Author: Dose

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It’s (really) cool that Lane Hutson made the trip to practice with Ivan Demidov

Even though he had the option to rest today since it was a day off, Lane Hutson still made the trip to Brossard.

Why?

Because… Ivan Demidov.

The Canadiens’ defenseman couldn’t skate with Demidov and the extras yesterday because he had to be ready for his game last night against the Leafs.

But today, he had the opportunity to join his new teammate for a few laps on the ice.. and he took advantage of the opportunity to do so.

Again, it’s worth noting that the Canadiens players have the day off today.

Lane didn’t have to jump on the ice this morning: he could have stayed home eating cereal and watching Netflix, lounging on his couch.

That’s what I would do on a day off. But Lane Hutson was eager to practice with Ivan Demidov:

The two guys completed a few exercises together – Arber Xhekaj was also there – and they were spotted by my colleague Charles-Alexis Brisebois chatting before leaving the ice.

They want to develop a certain chemistry before playing together in a game and that’s logical.

These two are likely to spend several years together: might as well get to know each other now to make things easier, right?

(Credit: Charles-Alexis Brisebois, who was on site this morning in Brossard)

Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov have the talent and skills to become the new faces of the organization.

I think they know it… and they want to take advantage of it now to build a relationship for the next few years.

So much the better. And I also want to say this: Lane Hutson being there for Demidov, it’s worth noting because it can help the Russian get used to his new market and environment.

Lane Hutson is only 21 years old, but he’s acting like a veteran right now.

In Overtime

– Demidov was in shape, by the way, this morning.

– I love it.

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Ivan Demidov jumped on the ice in Brossard this morning

The Canadiens lost to the Leafs last night.

And after the match, the club announced that there was a day off on the menu for the guys today.

But that didn’t stop Ivan Demidov – who didn’t play last night – from jumping onto the ice. He took his first strides on Quebec soil.

Roles are reversed: today, it was colleague Charles-Alexis Brisebois who was on site in Brossard to monitor Demidov.

He posted a video on Twitter where we see Demidov doing laps on the ice, as he was just getting on the ice:

Notably, without much surprise, several fans showed up to see Demidov skate this morning.

Also notable is that Lane Hutson and Arber Xhekaj skated as well:

More details to come…

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Visit of the Blackhawks on Monday night at the Bell Centre: a trap game

When we see that the Montreal Canadiens’ chances of making the playoffs are currently at 98.7%, we shouldn’t be worried.

However, nothing is done yet, and as long as that percentage is not at 100%, everything can collapse for the Habs.

The Habs have already missed two great opportunities to secure their playoff spot this weekend, and therefore, nothing guarantees they will succeed in doing so in their last two games.

The chances are very slim, almost impossible, to see the Canadiens get overtaken by the Columbus Blue Jackets, but as long as we’re not at the finish line, many things can still happen.

The ideal scenario, even if it’s less respectable than winning to secure their spot, would be for the Blue Jackets to lose tonight at 5:30 PM against the Capitals in Washington.

This would remove all unnecessary pressure and stress from the Habs’ and their fans’ shoulders.

However, even if the Capitals are a much better team, the Blue Jackets are playing with the energy of despair, and that’s dangerous, as we saw yesterday when Columbus won 7-0 against the same Caps.

We can therefore expect the Blue Jackets to win again and force the Habs to qualify on their own.

And so, if the Blue Jackets win tonight, all eyes will be on tomorrow’s game, when the Chicago Blackhawks will visit the Bell Centre.

On paper, the Habs should win this game easily and secure their playoff spot.

However, this is clearly a trap game.

The Blackhawks have nothing to lose, while the Habs have everything to lose.

The Habs will play in front of their fans against a bad team, and Ivan Demidov will likely make his NHL debut.

This will be a highly emotional game, and it could play in favor of the Hawks, who have no pressure and are playing well right now.

They have two wins in their last four games, and last night, they put up a good fight against the best team in the NHL, eventually losing 5-4 in overtime.

(Credit: ESPN.com)

So, everything is in place for the Hawks to play spoilers and not give the Habs an easy win.

Briefly, if the Blue Jackets win tonight, the Habs must be more than ready for Monday and give it their all without taking a single fraction of a second lightly in this game against the second-worst team in the NHL.

Martin St-Louis must prepare his team as best he can, because they simply cannot afford to choke their playoff spot.

Overtime

– To follow if the Habs qualify.

– Here are the playoff qualification scenarios for the day.

– The Maple Leafs can confirm their title in the Atlantic Division tonight.

– The Winnipeg Jets can win the Presidents’ Trophy tonight with a win against the Oilers.

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In the silence, it’s been three games since we’ve been waiting to see Lane Hutson break Chelios’ record

Since the beginning of the season, Lane Hutson has impressed us almost every time he’s on the ice.

The fans of the Canadiens de Montreal say every time how lucky the habs are to have him among their ranks.

Hutson never ceases to amaze and, above all, he broke several records and several impressive marks for a rookie defenseman.

However, there is one record that Hutson has been close to for a few games now, but which we haven’t talked about all week.

In fact, in the silence, we’ve been waiting for three games for Hutson to break Chris Chelios’ record (64 points) for the most points by a defenseman in his rookie season.

Hutson tied Chelios’ mark by scoring his 64th point of the season last Sunday in the habs’ 2-1 win over the Nashville Predators, and since then, nothing.

The habs’ number 48 hasn’t gotten any points all week, and that’s three games he’s missed the opportunity to break Chelios’ record.

Yet, nobody’s talking about this record this week, while the media’s and the Tricolore fans’ attention is completely focused on other things.

Do you have any idea where all this attention is currently focused?

Bingo. On Ivan Demidov.

In fact, since Tuesday, or since the announcement that Ivan Demidov would be joining the Montreal Canadiens, nobody’s been talking about Lane Hutson.

It’s the first time this season that the fans of the habs are looking at another sensational rookie.

All season, Hutson has been the talk of the town for the Tricolore, but everything has changed now.

Hutson is one point away from becoming the best rookie defenseman in Montreal Canadiens history, but we’re talking more about Ivan Demidov this week.

We can even add that Hutson is close to breaking another record, namely the most assists in a season for a rookie defenseman, as he is three assists away from breaking Larry Murphy’s record.

In short, Hutson is making history, and we mustn’t forget that, even if we’re all very excited to see Demidov in action.

Imagine if Hutson broke Chelios’ record this Monday by serving a great pass to Ivan Demidov for his first goal in the NHL.

It would be simply magical.

Overtime

– Gabriel Landeskog scored his first goal in three years last night. It was his first career goal in the American League.

– The Sharks are guaranteed to have the best chances of getting the first overall pick in the next draft.

– Marc-Andre Fleury is always so funny.

–

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Ivan Demidov would have shot, him

For a second time in as many nights, the Montreal Canadiens failed to confirm their place in the playoffs.

Even though they got a point in their 1-0 loss to the Maple Leafs in Toronto, the Habs still don’t have a little x next to their name in the standings.

Despite everything, the Habs still have 98.7% chances of making the playoffs.

So, it’s not the end of the world to have lost last night to the Leafs, but still, it’s a shame the Habs can’t confirm their playoff spot, which would relieve everyone.

Even if the Red Wings, Islanders, and Rangers were eliminated last night, the Columbus Blue Jackets are still alive, and the Habs must not give them a chance to come back, or else things could turn ugly.

And if the Canadiens want to avoid a catastrophic end to their season, they’ll have to find a way to get more shots on goal.

Last night, it was pathetic how Martin St-Louis’ team couldn’t even get a shot on goal, while the Habs were missing the target on every attempt.

Seven shots after two periods is unacceptable, especially in front of Ivan Demidov, who would have shot on goal if he had played.

Obviously, I know Demidov wouldn’t have played last night, but still, he needs to be given time to arrive, and watching the Habs last night, it was clear they lacked the offensive talent to at least reach the net, which Demidov would have been able to do.

The Habs didn’t play a bad game, as they managed to contain the Maple Leafs’ attack for 60 minutes (thanks to Jakub Dobes), but getting only 15 shots on 57 attempts is pathetic.

When compared to the Maple Leafs, they attempted exactly the same number of shots, 57, but they hit the target 35 times, forcing Jakub Dobes to be the renaissance of Carey Price.

In short, the Habs need to shoot more, and those shots can’t just come from the top line, which got 10 of the 15 shots on goal in the entire game last night.

Caufield had five, Suzuki had three, and Slafkovsky had two.

The shot distribution needs to be more varied, because it’s not normal that 10 players didn’t even get a shot on goal.

More shots need to come from the point and therefore from the defensemen. Only Alexandre Carrier (1) and Lane Hutson (1) hit the net last night, which is way too little.

Directing shots on goal from the point is always a good threat and a good opportunity to score if the goalie is screened, and therefore, the Habs’ defensemen need to generate more offense.

It’s not normal that only one defenseman (Lane Hutson) has scored since March 11. Two goals from the defensemen in over a month is not enough.

In short, let’s hope the Habs will fix the situation by Monday, and that Ivan Demidov will be part of the solution.

Overtime

– We all hope for a Blue Jackets loss in Columbus. We’ll all be Capitals fans tonight.

– Recall in Tampa.

– A first championship in their history for Western Michigan.

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Top-5 : the Wild did not dress Fleury in what would have been his last game of the regular season

There are not many games left before the start of the playoffs, and therefore, each matchup is generally of great importance for the standings.

Yesterday, several teams played for their survival, while others fought to retain their spot or even move up in the standings.

Here are the highlights of the day in the National Hockey League.

1. Wild changes strategy and sends Gustavsson into the fray instead of Fleury

The Minnesota Wild is fighting for a playoff spot, as they haven’t been able to confirm their place yet, given that the Calgary Flames refuse to give up.

Every game and every point is crucial, and the Wild can’t afford any more mistakes like the one on Friday, when they lost to the Flames.

This means making tough decisions, such as taking away Marc-Andre Fleury’s chance to play his last regular season game of his career.

In fact, Fleury was supposed to play yesterday against the Vancouver Canucks, but the Wild changed their mind and decided to send Filip Gustavsson into the fray instead.

The Wild is fighting for the playoffs, and John Hynes decided to send his number one goalie into a very important game.

It’s a shame for Fleury, especially for his five friends who made the trip to see him play his last game, but the Wild needs to give themselves every chance.

In the end, the Wild won 3-2 in overtime against the Canucks and now has a serious option for a playoff spot with 98.3% chance of qualifying.

Notably, the Canucks’ fans took the time to applaud Fleury for his last appearance in Vancouver.

 

2. Stars vs Avalanche: a promising series

With the Winnipeg Jets’ 5-4 shootout win over the Chicago Blackhawks and the Dallas Stars’ 5-3 loss to the Utah Hockey Club, a series has been confirmed.

The Jets have been crowned Central Division champions, which confirmed the matchup between the 2nd and 3rd place teams in the same division.

We will have a very interesting duel in the first round, as the Dallas Stars will face the Colorado Avalanche.

This will be an exciting series between two big teams, and it will be even more interesting to watch given that Miko Rantanen will face his former team.

The Finnish forward, who signed with Dallas for eight years after a huge saga with the Carolina Hurricanes, will face all his former teammates in the first round.

This will be very interesting to watch, as the series could really go either way.

Personally, I’m taking the Avalanche in seven games.

3. Oilers vs Kings: Chapter 4

Here’s another series that was confirmed last night with the Vegas Golden Knights’ 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators.

The Golden Knights confirmed they were Pacific Division champions, which officially confirmed the matchup between the 2nd and 3rd place teams in the division.

And for the fourth consecutive year, the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings will face off in the first round of the playoffs.

We’re all a bit tired of seeing these two teams face off in the first round, but for once, the outcome could be different.

In fact, the Kings seem more threatening than ever, while the Oilers are not as dominant and have several injured players, including Mattias Ekholm, who could miss the entire playoffs.

In short, for the first time in four years, I’m giving the advantage to the Kings.

4. A nice sequence by Adam Fantilli

The Columbus Blue Jackets refuse to give up and remain the only ones in the playoff hunt in the East with the Montreal Canadiens.

Yesterday, they played for their survival against the powerful Washington Capitals and won 7-0.

The Blue Jackets gave it their all, and it paid off with a surprising result.

And in this game, we had a nice sequence by young Adam Fantilli, who served a violent hit on Ryan Leonard before scoring his 26th goal of the season.

Leonard seemed stunned on the sequence, while Fantilli scored a beautiful goal.

The 20-year-old is having a great season with 50 points, including 27 goals, in 79 games.

5. Jesse Puljujarvi scores his first goal with the Panthers

Yes, he still exists!

Jesse Puljujarvi still plays in the NHL, believe it or not, and this time it’s with the Florida Panthers.

The former fourth overall pick in 2016 by the Edmonton Oilers still hasn’t left the NHL, as a team always seems to give him a chance.

And who knows, maybe he’ll find his place with the Panthers.

In any case, last night, he scored his first goal with the Panthers, which was also his first point in three games with the team.

 

Overtime

– Here are all the results from the previous day.

– Here are the top scorers from the previous day.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Today’s schedule: nine games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
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25 saves, one goal allowed and a win for Jacob Fowler in his professional debut

Tonight, we obviously had to watch the Canadiens’ game, who finally lost in overtime.

But we also had to take a look at the Rocket’s game from time to time. Why? Because Jacob Fowler was making his professional debut. He made a good first impression by stopping 25 of the 26 shots directed at him.

He allowed a goal in the Rocket’s win. Welcome to pro hockey, Jacob!

In the first period, he only stopped six shots, but three of those shots were dangerous.

He was extremely solid and for a guy who had never played pro hockey before, he looked very calm and composed. A future Carey Price?

In the second period, with his team leading 2-0, the goalie allowed his first goal.

Certainly not his last…

During this second engagement, the Crunch dominated, but after the goal, Fowler didn’t feel sorry for himself and allowed his team to return to the locker room with the lead.

And in the third period, he closed the door once again and thus won his first professional game.

Will we see him again before the end of the season?

Laval has three more games to play.

Riley Kidney and Lucas Condotta took care of the offense, though.

Overtime

– A forgotten prospect.

– It’s over for Alec Martinez.

– Oh well.

– To follow.

– Beautiful tribute.

– A Hutson is heading to Edmonton, after all.

– Anyway.

– The Lions know their opponent in the first round.

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Race to the playoffs: only the Blue Jackets are still alive against the Habs

For the second evening in a row, the Canadiens failed to qualify for the playoffs. The loss – in overtime – to the Maple Leafs tonight means that the habs, who have forgotten how to shoot, can still be overtaken in the standings.

That being said, the fact that they earned a point in overtime (thanks to Jakub Dobes) means that the Red Wings can no longer surpass the Canadiens in the standings. Detroit is eliminated… just like the two New York teams.

In fact, the standings are simple right now: the Blue Jackets are the only team that can still hope to overtake the Canadiens in the standings to make the playoffs in the East.

(Credit: NHL.com)

As can be seen, the Blue Jackets are five points behind the habs and have three games left to play before the end of the season. The habs have two games left: Monday against the Blackhawks and Wednesday against the Hurricanes. Both are home games for the habs.

The Blue Jackets have two ways to make the playoffs.

  • See the habs get one point before the end of the season and see the Blue Jackets win three regular season games
  • See the habs lose their last two regular season games and see the Blue Jackets win three games

This means that if the Blue Jackets lose tomorrow (in overtime or not), the habs will be officially qualified for the playoffs. And this, even if the Habs have no game scheduled for tomorrow.

Here is the Blue Jackets’ schedule for the rest of the season.

(Credit: NHL.com)

The habs did not help themselves over the weekend, but they are still in the driver’s seat with a five-point lead just a few days before the end of the regular season.

But the Habs are not guaranteed to make the playoffs at this point.

It should be noted that the habs have two more regular season wins than the Blue Jackets, which is the first tiebreaker in case of a tie. The second tiebreaker is regular season and overtime wins… and there, the habs have a good lead: 37 against 31.

So tomorrow, we will have to watch the Capitals and Blue Jackets game. The game will be broadcast on TVA Sports at 6 p.m.

overtime

– The habs can no longer overtake the Senators in the standings because if the two teams have 92 points, the tiebreaker belongs to the Senators. And since the Capitals are guaranteed to finish first in the East, it’s Washington or no playoffs for the Habs.

– We’ll see if Ivan Demidov’s first game in Montreal (likely on Monday) will be important for the playoffs or not.

– The habs are at risk of making the playoffs and the Flames are at risk of missing them. The Canucks won’t be there and the other four Canadian teams (Jets, Oilers, Maple Leafs, and Senators) will be.

– Martin St-Louis’ advice? Keep looking ahead.

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The Canadiens unable to qualify in a loss against Toronto

The Canadiens could have qualified yesterday by defeating the Ottawa Senators. Unfortunately, they didn’t succeed.

As early as tonight, in Toronto this time, Montreal could bounce back.

Here are the lineups:

What we had to watch was the start of the game.

In recent games, it wasn’t going well for Martin St-Louis’ team.

Luckily, they didn’t allow a goal in the first moments. In fact, they didn’t allow any in the first period.

A very conservative period and after 20 minutes, it was 0-0.

In the second period, with the score still tied, Kaiden Guhle accepted Max Domi’s invitation.

Guhle had just given two good hits to the opponents.

Like the first period, no goal was scored in the second.

Montreal had only seven shots…

The real hero of the game is Jakub Dobes. He made several spectacular saves.

He’s not perfect, but he’s a fighter!

He reminds me a bit of Jordan Binnington.

In overtime, he couldn’t do anything about Mitch Marner’s goal, however. It’s still thanks to him that his team earned a point.

Final score: 1-0 Leafs.

Martin St-Louis’ team will continue their season on Monday against Chicago. Probably Ivan Demidov’s first game.

For the second consecutive evening, the habs are unable to qualify officially. They will be able to do so tomorrow if the Jackets lose to Washington.

Overtime

– It wasn’t a joke.

– It was close.

– It’s not the Centre Bell.

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When a Blue Jackets player continues to play even though he has been kicked out of the game

This afternoon, we had to watch the Capitals-Blue Jackets game.

Columbus finally crushed Washington with a score of 7-0 and Dean Evason’s club is still alive.

A funny moment occurred during the game. Dmitri Voronkov, who had an assist, was kicked out of the game, but still decided to stay on the ice.

The officials noticed a few moments later and this time, Voronkov understood the message.

The Russian’s goal was not necessarily to disobey, but apparently, he misunderstood, as his English is not good. In addition to the game misconduct, the Blue Jackets received a two-minute penalty on the sequence.

Luckily, Columbus was already leading 6-0…

It’s worth noting that Tom Wilson was also kicked out of the game in the first period for verbal abuse towards one of the officials.

With this victory, the Ohio club moved within four points of the Habs.

(Credit: NHL.com)

With the two losses by New York clubs, there are only three teams left in the playoff race in the East.

Montréal can still qualify tonight with a win in regulation.

In Overtime

– Not just in Montréal that we were watching this closely.

– Meanwhile, Ivan Demidov is at the game.

– Obviously.

– A live shot.

– Good.