the lineup, WiFi has to be there as a forwardfor Wednesday’s game.

In the playoffs, everyone has to play their part (the famous ” do your job” of the champion New England Patriots has never been truer than in the playoffs) and do it to the best of their ability.

Not seeing Xhekaj reminded us of his importance – to fans, at least.

And yesterday, when we saw that the Sheriff wasn’t there to do his job against a big team like the Capitals (and in a game where the referees had put away their whistles… and we’ll talk more about that today), we saw that it really changed the game for the Habs.

But the more time passes, the more we wonder what the CH thinks of #72…

But hey. The absent defenseman isn’t the only player we need to talk about.

What can I take away from Game #1 of the series, the first for the Habs since the 2021 final against the Lightning? Which players stood out for the Flanelle?

1. The Habs may not have an Alex Ovechkin, but one of the club’s top scorers, Cole Caufield, managed to score his team’s first goal when the club needed it.

And Nick Suzuki, who has done quite a bit for the CH this year, scored his first playoff goal as captain of the Flanelle. If only Juraj Slafkovsky could finish a little better…

2. In the end, the CH didn’t look bad, even if the guys were nervous. It wasn’t downgraded and it adapted… but it took a period of adjustment.

Lane Hutson is one who adapted quickly. Even though he’s small and his game was shaky, he still found a way to pick up two assists in his first playoff game. It’s a first for a defenseman in the club’s history.

3. Mike Matheson has big responsibilities on the ice, but his defensive coverage isn’t always up to scratch. And yesterday, it would have taken a little more from him.

It’s been an issue for a few weeks now.

4. Samuel Montembeault was excellent in front of his net. He made good saves at the right times (especially early in the game) to keep his team in the game.

The two Canadian goalkeepers did their jobs well: Monty made 29 saves and Logan Thompson 33 on his return to action.

5. Alex Ovechkin is the kind of guy you don’t see all game… but he scores the first goal of the game and finds the back of the net for the first time in his career in playoff overtime.

And all game long, he’s been hitting.

6. Martin St-Louis is right: yesterday, his boys learned. Many of them had never played in the playoffs… the majority hadn’t made the playoffs in years… and only two guys (David Savard, Alex Newhook) have a ring.

In the end, the coach can be proud of his boys, despite the defeat. It’s going to take a quick win, but one thing at a time.

extension

The Canadiens must move on to prepare for Game 2 of the series. That’s tomorrow, again in Washington. Winning this game would give them back home-ice advantage.

Martin St-Louis will lead a training session at 12:30 p.m. in Washington.

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Series highlights: Phillip Danault gives Kings last-minute win

Last night, there were four series in action, with two of them getting underway.

Of course, there was the CH, who lost to the Caps in game one.

Here are the results and highlights of the other games:

Phillip Danault gives Kings last-minute win

In Los Angeles, the series between the Kings and Oilers got underway.

For the fourth year running, the two teams faced off in the first round. The first three series belonged to Edmonton. Los Angeles wants to change things up a bit.

The California club got off to a good start, winning the first game 6-5. It wasn’t easy, however. The Kings led 5-2 in the third period, but the visitors rallied.

First, Corey Perry made it 5-3.

Zach Hyman cut the deficit to one goal with just over two minutes to go.

And seconds later, Connor McDavid seemed to have sent everyone into overtime.

However, Phillip Danault had other plans.

With 42 seconds left in the game, the Quebecer gave his team the win.

What a crazy game!

This series continues tomorrow, again in LA.

Kings lead 1-0.

Jets lead series 2-0

Winnipeg won Game 1 against the Blues and wanted to go to St. Louis with a 2-0 lead.

The club did just that with a 2-1 victory.

Mark Scheifele got the ball rolling with a bizarre goal.

After the Blues struck back, Team Canada’s best player went skate first into Jordan Binnington.

It was reminiscent of Chris Kreider in 2014… Fortunately, Binnington stayed in the game.

In the third period, Kyle Connor broke the tie with a goal at the mouth of the net.

Winnipeg held on for the rest of the match.

The Manitoba club now leads the series 2-0. The series moves to St. Louis on Thursday.

Stars level series

The Dallas Stars had no choice yesterday.

They certainly didn’t want to go to Colorado trailing 0-2.

Dallas came from behind to win 4-3 in overtime. After two periods, the visitors were leading 3-2 thanks to Logan O’Connor’s superb goal.

In the third period, despite Mackenzie Blackwood’s brilliance, Dallas first tied the game.

Evgenii Dadonov scored his first of the series.

And, in overtime, Colin Blackwell leveled the series at one.

Note that Gabriel Landeskog skated before the game, but did not play.

The series is therefore tied 1-1.

The next game will be played tomorrow in Denver.

Extension

– Ah well.

– Ouch!

– Will he play the next game? Do we want to bring him home?

– A short four-point game for Connor McDavid.

(Credit: NHL.com )

– Three series will continue tonight. One will begin.

(Credit: NHL.com)
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Alex Ovechkin gives Caps overtime win

The Canadiens are back in the playoffs.

For the first time since 2021, the CH played a game after the 82nd of the season.

Here are the line-ups for Game 1 of the series against the Washington Capitals.

Who else but Alex Ovechkin to score the first goal of the series.

It wasn’t the most powerful shot in history, but A+ for accuracy.

After two periods, the CH was not dominated.

Still, it was 2-0 to the home side. In the second, Anthony Beauvilier foiled Samuel Montembeault at the mouth.

Montreal’s power play has been in a bad way lately.

But in the third period, the first wave brought the team back into the game. Cole Caufield scored his fifth elimination goal.

And, with less than five minutes left in the game, Nick Suzuki brought everyone back to square one.

This team never gives up!

Off to overtime! That extra period would never have happened had it not been for Samuel Montembeault.

After 60 minutes of play, he stopped 28 of 30 shots.

In the fourth period, he could do nothing against Alex Ovechkin, who scored a second goal.

Final score: 3-2 Washington, leading the series 1-0.

The two teams will cross swords again on Wednesday in the nation’s capital.

Overtime

– Josh Anderson shakes Tom Wilson.

– I didn’t know Chris Lee was working tonight.

– He should be in the lineup on Wednesday.

– It’s getting heavier, yes.

– Ayoye.

– Not bad, yes.

– Things haven’t been going well for Mike Matheson lately…

– P.K. knows how to revive the PP.

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Trailing 0-2 in third period, CH forces overtime in Washington

The Canadiens took on the Capitals tonight, and it didn’t start well for the Montrealers.

Washington dominated the first two periods and, after 40 minutes of play, were leading 2-0.

However, if you think the CH are going to feel sorry for themselves, you don’t know them very well…

In the third period, Montreal scored not one, but two goals to force overtime.

First, Cole Caufield scored his fifth elimination goal on the power play.

Then, Nick Suzuki was extremely patient and created the tie.

“Lane Hutson is not a playoff defenseman and he’s going to have a lot of trouble”. On both goals, he picked up an assist.

Not bad…

After 60 minutes, the visitors have 34 shots on target.

Washington is far from unbeatable.

Overtime

Up until the third period, the home side had a clear advantage over their opponents.

They were bigger, stronger and much more relentless. A stupid penalty by Pierre-Luc Dubois turned the tide.

Josh Anderson took care of Tom Wilson. He and his team didn’t let it get to them.

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Ivan Demidov: once again, Roman Rotenberg praises him in North American media

Roman Rotenberg has not been a popular man in Montreal this season. The SKA head coach, who has had to deal with Ivan Demidov in recent months, was seen as an obstacle to the kid‘s development.

People wanted to see him in Montreal for his talent, of course, but also to give him better conditions in which to develop.

Then, two weeks ago, SKA announced that Demidov would be joining the CH to finish the season. And all of a sudden, Rotenberg became a lot more popular around town, hehe.

And what’s interesting is that Rotenberg is also making the rounds of North American Russian media to praise his (former) protégé. We heard him on BPM Sports the day Demidov was announced… and today, he was on The Eye Test, Jimmy Murphy and Pierre McGuire’s podcast.

He took the opportunity to praise Demidov, saying the kid is “one of the best players he’s ever managed in his life” and that he’s not surprised Demidov scored in his first game.

It’s really interesting to see Rotenberg in the North American media given that this has never happened in the past. The Demidov craze is a game-changer, of course, but it’s pretty special.

We know that he’s trying to bring the KHL closer to the NHL: is he taking advantage of the Demidov wave to show off in the local media to try and get his project across better? After all, he talked about it again today…

What is clear, though, is that Rotenberg isn’t afraid to give Demidov some love. He didn’t always do it in Russia this season, but since Demidov has been with the CH, Rotenberg’s discourse has really changed.

I can’t wait to see if we continue to see the SKA coach in the local media… because it makes for an interesting perspective, especially with Demidov in town.

Breaking news

– Wow.

– Nice reading.

– Indeed.

– Hard blow for the Braves.

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Questionable refereeing: Alex Ovechkin scores the first goal of the series (on the power play)

Tonight, the CH travels to Washington for the first game of its series against the Capitals. And while things were moving quickly for the Habs at the start of the game, they found a way to get comfortable.

However, late in the period, the club found itself a man short after some rather questionable calls. Kaiden Guhle and Alex Newhook were chased down on a sequence that gave the Capitals a one-man power play.

Whether the Capitals deserved a power play on that is up to you.

And sure enough, it ended up costing the CH dearly: the Capitals opened the scoring on the power play.

Of course, it was Alex Ovechkin who hit the target.

More details to come…

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Deadline: Nick Suzuki spent an hour pushing for the status quo with Kent Hughes

In less than an hour, the Canadiens will play their first playoff game since the summer of 2021. The club, which has undergone major changes over the past four years, is back in the spring dance.

And this in a year when they weren’t necessarily expected to be there. There was talk of a “mix”… but not necessarily a series.

But Nick Suzuki was one of those who believed in it from the start. And despite the team’s failings for much of the season, hearing Kent Hughes say that his captain had implored him not to sell at the trade deadline was proof enough.

That said, what Suzuki revealed in an interview with Félix Séguin (TVA Sports) was that the discussion between him and the GM lasted no less than an hour.

Clearly, the captain believed in this group.

It’s worth remembering that, at the time, the CH was seriously struggling. The club was racking up losses… and Kent Hughes was in a position where he had to consider the idea of selling.

That said, since he still believed in his group too, the GM gave Suzuki an ultimatum: he had to give him a reason not to sell.

And on the return from the 4 Nations Confrontation (which motivated the captain, given that he was ignored), the club lined up victories.

In the end, then, the club didn’t sell… and even if it didn’t buy either, here it is today in the playoffs. Who knows if the CH will make it all the way this spring… but the simple fact of seeing the youngsters play playoff field hockey is an experience worth its weight in gold for a young group.

And above all, it shows that the captain has won his bet in every respect.

If the CH is to make any headway in the playoffs, it will once again need its captain to play big field hockey… but the good news is that he has the resources to help him.

No, the club hasn’t been a buyer… but adding Ivan Demidov to your lineup isn’t bad either, we agree.

In a gust

– I love this.

– No, Juraj Slafkovský (unfortunately) didn’t bleach his hair.

– He’ll find a way to disturb.