Author: Dose

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Since Christmas, the Caps have the same record as the Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens’ opponent in the first round of the NHL playoffs won’t be an easy one.

The Washington Capitals didn’t finish first in the Eastern Association for nothing, and they have a very complete, well-built team.

In short, everything seems perfect for the Caps, and therefore everything seems to be to their advantage in this series against the Tricolore.

So why do so many experts (7 out of 18) believe in the CH’s chances of surprising the Caps?

In fact, a number of factors point to the fact that it won’t be a walk in the park for Alexander Ovechkin’s team.

Indeed, if we forget the Montreal Canadiens’ poor start to the season, well, since December 17, the CH and the Caps have had the same record (or close to it).

As you can see, since Christmas, the CH has accumulated 66 points to the Caps’ 67.

Those 66 points for the Tricolore are good for 7th in the NHL versus 5th for Washington.

And even when we look at more than just points, there aren’t any major differences between the two teams since Christmas, in several statistics.

Special units are very similar despite a slight advantage for the Caps (25% vs. 20%), both teams direct the same number of shots per game (26.7 vs. 26.3 for Montreal), and CH goaltending has performed slightly better.

In short, aside from the goal differential, the Tricolore has been competing very well with the Capitals since Christmas.

And all this becomes all the more interesting in the Habs’ favor when you look at the Caps’ statistics in their final regular-season stretch.

Indeed, since officially qualifying for the playoffs, Ovi’s gang has been on a tear.

As you can see, in addition to a better power play, Spencer Carbery’s team has been unrecognizable since March 23, scoring fewer goals and allowing many more.

As a result, the Caps have been winning far less recently, and a bad run before the playoffs is often not a good omen.

Going from allowing 2.54 goals per game to 4.25 is far from ideal, and it’s a sign of struggling goaltending.

And in this respect, it’s worth comparing CH and Caps goaltenders since the Four Nations break, because it clearly shows that Capitals goaltenders are struggling with their individual stats.

In short, even if many see the Caps getting off easy against the Habs, all these stats show that this was a much closer match-up than one might have imagined.

The Caps have slowed down considerably, and that could benefit the CH.

On a roll

– Really.

– To watch today.

– Blackwood was very solid last night.

– It’s clear.

– Ouch.

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Ivan Demidov’s agent has never seen so much enthusiasm for a player

Thousands of fans followed his flight live, a host of fans were on hand at the Toronto airport, 400,000 people watched his arrival live from their screens and record jersey sales.

Seriously, it’s mind-boggling the hype and excitement generated by Ivan Demidov’s arrival with the Montreal Canadiens.

You can even add to that the insane reception from fans simply for his rookie turn in warm-up, and of course his smashing debut in the National Hockey League with a goal and an assist in less than a period.

In short, the Montreal fans are true to form in their madness, but this time, it’s really over the top, by far.

Everyone knows Demidov has the potential to be a superstar in the NHL, so to see him arrive in the midst of a playoff race quadrupled the excitement for his unexpected arrival.

Fans have been waiting for this kind of player for so long that now that it’s happening for real, they don’t want to miss a single second.

Even Ivan Demidov’s agent, Dan Milstein, admits that this is unprecedented.

Indeed, Demidov’s agent, who has been following the young Russian since he was 12 years old, told RG Media in an interview that he had never seen anything like it – so much enthusiasm and excitement for a player’s arrival.

Milstein has clients across 28 of the NHL’s 32 teams, including several stars, but never has this level of excitement been reached for a player.

Demidov’s agent even explained that Turkish Airlines themselves, the company Demidov flew to Toronto with, had no idea what was going on and why one of their flights was under such scrutiny.

And it’s not just CH fans who want to hear from Demidov, but old legends too.

Indeed, Milstein explained that Pavel Datsyuk had contacted him to find out how his client was doing and, above all, to send him his best wishes for his NHL debut.

In short, it’s crazy what’s going on with Demidov in Montreal right now, and all the better for it.

What’s more, the Tricolore’s new number 93 is living it up and loving the experience so far.

He wanted to play Montreal for that kind of excitement and pressure, and here he is, more than served, with the Canadiens in the playoffs.

It will be very interesting to see him in action against Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.

In a gust

– He’s been impressive this season.

– What do you think of his predictions?

– Things aren’t going well for him.

– This is the first time since the 2017 Eastern Final that the Senators will play a playoff game.

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Series highlights: Artturi Lehkonen scores unusual goal in Avalanche win

It was officially playoff time yesterday, as two first-round National Hockey League series got underway.

We were treated to two excellent Game #1s in these two series, which promises to keep us busy for the rest of the season.

Here are the summaries of those two games.

Winnipeg Jets pull through thanks to Kyle Connor

The NHL’s best regular-season team, the Winnipeg Jets, kicked off their playoffs last night against the NHL’s hottest team of late, the St. Louis Blues.

Even though Winnipeg won the Presidents’ Trophy, we knew it would be a very tight series.

And that’s exactly what both teams showed us in the first period.

The Blues opened the scoring (Robert Thomas) on the power play, but the Jets responded with a goal of their own (Mark Scheifele) on the power play.

After that, the Jets took the lead thanks to a deflection by Jaret Anderson-Dolan, but quickly, three minutes later, Oskar Sundqvist created the tie for the Blues.

It was 2-2 after one period.

In the second, the Blues quickly picked up where they left off, as on the power play, Jordan Kyrou scored his first of the playoffs with one of the most accurate shots I’ve ever seen.

Obviously, a Jets fightback was expected, but in the end, the Blues’ lead held until midway through the third period, when Alex Iafallo, who just signed a three-year contract extension with the Jets, tied the game.

After that, everything seemed to be heading for overtime, but Kyle Connor had other plans, as he played the hero on a superb play with just over a minute to go in the third period.

The Jets won 5-3, with Adam Lowry completing the scoring in an empty net.

Game #2 of the series takes place Monday in Winnipeg, starting at 7:30pm.

The Jets lead the series 1-0.

Avalanche hits Stars hard from the start

This is the series we’ve all been waiting for in the West.

It’s a clash of titans between two teams with a very good chance of reaching the Stanley Cup Final, as well as being a series that allows us to see Mikko Rantanen face his former team from this season.

In short, it’s a promising series, and last night proved it.

Firstly, we were treated to an impressive goalkeeping duel throughout the first half of the game, and so, of course, it took a completely unusual goal to beat the vigilance of one of the two goalkeepers.

In the end, it was Artturi Lehkonen who opened the scoring with a completely mad goal, in which, unintentionally, he took a Lionel Messi-like shot with his skate as he fell after seeing his shot blocked.

One of the weirdest goals I’ve ever seen.

Anyway, the Avalanche took the lead, and before the end of the second period, Nathan MacKinnon added to his team’s lead with another bizarre goal, as his power play shot deflected off Ilya Lyubushkin.

In short, the Avalanche took a 2-0 lead into the third period without dominating the game.

Of course, the Stars weren’t to be counted out, and they closed the gap on the power play through Roope Hintz,

However, afterwards, the Stars were caught off-guard, costing them a fine goal from Devon Toews.

So it was too little too late for the Stars, as MacKinnon scored into an empty net, and Charlie Coyle then added insult to injury with Colorado’s fifth goal.

The Avalanche thus win Game #1 of this series 5-1.

Game 2 will take place on Monday in Dallas, starting at 9:30pm.

The Avalanche lead the series 1-0.

Overtime

– Here are the two results from yesterday.

– Here are yesterday’s top scorers.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– On the program today: three series begin.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
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I think Lane Hutson will be better than Quinn Hughes

Lane Hutson has just had an incredible first season in the NHL.

In his rookie season, his 66 points allowed him to beat the mark of Chris Chelios for the most points (64) for a rookie defenseman with the Canadiens, in addition to equaling that of Larry Murphy for the most assists with 60 for a rookie defenseman in league history.

Hutson is the favorite to win the Calder trophy, having earned more points than anyone, including forwards like Matvei Michkov and Macklin Celebrini, who both earned 63 points in their first season.

Hutson’s 66 points are also 53 more than the next best rookie defenseman.

Moreover, the young defenseman is one of the main reasons the Canadiens are currently in the playoffs. His game vision and puck control make him a threat every time he’s on the ice, and he’s managed to transform the Habs’ offense.

Not bad for a 21-year-old.

In fact, according to Pierre McGuire, Lane Hutson will be better than Quinn Hughes.

In this excerpt, McGuire also compares the way the Habs defenseman controls the game to that of Brian Leetch, no less!

Going back to Hughes, it’s still a big statement because he’s currently one of the best defensemen in the league. Not to mention he had a 92-point season in 2023-2024.

And if we compare the two players after their rookie season? Both defensemen had played a few games with their respective teams before starting their rookie season.

Hughes played 5 and then 68 games, earning a total of 56 points, or 0.82 points per game.

On the other hand, Hutson had 2 and then 82 games for a total of 68 points, or 0.81 points per game.

It’s very similar.

And I think it’s a very good sign for Hutson. It’s hard to say if he’ll be “better” than Hughes at this point in his career, but I’d be happy with “almost as good” as Hughes, that’s already a good start!

Overtime

– It’s still tight!

– The choice has fallen!

– The Rocket won 5-4 in overtime.

– The Jets are coming back!

– Not a great stat for the Leafs.

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Cole Caufield : Trevor Timmins has finally drafted a 70-point player with the Canadiens

Trevor Timmins, who joined the Canadiens in 2002 as the director of player development, as well as holding the position of amateur draft director and assistant general manager, has left a rather mixed record during his 20 years in charge of the team’s draft.

Despite a few good picks, many of his selections have been quite disappointing. Over two decades, Carey Price is probably the only true superstar that Timmins was able to draft.

In his defense, the scout did not have the benefit of as good draft positions as the new management, as he only picked in the top 5 three times in 20 years (twice in third place and once in fifth place).

In comparison, the new management has already picked in the top 5 three times in three years (one first choice and two fifth choices).

Nevertheless, the Habs can currently benefit from the best offensive pick of Timmins: Cole Caufield.

This season, the American forward broke his personal records for goals with 37 and for points with 70. This performance is also the best achieved by a forward drafted by Trevor Timmins.

When you think about it, it’s really not a great statistic. No player with over 70 points per year in two decades shows how Carey Price didn’t have much offensive support throughout his career.

And for those who wonder, Max Pacioretty, despite campaigns of 37 and 39 goals, had two seasons of 67 points for his best total.

Let’s say it’s not a very impressive performance for the former Habs scout.

However, before criticizing the old management, let’s remember that two of the current stars who are at the heart of the Habs’ success are a legacy of the old management.

Caufield, whom we just talked about, but also Nick Suzuki. Both players have just had their best season in their careers.

In Suzuki’s case, it was possibly the best trade made by Marc Bergevin, which brought him to Montreal along with Tomas Tatar and a second-round pick in exchange for Max Pacioretty.

And despite everything, I think we should thank the old management for the presence of these two players with the Canadiens.

Overtime

– Cole Hutson?

– The Rocket is in action tonight.

– The starting lineup of CF Montreal.

– Contract extension for Ty Emberson.

– Papa Ohtani!

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Emil Heineman : only two points in 2025

In the playoffs, unless you’re the Edmonton Oilers, it’s quite rare for a team to go far with only the production of their star players.

Generally, it takes secondary production, and therefore help from depth players, to score important goals and take pressure off the shoulders of the top line.

And with the Montreal Canadiens, that’s exactly what it will take if the team wants to make noise in the playoffs.

Obviously, most of the offense will have to come from the top line, and especially from Nick Suzuki.

But outside of the top line, other players will have to produce, and that’s where a fourth line can be crucial in a series.

Luckily, the Habs have a good one, which has been able to take matters into their own hands for the Canadiens a few times this season.

And a big part of this success is due to the excellent work of Emil Heineman, who we all love.

He’s a hard-working player with a very physical and intense style of play, which always pleases the Habs fans.

Plus, he has an excellent shot.

The problem is that despite loving Heineman and his style of play, in the playoffs, the young Swede will also have to produce.

Because since the Four Nations Tournament, Heineman has only one assist (March 18 against the Senators) in 21 games.

The Habs’ number 51 hasn’t scored since January 3 in Chicago. He has only two points in 26 games in 2025.

Of course, we mustn’t forget that Heineman was hit by a car in January, but still, since he’s been back to full health, the Swede has struggled to produce.

We don’t talk about it much because Heineman is a fourth-line player, and because he contributes a lot to the team outside of the scoresheet, but still: Heineman will have to find a way to produce in the playoffs.

Heineman has an excellent shot, but recently, he’s been missing his chances to score.

He has 10 goals in 62 games this season (and eight assists), but it’s in the first half of the season that he was playing well.

In short, the Swede is a player that everyone loves, and who helps the team win thanks to his forechecking, physicality, and intensity, but he’ll have to produce and help his line produce again.

Jake Evans and Joel Armia have also been struggling since the Four Nations Tournament and will have to give more.

We know Armia is injured in the wrist, but still, he’ll have to find a way to contribute more, just like Evans, and this could be through better finishing from Heineman.

In Overtime

– This will be a nice duel to watch.

– Very cool!

 

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– Note that.

– Zayne Parekh will not play with the Flames’ affiliate team in the playoffs.

– The Pacers win the first game of the 2025 NBA playoffs.

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The Habs will have to deal with a strong smell of renovations in their locker room in Washington

Monday evening, the Canadiens will be in Washington to face the Capitals. This will be the very first game of the first-round series between the two teams.

But that, unless you live under a rock, you probably knew.

What you may not have known, however, is that right now, there’s action at the Capital One Arena. In fact, the home of the Capitals wants to give itself a makeover, and the plan is to see renovations being carried out over the next three offseasons.

Now, Dave Lévesque went to take a look around… and in reading his article (TVA Sports), what we understand is that renovations have already begun, even if the Capitals’ season is not over yet.

And according to him, what’s particularly striking is the very bad smell of glue and paint in the visitors’ locker room.

Lévesque even goes so far as to compare it all to a technique that a team might deliberately use to try to distract their opponent. A bit like the old alarm clock in the middle of the night at the hotel where the opposing team is staying, that kind of thing.

Via his X account, the son of the Capitals’ owner explained that the current renovations are mainly aimed at allowing the renovations that will take place this summer to be done as quickly as possible. We’re talking about a three-year project, and we don’t want to delay too much.

However, it’s pretty clear that it’s quite strange to see an NHL arena about to host playoff games undergoing such work. Beyond the smell, there are parts of the arena that are clearly under construction, including some that can be seen directly from the stands.

It’s almost as if the Capitals, who were recently considering moving to Virginia (a project that won’t come to fruition, however), hadn’t planned on making the playoffs this season.

We’ll see if the bad smells will affect the Habs, but that’s all part of the game. Let’s put it down to the home advantage, shall we.

Overtime

– Zeev Buium will play with the Wild in the playoffs. He’ll be in the lineup tomorrow.

– Cole Caufield likes what he sees from Ivan Demidov.

– The players of the Habs are excited for the game on Monday, according to Kaiden Guhle.

– Nice moment.

– Pole position for Max Verstappen.

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“The best trio in the NHL”: the Capitals’ coach praises the Habs’ first line

There are barely more than 48 hours left to wait before the start of the series between the Habs and the Capitals. This will be, in Montreal, the first time since 2021 that we will see the team play playoff hockey.

Yes, it has been a long time.

And of course, this means that members of each team are being questioned about their opponent. Yesterday, for example, Martin St-Louis praised the Capitals by saying that, in his opinion, the Capitals were the best team in the league.

Whether he really thinks this or not, this is the answer to give to avoid getting the other team riled up. Think about Patrik Laine’s comments, which had pumped up the Blue Jackets in December… and let’s hope that these comments won’t have the same effect on Alex Ovechkin.

And today, it’s Spencer Carbery, the Capitals’ head coach, who was questioned about the Habs’ top line… and he imitated his counterpart in Montreal:

Since the Four Nations Tournament, we’ve seen them as the best line in the league. – Spencer Carbery

And Carbery didn’t stop there: in addition to the top line, he also praised the team’s other forwards, including Ivan Demidov.

The Capitals’ coach claims he is aware that the Alex Newhook line, if deployed in the offensive zone, can do some damage.

Just like MSL, then, Carbery didn’t want to rile up the players on the other side. He preferred to be kind and avoid giving extra motivation to a line that, objectively, has been among the best for two months, as well as the rest of the forward group.

That being said, we’ll have to remind Carbery that the Habs’ Hutson is not named Cole, but Lane. In his speech, he himself acknowledged that he tends to mix up the two (because he often thinks of Cole Hutson, the Capitals’ prospect), and he made the mistake again when talking about the impact of Cole Lane Hutson in helping the Nick Suzuki line.

I imagine that talking about the line on which Cole Caufield plays while talking about Hutson didn’t help, hehe.

In any case, the Habs’ top line must not be lulled to sleep by Carbery’s kind words. If the Tricolore wants to play a trick on the Capitals in the first round, they will need their top line, which has been excellent for two months, to play big hockey. The three guys must come out with their knives sharpened.

And if Cole Lane Hutson can help them, all the better.

Overtime

– Wow.

– The Rocket’s possible playoff scenarios.

– Here is the schedule for the first game of each series.

– That’s the right attitude to have.

– What matters is that he’s talking hockey!

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Ivan Demidov who wears the number 93: he knows it’s the year of the last Stanley Cup

For the second time in his 2024-2025 season, Ivan Demidov is on the verge of the playoffs. He has therefore been in playoff mode for a few weeks.

How much will this help him manage the stress of the playoffs in the NHL? The fact that he has only two games of experience in the Bettman circuit? The fact that he arrived late in the campaign?

We’ll see on the ice. But in the meantime, he’s doing what it takes to prepare.

The pressure on him (the fans are counting on him, he’s one of the stories to follow in the first round due to the matchup against Alex Ovechkin, etc.) right now is enormous.

He will therefore really have to focus on hockey to be at his best.

And that’s why, knowing how important #91 is to him, seeing him not make a big deal about it because he’s getting a new number (93) is a good thing in my eyes.

If he sees that #91 becomes available (this summer?), he’ll see what he does. But for now, he’s happy to wear the 93. #ForTheMoment

He is also aware that the last Stanley Cup in the history of the club was in 1993. And for now, he is happy to wear this number with the club in view of the playoffs.

I still expect it to change this summer, but we’ll see about that in due time.

Demidov says he is comfortable with Patrik Laine and Alex Newhook, who has been his center for the last two games and one of his partners in five-on-four play.

Clearly, the attention will be on him next Monday evening. We’ll see how #93 responds, as he seems to be focused on what’s happening on the ice more than anything else right now.

Overtime

– The passion of the fans is unmatched.

– An important mark.

– To note.

– Oh yeah?

– It changes everything.

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First round: experts like (a lot) more the chances of the Habs than the Panthers

It’s in just a few hours that the NHL series will take off.

Let’s remind that tonight, we will have the right to two duels in the West.

At the habs, it’s Monday night that it will get underway. That being said, one series will start even later: the Panthers and the Lightning will start their series on Tuesday.

And talking about these two series, there’s something that’s quite particular. This morning, The Athletic published its predictions for the series, asking its experts to predict the first-round series.

What we notice is that the habs are obviously neglected, but that there are still 23.5% of experts who see Montreal surprising Washington. And that’s more than the Panthers, who only 17.6% of experts see beating the Lightning.

All this is surprising given that, even if the Lightning is a big challenge, the Panthers are still the reigning champions. The team made it to the finals in each of the last two seasons, but despite everything, The Athletic experts deem it less likely to see them beat the Lightning than to see the habs beat the Eastern champions.

This is surprising, especially since they are not alone.

Sportsnet had 18 of its experts do the same exercise… and only two of them see the Panthers winning. And there are seven who see the habs beating the Capitals.

This demonstrates how much the Capitals, despite their monstrous regular season, are not seen as a big threat like the Lightning, for example. Seeing the habs being paired with the Metropolitan teams in the playoffs is an advantage.

And finally, the EA Sports simulation on NHL 25 sees both the habs and the Panthers winning in the first round. That being said, the game sees the Panthers’ journey end in the second round… while it sees the habs making it to the Eastern finals.

All this to get swept by the Maple Leafs, who will win the Stanley Cup according to the game’s simulation.

In Overtime

– David Reinbacher will be ready for the series (in Laval).

– Ivan Demidov confirms that Lane Hutson is his personal driver.

– What a season for Florian Xhekaj.

– I like that.

– What do you think?