Author: Dose

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41 goals allowed in 9 games: The Caps have the 9th worst defense in the NHL since February 1st

It’s not going super well for the Capitals lately.

The Washington formation played this afternoon against the Blue Jackets and even if some players were left out – including Alex Ovechkin -, the Jackets easily won the game with a score of 7-0.

The Caps have only three wins in their last nine games…

But it goes even further than that.

If the Capitals have only three wins in their last nine games… it’s also because they have conceded a total of 41 goals (!) during that period.

Statistician Guillaume Villemaire also reports that the team has the 9th worst defense in the NHL since February 1st.

As the series approaches, we’re starting to find flaws in this team. Adding to that the fact that Logan Thompson is injured right now and the team’s number one goalie hasn’t played since April 2nd…

It’s relevant to talk about it because the Canadiens risk not joining the Senators in the standings in the East.

And if the Habs get their ticket to the series without joining the Senators, they will face the Capitals in the first round of the playoffs.

Despite everything, we must not forget one thing: the Capitals have a big top-6 with players who have a big physical presence.

The Habs will have to be careful…

Being physical: the Canadiens’ mission against the Capitals

When we look at the Capitals’ formation on paper, it’s easy to notice one thing: the team relies on several players with a large physical presence.

On the top-6, we find…

  • Alex Ovechkin – 6’3″ and 238 pounds
  • Aliaksei Protas – 6’6″ and 247 pounds
  • Dylan Strome – 6’3″ and 196 pounds
  • Tom Wilson – 6’4″ and 225 pounds
  • Pierre-Luc Dubois – 6’4″ and 220 pounds
  • Connor McMichael – 6’0″ and 180 pounds

Taylor Raddysh (6’3″ and 200 pounds) and Brandon Duhaime (6’2″ and 210 pounds) are also two big players who play in a depth role.

The Capitals’ attack is not small, to put it mildly

And to neutralize the Capitals’ top-6, the Habs will have to find a way to be physical to destabilize the Washington formation.

Otherwise, the Caps will have fun against the Habs – especially in the offensive zone – because they have the assets to disrupt their opponents night after night.

But that’s also why the idea of inserting Arber Xhekaj into the formation makes sense.

The Canadiens must use the Sheriff in these moments… and they must trust him against a more physical team than the Habs.

Arber Xhekaj – following the return of Kaiden Guhle – has only participated in one of the Canadiens’ last seven games.

And without saying that his absence is sorely felt, we notice that the physical aspect is less present in the formation when he doesn’t play.

The Habs must exploit their strengths if they face a team like the Capitals in the playoffs.

Otherwise… what’s the point of having Arber Xhekaj if the Canadiens don’t take advantage of his qualities?

Xhekaj is not perfect and we all agree on that. But his presence on the ice disrupts other teams because he can be mean when needed.

And that’s where the Habs must take advantage… especially in the context where the team will need to hit in the series because we know how different it is.

Overtime

– Ouch.

– The guys are ready. I’m looking forward to seeing Fowler tonight!

– Note:

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Mitch Marner as defenseman against the Habs tonight : Craig Berube opens the door

Tonight, the Canadiens will face the Maple Leafs in Toronto. This will be the team’s last game on the road until the end of the regular season.

Let’s recall that even if Ivan Demidov skated this morning, he will not play tonight. He was with the extras this morning, including the poor Arber Xhekaj, whom he roughed up.

Now, tonight, the Habs will face a team that is in a funny situation. With Oliver Ekman-Larsson injured, the Maple Leafs only have five healthy defensemen… and they are too close to the salary cap to make a recall.

This means they will play with one less player… and since they will be missing a defenseman, coach Craig Berube has an idea in mind:

[Mitch Marner] is capable, if we need it, of giving us minutes [on defense]. – Craig Berube

What seems to be understood is that Marner will not be a defenseman per se tonight. However, it’s really hard to rule out the possibility of seeing him take at least a few shifts on the blue line.

We’ve already seen him do that in the past, after all, and he also does it on the power play for the Maple Leafs (even if it’s not the same game, we get it).

We know Marner has solid defensive instincts, which means he can fill in on the blue line in case of extreme emergency. That being said, we understand that it’s not optimal… and it could smile at the Habs, that.

Because with the Blue Jackets’ win, the Habs need to win in 60 minutes at most tonight if they want to secure their spot in the playoffs.

Let’s recall that the team would still have excellent chances of making the playoffs even if they lose tonight… but with the Blue Jackets not losing anymore, it would be a good thing for the Habs to settle it once and for all against the Maple Leafs in a few hours.

This would allow the guys to breathe until the start of the playoffs… and most importantly, it would allow Ivan Demidov to make his debut in a context where there will be much less pressure.

Overtime

– The Islanders are officially eliminated.

– Tough break for the Oilers: Mattias Ekholm may have played his last game in 2024-25.

– This statistic is still just as surreal.

– The Yankees need to put an end to the Marcus Stroman experiment.

– Do we like it or not?

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Hall of Fame: Ivan Demidov took pictures with young Québécois

Thursday evening, Ivan Demidov set foot in Toronto. The habs prospect, who skated with the team’s extras this morning (and completely destroyed Arber Xhekaj), took advantage of yesterday’s day to spend some time in Toronto.

The team was going to join him today anyway… and he had to recover from the time difference.

And during his day yesterday, his girlfriend shared photos of their visit to the Hall of Fame. He therefore saw the different trophies and the famous habs dressing room… but he also met some fans of the Canadiens.

As reported by the QMI Agency, three young Québécois adults were also at the Hall of Fame yesterday as part of a school trip… and they quickly recognized Demidov.

The young habs forward agreed to chat with them a bit and take a few photos with them.

The three young people, who were not even supposed to be at the Hall of Fame (they changed their itinerary to take a tour), were therefore lucky enough to meet the young forward, who took the time for them.

Maybe that will calm the ardor of the few people who thought Demidov was not grateful enough for the welcome committee that was waiting for him at the airport Thursday evening, that.

The good news is that according to the three young people, Demidov did not seem too destabilized by all this. He was very generous in all this, offering a few minutes to three fans who were happy to meet him.

So much the better, because if it happens in Toronto, imagine what it will be like when he arrives in Montreal. It’s the reality of being a player of his caliber in a market as crazy (in the good sense) as hockey.

Overtime

– The Capitals are not helping the habs’ cause today. Reminder: four points separate the habs from the Blue Jackets, but Montreal has the tiebreaker and can qualify with a win in regulation time tonight.

– He will almost certainly win the Jack Adams, him. Martin St-Louis risks getting a lot of votes anyway.

– Notice to interested parties.

– The two players who were waived yesterday were not claimed.

– Lando Norris had a difficult end to the session.

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Successful rebuild: thank you to Carey Price and Shea Weber

Champion teams often struggle to part with their valuable players at the end of their careers, with whom they have won everything.

It’s emotional. And there’s always that hope for one last victorious push, if...

This has been the case in Pittsburgh for over five years.

It also dragged on for too long in Chicago.

The Kings fared better by surrounding Kopitar and Doughty in a successful “reset on the fly” rather than a full rebuild. But will it be enough to become a legitimate contender again? To be continued this spring on your screens…

We could say almost the same about the Caps, who, while cleaning up their lineup and suffering some losses, managed to keep and better surround Ovechkin and Carlsson.

“Reset on the fly” and “bargain bin all in”

Unlike these four teams that have won the Stanley Cup at least nine times since the start of the millennium, the Canadiens have had to settle for two semifinals (2010 and 2014) and a final in 2021.

It’s better than the average of the bears over the last 25 years in a 30-32 team league, but these are modest results for a team with such a rich tradition of excellence.

The somewhat motley crew of 2021, assembled by Marc Bergevin and resulting from a mix of his “reset on the fly” and an “all-in” gamble of the “bargain bin” type, had its limitations and was not of the caliber to beat Tampa Bay.

The months that followed the 2021 final were among the most painful in the history of the team.

The premature retirements of two “hall of famers” with broken bodies: Weber and Price.

A completely burnt-out GM.

A depressed team that finds itself at the bottom of the NHL in no time.

When life gives you lemons…

But the last few months, let’s say, “risky” of Bergevin (loss of Danault, and Kotkaniemi, controversial selection of Mailloux, arrival of Dvorak, Hoffman, and Savard) combined with the sudden retirements of Weber and Price, have had the merit of clarifying the path to follow for Geoff Molson.

The solution was simple, and with all the lemons life was giving him, Geoff Molson chose to make lemonade.

He thus decided to finalize the reconstruction work begun in 2018 by Bergevin’s “reinitialization”.

After redoing part of the foundation and walls by getting Suzuki in return for Pacioretty, then selecting Caufield, Guhle, and no less than 38 players in the draft between 2018 and 2021, the time had come to deconstruct for a few seasons in order to rebuild even better.

But let’s go back to the retirements of captain Weber and the best goalie of his generation, Carey Price.

As we see with the Crosbys, Malkins, Letangs, Kanes, Keiths, Toews, Doughtys, and Kopitars, players who haven’t had as many injuries at 34-35 years old are generally still capable of helping their team for at least 3-4 more years.

During this period, teams rarely sink too low. More often than not, they stay in the pack or close to it, until it eventually implodes organically, as we’ve seen in Chicago and Pittsburgh.

The Kings and the Capitals have simply been more forward-thinking and proactive in managing their rosters, with rather encouraging results that we know today.

THE recipe

Thus, with Weber and Price still on the team over the last four years, as their contracts had planned, the Canadiens could also have likely stayed in the mix with teams like the Islanders, the Penguins, and the Red Wings.

But their retirement has greatly simplified things for the new managers Gorton and Hughes!

All they had to do was trade all the other assets whose trade value was higher than their use value, until the young players took real control of the team.

Not to mention the two other first-round picks in 2025, these retirements and the logical transactions that followed (Kulak, Toffoli, Lehkonen, etc.) have especially allowed them to draft three times in the top 5 for three consecutive years. Without forgetting the many second and third-round picks accumulated during this same period (Hutson, Beck, Fowler, etc.), it’s a proven recipe used by the Penguins, the Hawks, the Capitals, the Kings, the Lightning, and the Avalanche.

And to think that Reinbacher and Demidov haven’t even played a single game with the team yet!

So, once again, thank you to Price and Weber… and their big injuries!

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Practice: a sequence of Ivan Demidov that shows the extent of his talent

This morning, the habs extras skated in Toronto. Now, there was one extra who particularly caught attention: Ivan Demidov.

The kid was taking his first strides with the team since his arrival in Canada.

Of course, we wanted to see what he was made of. In a morning session with a handful of guys, it’s not the same game… but Demidov still found a way to shine.

We knew he was talented, but if Arber Xhekaj still had doubts, he learned it this morning: Demidov completely deked him with a beautiful feinte.

He’s got hands, the young one.

Of course, the conditions are not the same as in a game situation, and even if Xhekaj is an nhl defenseman, we’re not talking about an elite defenseman. That being said, even if he still has to prove it in a game context, we can clearly see that the young man’s talent is undeniable.

It’s no wonder people are eager to see him: he steals the show on the ice.

Beyond his beautiful deke, we also saw Demidov develop some chemistry with Emil Heineman. This can always be useful.

Let’s remember, once again, that he won’t play tonight. He hasn’t even practiced with the whole group yet.

That being said, don’t be really surprised if he’s in action at the Centre Bell on Monday night. This is, at the moment, the most likely scenario.

Overtime

– We suspected as much, but it’s now official.

– Very cool.

– Interesting.

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Ivan Demidov skated with the extras this morning

Thursday evening, Ivan Demidov arrived in Canada. The young Russian, who arrived in Toronto, did not join the Habs in Ottawa, enjoying the city of Toronto a bit yesterday before the rest of the team came to pick him up today.

And this morning, as the Habs held a morning session for the extras, we wondered if we would see the kid jump onto the ice…

And that’s what happened.

We knew the young player would not play tonight, so the chances of seeing him jump onto the ice to take a few practice shots with some of his teammates were not null.

And in the end, it was with Emil Heineman, Arber Xhekaj, and Joshua Roy that he skated this morning.

Otherwise, note that Demidov jumped onto the ice a few seconds after the rest of the group… and that Xhekaj seemed really happy to see him.

He even went to “help” his teammate jump onto the ice.

More details to come…

Overtime

Let’s recall that tonight, without surprise, Jakub Dobes will be in front of the Habs’ net.

And on the other side, it’s Anthony Stolarz who will defend the Maple Leafs’ net.

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“Another unacceptable start” : Martin St-Louis is fed up

Again last night, the Canadiens from Montreal had a very poor start.

Martin St-Louis’ team had a horrible beginning of the game, which quickly cost them two goals.

The Habs therefore had to play from behind again, and this time, there was no spectacular or last-minute comeback.

It had been several games that the Habs had experienced the same kind of first period, but managed to get out of it with two points despite everything.

Last night, the outcome was different, and honestly, I think it’s a good thing, because the team needed a “wake-up call”.

It’s unacceptable to always start the game by being dominated in this way, and Martin St-Louis himself mentioned it after the game.

The head coach seemed really tired and fed up with this kind of performance from his team, and we can understand why.

St-Louis gave very short answers and didn’t seem happy at all, which shows how the sequence of six consecutive wins was not perfect and not entirely deserved.

The Habs were lucky in several of their recent games, considering the fact that the team has not scored in the first period for five games.

Yes, the Habs have not scored a single goal in the first period in their last five games.

Even worse, last night’s game represented the 13th consecutive game where the Habs went to the dressing room without the lead after one period.

St-Louis has every reason to be upset and disappointed with his team, and that’s despite the fact that the Habs still have 98% chance of making the playoffs this morning.

It’s unacceptable to always start a game by being dominated in this way, and it will have to change if the Habs want to hope to perform in the playoffs this season.

The Habs cannot afford to keep starting their games from behind and always having to come back to win.

Comebacks are less common in the playoffs, and the Habs won’t always be able to get out of it by the skin of their teeth.

It will take games where a lead is built from the start of a game.

In short, last night’s loss was necessary, because it will put the Habs players’ minds back in place, so they can take a better pace for the end of the season and the playoffs.

Overtime

– Good news for the Panthers.

– A significant addition to the Hurricanes.

– Don’t miss tonight: the Frozen Four final.

– News from CF Montreal.

– So much the better.

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For Demidov, his talent will never be enough

The topic of the hour and I would even say the topic of the week and the weeks to come for the Canadiens in Montreal, is obviously Ivan Demidov.

The best prospect of the Habs and the best drafted prospect who was not yet playing in the NHL has finally arrived in Canada on Thursday evening, when a welcoming committee of Habs fans was waiting for him in Toronto.

We were on site, and this gave us some great images.

In short, Demidov is clearly the hottest and most important topic for everyone who follows the Canadiens in Montreal, and for good reason.

We know the incredible talent of the young Russian, which translates into an excellent shot, impressive hands, game vision and exceptional creativity, as well as above-average hockey intelligence.

That’s a lot of qualities, but none of these represent what’s most impressive about the new number 93 of the Habs.

Indeed, according to Daniel Bochner, the coach responsible for player development at SKA, what’s most impressive about Demidov is his work ethic.

This is what Bochner said in a generous interview with Anthony Martineau from TVA Sports.

For the SKA coach, Demidov’s success so far is no coincidence, and it’s largely due to his impressive work ethic.

Bochner would present himself at the arena on days off and Demidov was always there, whether on the ice, in the gym, in the puck-handling room, or in the shooting room.

Demidov never stops working, and you can see it through exclusive training videos in the TVA Sports article.

I invite you to go see these exclusive images.

Bochner also added that for Demidov, his talent will never be enough, and therefore, he can always improve and become better.

“Ivan is a 19-year-old guy who is very aware of his great talent. But for him, it will never be enough. His approach is incredible.” – Daniel Bochner

This is an incredible quality that can’t be bought, and that’s what makes Demidov’s future even more exciting and encouraging.

The Habs’ prospect is a worker who never wants to stop learning and improving, and who also has a golden attitude, as he doesn’t take himself for someone else while being determined to reach his goals and perform under pressure.

It’s no surprise that many see Demidov as being better than Matvei Michkov and as a player with more potential.

In short, the Montreal Canadiens have a gem in their hands, and they will have to take great care of it.

And in that regard, Bochner is not worried about Demidov in Montreal.

“The Canadiens have a group of high-quality coaches and their development staff is also excellent. Ivan will be well-surrounded, I’m sure.” – Daniel Bochner

Hats off to Kent Hughes for drafting him and especially for managing to bring him to Montreal right away.

It will be very interesting to see him in action, normally starting on Monday, and then, hopefully, in the playoffs.

In Overtime

– To read.

– Kucherov is really impressive.

– To watch today.

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Here are the qualification scenarios for the playoffs for the Habs today

Unfortunately, the Montreal Canadiens failed to confirm their place in the playoffs last night, as they did not achieve a win in regular time.

The Habs lost 5-2 to the Ottawa Senators and therefore could not officially secure their spot in the tournament.

However, it’s only a postponement for the Habs, as they could qualify as early as tonight.

The Canadiens will need to earn at least one point if they want to have a chance to officially make the playoffs tomorrow morning.

Qualifying without earning a single point is not a possibility, given that the Red Wings won last night.

If they had lost, and the Rangers, Blue Jackets, and Islanders had lost this afternoon, the Habs could have been qualified even before playing their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In short, it’s up to the Habs to fight to confirm their place, as there are several scenarios that would allow them to officially secure their spot in the playoffs.

If the Blue Jackets lose in any way to the Washington Capitals this afternoon, one point would be enough for the Habs to qualify for the playoffs.

However, if the Blue Jackets win, the Habs will also need to win tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Obviously, as was the case last night, a win in regular time would be ideal and would settle everything regardless of the result of the Blue Jackets’ game.

A win in overtime, on the other hand, would only be sufficient if the Blue Jackets also won their game in overtime.

In short, the Habs have their destiny in their hands, but they could still benefit from a little help from the Blue Jackets.

We can watch this game starting at 12:30 pm today, in addition to watching the New York Islanders face the Philadelphia Flyers at 12:30 pm, and the New York Rangers face the Carolina Hurricanes at 3 pm.

The Rangers and Islanders would be eliminated this afternoon if they lose in any way, and if they win, one point from the Habs would put an end to their hopes.

(Credit: NHL.com)

In short, the Canadiens need to eliminate these teams as soon as possible, in order to be able to play two more relaxed games next week, on Monday and Wednesday.

If the Habs are already qualified, they will be able to rest their best players in preparation for the playoffs, in addition to giving playing time without pressure to Ivan Demidov.

So, it would be important to qualify for the playoffs as soon as possible tonight.

‘In

– A beautiful win for the Rocket, courtesy of Cayden Primeau.

– Incredible.

– Very cool.

– The CF Montreal will play their first home game of the season tonight.

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Top-4 : the Flames refuse to die and come back in the playoff race

We had the right to only four other games yesterday, aside from the one by the Canadiens of Montreal, which ended in defeat against the Ottawa Senators.

Even if it’s not a large number of games, the majority of these matchups had great importance.

Here’s a summary of what we recall from this evening.

1. The Calgary Flames win a must-win game against the Wild

The playoff race in the West had pretty much ended with the incredible 12-win streak of the St. Louis Blues.

The Flames and the Canucks seemed to be left behind, which had logically put an end to the race.

However, the Flames never gave up and never let go, which is why they are now only three points away from the playoffs with a game in hand.

Last night, they had to absolutely win against the Wild, who were five points ahead of them.

And that’s exactly what they did, as they won 4-2.

The Flames have won their must-win game and are still very much alive in the playoff race. If they win their game in hand, they would be only one point behind the Blues and the Wild.

(Credit: NHL.com)

This will clearly be worth watching until the end of the season, as the Flames could very well cause a major turnaround.

Of course, the fans of the Montreal Canadiens must hope that the Flames do not make the playoffs, given that the Habs own the Flames’ first-round pick.

2. The Red Wings remain alive

By not winning in regulation time last night against the Senators, the Habs did not confirm their spot in the playoffs.

This allowed several teams to survive and not be eliminated immediately.

Among these teams are the Detroit Red Wings, who won 4-3 in overtime against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Wings are still alive, six points behind the Habs with three games left to play this season.

(Credit: NHL.com)

3. Gabriel Landeskog played his first game since 2022

The captain of the Colorado Avalanche has been on the sidelines since 2022, since the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup.

Landeskog has not played a game since Game 6 of that final, but he has never given up hope of a possible return to the game.

And yesterday, after almost three years without playing, Landeskog played his first professional game, as he played with the Avalanche’s minor league affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.

It’s worth noting that several of his teammates were on hand to watch him play and encourage him in his first game in 1020 days.

It’s really great to see Landeskog back, and it will be even better when he plays in the NHL playoffs.

In short, the Eagles won 2-0, and Landeskog explained after the game that he felt good and would see how his body reacts tomorrow to determine the next steps in his return to the game.

4. Jeff Skinner will participate in the playoffs for the first time in his career

For the first time in 15 years of his career, Jeff Skinner will participate in the NHL playoffs.

At 32 years old, Skinner will have played 1075 regular season games before finally getting a taste of the playoffs.

This was confirmed last night when the Edmonton Oilers secured their spot in the playoffs with a 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes.

Well done to Skinner, who is having a great career and deserves to experience the playoffs.

By the way, for the fourth year in a row, the Edmonton Oilers risk facing the Los Angeles Kings in the first round.

– Here are all the results from yesterday.

– Here are the top scorers from yesterday.

(Credit: NHL.com

– Today’s schedule in the NHL: 11 games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)