Author: Dose

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Ivan Demidov: second match in a row with a goal

The visit from Kent Hughes seems to have really benefitted Ivan Demidov.

After ending his stretch of 12 games without a goal on Thursday by scoring a beautiful goal in front of Kent Hughes, the Canadiens’ prospect was back in action today.

The SKA of Saint Petersburg faced the Admiral of Vladivostok starting at 9 AM this morning, and for the occasion, Ivan Demidov was listed on the team’s third line.

And for the second game in a row, Demidov found the back of the net, this time with a shot on the pass, marking his 8th goal of the season.

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Demidov thus scored a goal in a second consecutive game, which is really excellent for his confidence.

Kent Hughes’ trip to Russia seems to be bearing fruit as the young Russian prospect finds his rhythm after being benched by his coach for several games.

Demidov is getting increasingly acceptable ice time, as today, after two periods, he had already spent 9 minutes and 45 seconds on the ice.

In the past weeks, we had become accustomed to seeing this ice time after three periods, not two.

To give you an idea, during the last game, in which Demidov scored in front of Kent Hughes, the Canadiens’ prospect played a total of 9 minutes and 47 seconds in the game.

In short, things are looking better for Demidov right now, and we can only be excited and eager to see him in action next season in Montreal.

Quick Hits

– Indeed.

– Good news from the Blackhawks.

– That’s a good one.

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Emil Heineman has twice as many points as Alex Newhook.

Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images

Since the beginning of the Montreal Canadiens’ season, Emil Heineman has been playing truly excellent hockey.

The Swedish rookie has managed to carve out a place for himself in the regular roster in Montreal, and so far, all Canadiens fans agree that he is clearly a player in the National Hockey League.

Heineman always works hard, and he finds a way to make his presence felt every time he steps on the ice.

Even though he doesn’t play much, averaging 10 minutes and 53 seconds per game, Heineman is accumulating points at a very interesting rate, especially for a 23-year-old rookie.

With four points in his last four games, including two points last night against the Red Wings, the young Swede now has 12 points, including seven goals, in 31 games.

This is quite an interesting production, which would give Heineman 18 goals and 31 points over a complete 82-game season.

In short, for a guy who plays an average of ten minutes per game, and who was the only player under ten minutes last night (9:39), it’s a solid point haul, especially when compared to other Canadiens players.

Indeed, if we analyze the scoring leaders on the Canadiens, we see that Heineman has twice as many points as Alex Newhook.

(Credit: NHL.com)

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You read that right, Heineman has double the points of Newhook, who, let’s remember, still hasn’t recorded a single assist this season.

In the first instance, this shows just how effective and opportunistic Heineman is with his limited ice time.

In the second instance, it’s concerning for Newhook to have scored only six goals in 32 games, while playing an average of 15 minutes per game.

Heineman is bringing much more to the Canadiens than Newhook at the moment, and one can’t help but wonder when Heineman will finally get his chance in the top-6.

What’s the point of leaving Heineman on the fourth line when, in the meantime, Newhook isn’t producing for his teammates in the top-6?

In every game, the second line is the one we see the least, so why not try to energize that line by putting Heineman in?

In short, this is something to watch going forward, but seriously, hats off to Heineman, who is really making a name for himself with the Montreal Canadiens, as his work is highly appreciated by fans.

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Turning back to yesterday’s game, aside from Heineman’s great performance and Evans’, here are my key takeaways from the match.

1. Patrik Laine always finds a way to be “clutch”.

For the second game in a row, Laine scored the winning goal for the Canadiens.

But let’s say that yesterday, it was even more important, as the Tricolore came back in the third period to ultimately win by one goal.

Laine needed just one opportunity on the power play to give the Canadiens the lead.

It’s worth noting that it was a historic goal, as Laine is the first player to score seven power-play goals in his first eight games with a new team.

2. Alexandre Carrier had a solid first game in the Bleu Blanc Rouge jersey.

The Quebec defenseman made a good impression, as he played a solid, calm game, which is his trademark.

Martin St-Louis liked the game of his newcomer.

3. 

In Brief

– To be continued.

– Nikolai Kovalenko was not expecting to be traded, let alone to the Sharks. [Responsible Gambler]

– Ouch.

– He is dominant.

– This is excellent.

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Perfect performance by Jake Evans: he continues to make himself indispensable.

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - DECEMBER 20: Jake Evans #71 of the Montreal Canadiens scores a goal on Cam Talbot #39 of the Detroit Red Wings during the first period at Little Caesars Arena on December 20, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. Montreal defeated Detroit 4-3. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Montreal Canadiens won a very close game last night, defeating the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 4 to 3.

The Habs not only directed over 30 pucks on net for the first time this season, but they also showed great fighting spirit to come back in the third period and win in regulation.

Overall, it was an excellent game for the Habs, who performed well in all aspects of the game, including five-on-five play, power play (1 for 2), and penalty kill (no goals conceded on 4 opportunities for Detroit).

For the penalty kill aspect, once again, a lot of credit goes to Jake Evans.

The Habs center was once again excellent while short-handed, in addition to finding a way to create a turnover and score a beautiful shorthanded goal.

With this goal, Evans ended the horrible streak of the Canadiens with ten consecutive missed opportunities.

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In short, Evans excelled throughout the game last night, clearly being the best player for the Canadiens, and especially the most valuable player for the Habs.

With one goal, one assist, a +3 rating, two shots, two hits, and a 50% faceoff winning percentage, Evans demonstrated that his hard work is paying off significantly for the team.

There is great chemistry on this line with Emil Heineman and Joel Armia, which makes Evans even more indispensable than one might think.

He makes his teammates better, and that carries a lot of weight on a player’s résumé.

This season, Evans’ résumé is truly outstanding, and it continues to improve, which could force the Habs management to make a significant decision.

Indeed, since Evans is in the last year of his contract ($1.7M annually), he becomes a very easy player to trade and will have high value in the trade market.

He could bring a lot to the Habs at the trade deadline in March, but at the same time, if he’s that good, why would the Habs send him elsewhere?

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No matter the game, no matter the situation, and no matter the score, the Habs can always count on Jake Evans.

He is the kind of depth player you want on your team, especially this season, as number 71 for the Habs is producing points at the best rate of his career.

Indeed, Evans is accumulating points much more easily than before, and his 18 points place him 4th among the Habs’ top scorers, just behind Nick Suzuki (32), Cole Caufield (30), and Lane Hutson (23).

That’s no small feat, and it says a lot about the excellent season Evans is having.

At 28 years old, Evans is entering the prime of his career, and thus, the Habs would clearly benefit from keeping his services, even if his value is at a peak right now.

It is clear that if the Habs decide to keep Evans, they will need to offer him a significant salary increase.

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Personally, I believe the best decision would be to keep Evans in Montreal, giving him a long-term contract of five years for $3.5M per year.

With the salary cap increasing, such a contract would not be a burden for the Habs at all.

In summary, I believe that letting Evans go to make room for a young player would be counterproductive, given that veterans are needed on the team, and Evans has become one.

Evans’ story is also inspiring, as he was a seventh-round pick (207th overall) in 2014, and yet found a way to make it to the NHL and settle in.

In Brief

– A very nice win attributed to Jakub Dobes.

– Here’s the plan for the day with the Habs.

– Don’t miss out today.

– Interesting.

– This will be something to watch.

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Top-5: Charlie Lindgren makes one of the saves of the year

We had seven games last night in the National Hockey League, as 14 teams were in action on this Friday night.

Besides the Montreal Canadiens’ 4-3 victory, there were other interesting highlights.

Here’s a report.

1. Charlie Lindgren makes a simply sensational save

The biggest surprise in the NHL this season undoubtedly comes from the Washington Capitals.

Indeed, no one expected them to be so dominant, especially not to find themselves at the top of the Eastern Conference and the entire NHL.

Especially with the loss of Alexander Ovechkin for several weeks.

In short, the Caps are a powerhouse in the NHL and once again last night, they showed it by winning 3-1 against a division rival, the Carolina Hurricanes.

What caught attention in this game was truly Charlie Lindgren’s performance, which was very solid, especially when he made this save, which will likely be a contender for save of the year.

Lindgren stopped 24 of the 25 shots directed at him, allowing the Caps to take a five-point lead over the Hurricanes in the metropolitan standings.

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2. The Rangers find their way back to victory

If you follow the news about the New York Rangers at all, then you quickly understood that it’s a real mess right now.

Indeed, nothing seems to be going well for the team for a few weeks now.

The team is losing way too much and there are several internal problems.

The Rangers are currently not even in the playoffs, while the Canadiens are only four points behind New York.

In short, things are going badly, and thus, yesterday’s victory of 3-1 against the Dallas Stars must feel good, even though it wasn’t perfect.

The Rangers will seek to build on this to get back on track for the playoffs as quickly as possible.

Note that upon his return to the lineup, Matt Rempe was ejected from the game for his hit on Miro Heiskanen.

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3. 12th straight loss for the Buffalo Sabres

After being demolished by the Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Tuesday with a score of 6-1, the Sabres were back home to face the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Sabres were looking to end their endless losing streak, but in the end, they suffered a 12th consecutive loss, allowing six goals again to their opponents.

The big guns of the Maple Leafs had fun against the second-worst team in the NHL right now.

In short, it’s all going badly for the Sabres again this season.

They are truly the laughingstock of the NHL.

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4. The Utah Hockey Club is on fire

After experiencing a rocky start to the season, Utah is currently on an excellent streak with a 6-0-1 record in their last seven games.

André Tourigny’s team actually secured their fourth consecutive victory last night, winning 2-1 against one of the best teams in the NHL, the Minnesota Wild.

Utah managed to grab two very important points despite only having 18 shots, and this is largely thanks to the two goals from Dylan Guenther, who now has 32 points, including 16 goals, in 32 games.

Utah now has 37 points, placing them just one point behind the Vancouver Canucks and the Dallas Stars, and the last playoff spot.

It would truly be a wonderful achievement for Utah to participate in the playoffs in their first season in the NHL.

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5. MacKinnon regains cushion at the top of the scoring leaders

The race for the top scoring leaders is truly very close this season, as several players are trailing each other closely.

Nathan MacKinnon has been leading for some time, and last night, with three points in a 4-2 victory for the Colorado Avalanche against the Anaheim Ducks, he regained a cushion at the top by reaching the 55-point mark.

Leon Draisaitl (50), Mikko Rantanen (50), Kirill Kaprizov (49), and Nikita Kucherov (49) are all closely following MacKinnon, nonetheless.

Overtime

– Here are the results from the previous day.

– Here are the top scorers from the previous day.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– On the schedule today: 11 games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
(Credit: Google/NHL)
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The Blue Jackets and Mathieu Olivier are not close to an agreement.

This season marks a year of breakout for some players, like Cole Caufield, for example.

Several names could be mentioned, but one that comes to mind is Columbus Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier.

The physical player who has proven he can drop the gloves against the best fighters in the NHL, including Arber Xhekaj.

However, he has easily surpassed his personal best for goals in a single season, having scored five in each of his last two seasons.

He is now at 8 goals, proving he can do more than just drop the gloves and play physically.

The Blue Jackets have a unique gem in their possession, but one that might attract several teams looking for some grit while also having a player capable of supporting the offense.

However, according to reports from Renaud Lavoie, a compromise between Olivier and the Jackets is quite far from being reached.

According to what Lavoie reports, discussions began about three weeks ago, but both sides are far from reaching an agreement.

The well-known TVA Sports insider mentions he is seeking a contract of four or five years between $2.75 million and $3 million per year.

A contract that would be very well-deserved given his impact on a team.

It’s important to consider what a possible return for Olivier could be.

Reading this piece from NHL Trade Rumors, we understand that several contending teams would love to have a Mathieu Olivier on their roster for the playoffs.

The author of the piece, Geoff Hannah, mentions that the return could resemble what the Tampa Bay Lightning received for Tanner Jeannot.

What the Jackets could receive for Olivier varies greatly, but it could look like a late first-round pick or a good prospect.

His low salary of $1.1 million for this year certainly attracts the best teams in the league, and this is part of why there could be a significant return.

He will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, unless he finds common ground by that date.

In Brief

– Jérémy Lauzon had kind words for his former teammate.

– An imminent trade in Vancouver?

 

View this post on Instagram

 

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Evgeny Kuznetsov wanted Ivan Demidov to score in front of Kent Hughes.

The SKA was in action yesterday.

And in the stands, there was one particularly attentive candidate for the match: Kent Hughes.

Ivan Demidov took the opportunity to score during the game.

The Canadiens’ prospect took advantage of a pass from Evgeny Kuznetsov while he was stationed in the slot to score a beautiful goal.

It’s certain that the GM of the Canadiens took note.

Kuznetsov came back to the play and stated – without saying it outright – that he helped Demidov score because he’s not “crazy”.

The former Cap knew that the Canadiens’ GM was there to see his protégé. And he wanted to pass him the puck when he saw that Demidov was alone in front of the goalie because he knew it would earn him some points in Hughes’ eyes:

I like Kuznetsov’s comments.

The veteran would like to see Demidov stay in Russia because he enjoys playing with him… But at the same time, Kuznetsov is smart enough to understand that it was important for Demidov to perform in front of Kent Hughes.

This shows (a lot) of maturity on Evgeny Kuznetsov’s part.

He has been through that himself, so he knows what it’s like.

Ultimately, knowing that Demidov’s teammates are thinking of him in moments like yesterday also shows that he is appreciated in the locker room.

Evgeny Kuznetsov’s comments – who is one of the leaders of the SKA – reflect this sentiment, at least. And if Demidov is appreciated in the SKA locker room at the age of 19, that also means he is doing things the right way.

In brief

– Nice.

– Oh!

– That’s crazy.

– 5-2 Canadiens.

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Jeremy Filosa apologizes.

The situation surrounding Jeremy Filosa has attracted a lot of attention.

In October, he stated on air (98.5 FM) that he no longer believed that man had set foot on the Moon.

Meeker Guerrier is the one who replaced him on Philippe Cantin’s show moving forward.

Since that time, Filo has been working on research and booking for Mario Langlois’s show.

And according to information from colleague Maxime Truman, he is excellent in his role and behaves professionally.

Today, Jeremy Filosa spoke for the first time since October 19 on Twitter and wanted to apologize.

He wrote a long message in which he stated that he should not have spoken about a topic “clearly outside” his field of expertise:

In the post, Jeremy Filosa asserts that he should be back on air by the end of January.

He is looking forward to it because the profession of journalism is very dear to him.

That said, Jeremy Filosa made a mistake on air.

He should not have strayed in that way by discussing a sensitive topic, but it happened and there is no one who can go back and erase it.

However, seeing that he acknowledges his mistake, that he took the time to apologize, and that he made efforts to ensure it doesn’t happen again, is commendable.

Jeremy Filosa is – and has always been – one of the outstanding sports journalists in Quebec, and I am convinced that his return to the microphone is eagerly awaited by many people.

Follow-up

Let’s remember that before arriving at this point, Jeremy Filosa had to undergo training to better understand the basic journalistic standards.

Ultimately, one can believe that he followed these courses when we hear him say he should be back on air by the end of January.

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Bogdan Konyushkov: No penalty minutes this season

SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - 2024/03/03: Torpedo Hockey Club player, Bogdan Konyushkov (6), is seen in action during the Kontinental Hockey League match, Gagarin Cup, match 2, 1/8 finals of the KHL 2023 - 2024 season between SKA Saint Petersburg and Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod at the SKA Arena. (Final score: SKA Saint Petersburg 3:2 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod). (Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

When discussing the top prospects of the Montreal Canadiens, Bogdan Konyushkov is not necessarily the first name that comes to mind.

He plays in the KHL, was drafted in the 4th round… and that means he’s not a daily topic of conversation.

It’s different from Ivan Demidov, to put it that way.

Kent Hughes is in Russia to scout the forward, but we know he’s also there just to observe Demidov.

He’s also there to see Bogdan, who just played against Demidov’s team yesterday during the day.

But since the beginning of the season, there’s an interesting aspect to Konyushkov’s performance: the defender has yet to be penalized this season in the KHL.

And he has played no less than 36 games:

No penalties in 36 games… That’s something.

But Bogdan is known as a disciplined player: he finished last season with only 18 penalty minutes in 65 games, which means he is responsible on the ice.

If he were playing in the NHL as a forward, he would be a favorite right now to win the Selke Trophy!

No joke, this aspect of his game does not go unnoticed.

The defender has a somewhat physical style, he can remain within the rules when he wants to disrupt the opponent and he never harms his team.

Missing a defender for a penalty kill hurts more than losing a forward… And clearly, Konyushkov makes sure his team has the best chances to win night after night.

That deserves recognition, by the way.

And it may be one of the reasons why he wore the “C” on his jersey a few times during the last campaign.

In Brief

– Wow.

– Well done.

– Makes sense.

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3 players traded: It’s crazy how much the Canadiens’ blue line has changed in the past eight months.

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Life changes quickly.

At the end of the last season, the Canadiens had a completely different defensive lineup than they do now.

For the second-to-last game of the campaign, which was played in Detroit, the blue line lineup looked like this:

That night, Lane Hutson was playing his very first game in the NHL.

But what stands out when looking at the photo is that we see three defensemen who are no longer part of the Montreal organization at this time.

Justin Barron, Jordan Harris, and Johnathan Kovacevic have all been traded in the last eight months.

And that also means that half of the defensemen who played that night are gone.

That’s crazy…

There have been a lot of changes in recent months, but the current defensive lineup could be spending a lot of time in town.

After all, here are the defensemen who will be used tonight:

  • Matheson, Guhle, Hutson, Savard, Carrier, and Xhekaj

There exists a world where in eight months, Mike Matheson is no longer here. And there is also a world where in eight months, David Savard is not here either.

I have a hard time seeing Kent Hughes trading both of his veterans by the deadline, and according to what’s circulating, it’s mostly Savard who might leave soon.

But if Savard leaves (let’s say Mailloux takes his place) and the others are still there, which should technically happen unless there is an injury… The defense will be almost intact.

There will be some stability if that happens, and that’s not bad in my eyes. It’s in those moments that the guys understand their role perfectly, which makes for fewer guys mixed into the lineup.

You may have noticed that I didn’t mention Jayden Struble, but his situation seems a bit different. He now has to go through waivers before being sent to the American League, which limits the options for the Canadiens… But he seems to be in the same boat as Michael Pezzetta, who has only played three games this season.

To be continued.

Quick Hits

– Tyler Johnson wants to keep playing.

– Indeed.

– Yeah… Things aren’t looking good for Roman Josi.

– Already?

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Dans les coulisses

The first images of Alexandre Carrier in the colors of the Canadiens.

It’s tonight, in Detroit, that Alexandre Carrier is going to make his debut in the Canadiens uniform. This will undoubtedly be an important moment for him – and for his entire family as well.

After all, as a Québécois, he grew up dreaming of this moment.

This morning, the Canadiens released the first images of the defender in his new colors. We see him talking to Stéphane Robidas, wearing a red hoodie from Flanelle.

But there is more to it.

Even though the CH wasn’t officially training this morning, a few guys still took the opportunity to jump on the ice to stretch their legs.

And among them? Alexandre Carrier, who hasn’t played for about two weeks due to an injury.

Anthony Martineau posted a video about it on social media. We see Alexandre Carrier approaching the rink and even taking the time to interact with Canadiens fans (with Michael Pezzetta) who were present.

Hats off!

You’ll notice that Michael Pezzetta and Jayden Struble were on the ice this morning. This is probably an indication that the two are going to sit out tonight. #AsExpected

I think everyone is looking forward to seeing what Carrier has in him. How much will he stabilize the defensive unit? Will he play a lot shorthanded? Will he be paired with Kaiden Guhle?

The answers will come soon, I imagine.

In brief

– I thought Kent Hughes was THE villain in the story…

– Matt Murray is back in the NHL.

– Wow.

– To be continued.

– The Titan has not found investors to keep the team in Bathurst.

– Worth noting.