Author: Dose

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Dans les coulisses

When Demidov decides to humiliate his opponent before scoring a magnificent goal.

In recent days, Ivan Demidov participated in a three-on-three competition held between representatives from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and the rest of the world.

This was on the sidelines of the “Channel One Cup” tournament, currently ongoing in Russia.

The Canadian prospect performed well in the competition, earning the tournament MVP title.

The matches in question were not broadcast in Quebec, making it difficult to find footage of Demidov.

That said, the Dom_Habs account on Twitter managed to obtain a video of Demidov scoring a simply magnificent goal. The site HabsolumentFan also published an article on the subject.

Demidov retrieved the puck in his zone before breaking the defenseman’s ankles with a beautiful feint… And then he took the goalie down before sending the puck into the top of the net with his backhand.

A goal worth watching and rewatching:

To score a goal like that, it takes talent.

That said, we know Demidov has good hands and is creative with the puck.

And at this level, I imagine the defenseman hadn’t really done his homework before facing the Canadiens’ prospect… Because he looked a bit foolish falling on his butt after being shown up like that.

Of course, it was a 3-on-3 match that didn’t count in the KHL standings, and that goal ultimately didn’t matter.

But seeing Demidov having fun on the ice and enjoying some freedom is refreshing as well.

Because if he had attempted that move while wearing the SKA uniform during a game and lost the puck, Roman Rotenberg would have benched him until the end of the match.

There, he had no one to come down on him even if he was trying some fancy moves on the ice.

In brief

– The Canadiens are among the most penalized teams in the National Hockey League.

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– It’s not like he had a million choices either…

– Devin Shore is placed on waivers by the Wild.

– I like his response.

– Good.

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Dans les coulisses

Juraj Slafkovsky does not take the criticism from the Montreal media seriously.

If Juraj Slafkovsky thinks like his coach, he won’t seek advice from media members. Why? Because he doesn’t take criticism from them.

When asked today if he listens to media criticism, he responded no, as much as possible.

In fact, he said he doesn’t care about what the Montreal media says about him because, in his eyes, it swings too far in one direction or the other. He doesn’t take them seriously.

I have two good games, everything is perfect. I have two bad games, everything is bad. – Juraj Slafkovsky

That’s Montreal for you.

Even though he is sometimes bothered by certain comments, he tries to put it aside to do what he can to become the player he was last year in the second half of the season.

Because in reality, Slaf is searching for himself.

He doesn’t know exactly what he’s doing differently that’s causing the results not to be the same as last year, but he says he continues to work hard to achieve it.

One might think that being in a relationship changes things, but he obviously won’t say that publicly. And we don’t know what he thinks about it either, at the core.

Clearly, we know that Slaf has a certain arrogance (his relationship with the Slovak media shows it) and receiving a question like that today allows him to highlight it. Slaf is more humble when questions challenge the player, as we have noticed recently.

In Brief

– Kirby Dach: Nick Suzuki remains confident.

– It’s like the Canadiens. #OrNot

– To be continued.

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Dans les coulisses

Sabres: the owner in Montreal and a canceled practice at the Bell Centre

Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images

The Sabres have lost their last 10 games. That’s no small feat.

Lindy Ruff’s return behind the bench hasn’t been fruitful, and the 174th change in the team’s front office hasn’t made a significant difference either. The club is unable to escape its rebuilding phase.

So, what is the solution?

According to what Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet) reported on his podcast 32 Thoughts, it seems that the owner has decided to handle matters himself moving forward.

Indeed, Terry Pegula chose to show up in Montreal to meet the struggling team in person while on the road. That’s rare.

On this matter, it’s worth noting that the Sabres canceled their scheduled practice at the Bell Centre this morning. Eric Engels shared a video of the guys leaving a team meeting.

We can assume that the big boss was in the vicinity.

The next step, therefore, will be to find solutions to change the situation. A significant trade could very well be on the table for the Sabres.

And it could involve Dylan Cozens.

The Sabres player could potentially be on the radar of the Predators, according to Responsible Gambler. It is unclear whether the Sabres want to trade him, however… even though he is no longer quite the player he was two years ago when he scored no less than 68 points.

It remains to be seen how drastic the solutions will be (again) in Buffalo.

In a nutshell

–

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Dans les coulisses

Young players of the CH: being in a couple does not always equate to success

The second year in the NHL for a hockey player is often more challenging than the first. We call it the sophomore slump…

The athlete sometimes feels that he has arrived and unconsciously starts to ease up on his efforts, even if just a little, both in his preparation and on the ice. As a result, the performances can be worse than during his rookie year, when his motivation and willingness to adapt were through the roof.

In Montreal, there is also the danger of the nightlife that waits for our athletes. It takes some time for the young newcomers to the 514 to discover the best spots in the city… but by their second year, they already know where to go for a drink (or more than one) when the need arises.

However, the concept of the sophomore slump also exists in Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg…

This season, teams facing the Canadiens almost all go to Palma the night before games, yet they too often manage to defeat the CH the following day!

I wonder if the clubbing – performance relationship is still as correlated as we thought. The future top scorer in NHL history could elaborate…

Juraj Slafkovsky and Angélie Bourgeois-Pelletier
Since I’ve started deconstructing myths, let me debunk another one: no, it’s not true that having a girlfriend automatically means settling down, living more calmly, and thus producing more on the ice.

Juraj Slafkovsky found love last summer. I mentioned it first HERE on the site…

Slafkovsky’s flame is named Angélie Bourgeois-Pelletier. She is a model and a waitress at FlyJin.

You can follow her on Instagram.

(Credit: Bella Management)

Yet, Juraj Slafkovsky has only two goals in 27 games in 2024-25… and he averages barely more than one shot per game. Being in love doesn’t mean performing better for our top overall pick.

Let’s call it the slump of the second third year…

Joshua Roy and Mélika Hogue
Joshua Roy has also been in a relationship for a few months. The Instagram account of the Laval Rocket confirmed it in a recent Christmas video.

Her name is Mélika Hogue, a girl currently residing in Ottawa. Josh and she are no longer hiding: they are publicly in a relationship on social media. Unfortunately for some, her Instagram account is private.

(Credit: Instagram)

However, we cannot say that the love Joshua Roy found led him to perform better on the ice. He didn’t make the big club after camp, missed a signing session a few weeks later, and was invisible during his call-up in November.

Cole Caufield and Catherine F.’s sister
In contrast, Cole Caufield does not seem to have found love yet, as Alexandra Fidiadis, Catherine F.’s sister (O.D.), admitted on the set of Stanley25 to be dating Cole Caufield. However, listening to Alexandra talk, it’s clear that she is not Cole Caufield’s girlfriend.

You can hear the (featured) excerpt via the following link:

Many hoped to see Cole Caufield get back together with Abby Brien, his girlfriend back then, last summer when they were spotted together at a Zack Bryan concert. Why? Because people naively associate being in a relationship with achieving success for hockey players. Yet, players have confessed to me that they had their best career season while being single and partying.

In conclusion: let’s stop demanding guys to be calmer than calm, more serious than the Pope, and quieter than a Siamese cat. Especially when the guys are young like Caufield, Slafkovsky, or Roy…

It doesn’t change your performance, whether you are in a relationship or not. Look at Michael Pezzetta: he has been neither better nor worse since he is no longer in a relationship with Mireille Boutin.

“You forgot one point: being with a girl who is not calm is worse than being single, right?”

That’s worth reflecting on. Because it’s true that Chanel wasn’t helping Galchenyuk back then…

Maybe the problem is just Quebec girls! Carey Price started reaching his “level” when he got back together with Angela Webber, a girl from the American West! #SarcasmAlert

– The Canadiens’ practice today focused more on skills.

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Dans les coulisses

Mike Ward and Dave Morissette made fun of the guys from La Poche Bleue.

If I asked you what is the most popular podcast in Quebec, what would you reply?

Oral sex? Take a break? The Parloir? La Poche bleue? Processus? Stanley25? Ian and Frank?

No!

The most popular podcast in our province remains Sous écoute by Mike Ward. Both on Patreon and YouTube, Mike Ward is in a league of his own.

Last night, the 507th (507!!!) episode of Sous écoute was released featuring guests Pat Laprade Lap, a comedian I had never heard of before this morning, and Dave Morissette, who needs no introduction.

The title of the episode? Pat Lap and Davie Morissette, just like that.

No need for clickbait to promote your podcast when you’re number one…

A segment made me particularly laugh during my morning listen. I woke up at 5:20 for no reason; I had time to kill.

Dave Morissette mentioned that he learned in a podcast that you shouldn’t touch anyone…

“That’s how hockey players are” – Mike Ward

“I got advice. They told me: don’t touch Mike at all […] It could be my last podcast.” – Dave Morissette

“In six months, you’re going to take a sabbatical year.” – Mike Ward

I imagine everyone noticed a reference to the guys from La Poche Bleue appearing on Sous écoute a little over a year ago… and to Guillaume Latendresse’s more recent withdrawal from the public sphere.

It’s worth noting that Guillaumes and Maxim (Lapierre) are not at all on bad terms with Mike Ward. The latter was even invited to their podcast this year.

And Dave Morissette works with the guys…

This little segment, which gave me a few good laughs, is just a playful moment between guys who respect and care for each other. Don’t see anything else in it!

Let me reiterate all my support for Guillaume, who is on a professional break. I hope he comes back refreshed and in great shape in 2025.

Extension

Since we’re talking about podcasts and Maxim Lapierre, a clip from the latest episode of Stanley25 went viral yesterday on the Quebec Web.

Catherine F. (Occupation Double) confessed to Max Truman and Jean Trudel that Maxim Lapierre was her crush from her youth…

And that she recently told him at the Centre Bell, right after Maxim Lapierre finished his shift at TVA Sports.

@9millions_ @catherinef.od_officiel, public favorite at OD Mexico, is a big fan of the Canadiens… and Maxim Lapierre! 🥴 Episode 19B of #Stanley25 available on all platforms! 🚨 #occupationdouble #odmexique #canadiens #habs #gohabsgo #montreal #fyp ♬ original sound – 9millions

To watch the full episode – in which Carey Price, his wife, Cole Caufield, Montreal clubs, and of course, O.D. are discussed, just click on the play button.

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Dans les coulisses

Top-5: 10th consecutive defeat of the Canadiens’ upcoming opponents

Yesterday in the NHL, there were only five games.

Fans were still not disappointed with this beautiful day of hockey.

Here are the results and highlights:

(Credit: NHL.com)

1. A 10th consecutive loss for the Sabres

The Canadiens will face a very beatable opponent tomorrow. Indeed, the Sabres will be visiting the Bell Centre and are on a very bad streak.

Buffalo has lost its last 10 games, including yesterday’s against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Final score: 5-3.

Fortunately, Lindy Ruff’s team will face Montreal, which has also been struggling lately.

They will have the opportunity to stop their slide into the depths.

Jack Quinn and John-Jason Peterka took care of their fragile attack with two points each.

Two goals for Quinn.

2. A first goal for Max Domi; natural hat trick for John Tavares

In the same game, the Leafs took advantage of the Sabres’ visit to secure their 19th win of the season.

They now have 40 points. They are the first in the Atlantic Division to achieve such a feat.

Max Domi, a former Canadiens player, scored his first goal of the season in the victory.

The real hero of the match, however, is John Tavares.

He accomplished a natural hat trick, scoring two of the three goals for the team in 2:31.

Even the goalie almost joined the celebration.

It came close.

3. A first win since last year for Dustin Tokarski

Did you forget about Dustin Tokarski?

I’m in the same boat, but yesterday, he took part in his first NHL game since February 2023. And he won with a pretty special uniform.

27 saves on 28 shots in a 4-1 win for the Canes over the Blue Jackets.

He was even initiated into the post-game celebrations.

In the win, another former CH player made his mark.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored a goal.

4. Connor Bedard breaks the Islanders’ spirits

In the afternoon game, the Blackhawks dealt the Islanders a heartbreaking defeat.

The game was tied 3-3 with less than a minute remaining when Connor Bedard scored the winning goal.

This was his seventh point in his last five games for the young sensation.

Teuvo Teravainen was his team’s top scorer with a goal and two assists.

He scored the third goal for the Hawks.

Final score: 5-3.

5. Another defeat for the Rangers

In St. Louis, the Rangers lost again. This time, it was by a score of 3-2.

In the Blues’ victory, Robert Thomas extended his streak to seven games with at least one assist.

In addition to his assist on the first goal of the game, Thomas scored the winning goal.

New York scored two unanswered goals to cut the deficit to one goal, but the team was unable to equalize.

Another loss for the Blue Shirts…

Overtime

– He is excellent.

– The Knights win.

– Mike Matheson is great at generating turnovers.

 

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– Players who collected two points or more yesterday.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Tonight’s games.

(Credit: Google)
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Cayden Primeau has not had a start since December 1st.

MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 09: Cayden Primeau (30) of the Montreal Canadiens congratulates teammate Sam Montembeault (35) at the end of the NHL game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Montreal Canadiens on April 9, 2024, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Cayden Primeau must be starting to find the time dragging. The last start for the goaltender dates back to December 1 against the Bruins in Boston, where the Canadiens lost 6 to 3.

Since then, Primeau has only played a little over half of the third period on Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, replacing Samuel Montembeault after he allowed a sixth goal in a 9 to 2 loss.

That makes three goals allowed in just over 11 minutes of play. Really nothing to reassure the organization.

In eleven starts, Primeau has only 2 wins, a save percentage of just 83.6%, and a staggering average of 4.70 goals allowed per game. These are really not NHL-level numbers, even for a second-string goaltender.

The most disappointing part is that the goalie had shown interesting statistics last season with an average of 2.99 goals allowed and a save rate of 91%. Respectable numbers for a second goalie.

How can this regression be explained? Former goaltender Jonathan Bernier questions in an article published today on TVA Sports whether the Canadiens have made mistakes in developing their young goaltender.

However, Primeau played his first NHL game six years ago during the 2019-2020 season, and since then, he has not yet played 200 games in the league.

Should the Canadiens have given their young goaltender more starts and trusted him sooner? Or in trying too hard to protect him, did the organization end up wasting him? Hard to say. The development of prospects is far from an exact science and rarely offers a second chance.

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And with his recent performances, it’s possible that Primeau will see little action until the end of 2024, since aside from a two-game trip to Detroit next Friday and Saturday, the Canadiens have no other schedule of back-to-back games for the rest of December.

Logically, one might think that Primeau will get the start in Detroit on Friday night.

Which brings us to the question: what should the Canadiens do with their second goaltender? His performances are problematic and costing the team points that they desperately need? Should they throw in the towel with him and trade him or send him back to Laval to play more often?

And who would replace him? Is one of the two goalies with the Rocket ready to take on the role of number two with the team in the current context, or should the Canadiens acquire a veteran NHL goaltender with experience who could help a young team?

In short, many questions to which we may have answers later this season.

In Brief

– The week for the Canadiens.

– It’s getting worse for the Rangers.

– Historic performance for Lamar.

– Very solid!

– Great honor for Brind’Amour.

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Dans les coulisses

Juraj Slafkovsky has only two goals in 27 games.

Juraj Slafkovsky has had a rather disappointing season so far with only two goals in 27 games.

After a solid second season with 20 goals and 50 points in 82 games, the big forward seems to be searching for his bearings since the start of the NHL schedule.

Many believed that his third campaign would be the one for his breakout and that Slafkovsky would play a dominant role within our top six forwards, but instead, we are seeing a regression in his case.

Although the Slovak is not the only top six forward to disappoint this year, one has to wonder if he is still carrying an injury. In fact, he had to miss three games at the end of October due to a shoulder injury that he apparently has since recovered from.

Unfortunately, with the lack of transparency from NHL teams regarding player injuries, it’s hard to be really sure, but it’s clear that Slafkovsky is not playing at 100% right now.

The way he has been playing lately reminds me a bit of his first season when he often seemed to be outpaced by the game. One of the reasons the Canadiens made the decision to send him for part of the season to the Laval Rocket.

However, earlier in the day, Brian Wilde wrote an article for Global News about the Canadiens’ loss last night in Winnipeg, in which he speaks about the former first overall pick’s lack of vision.

Although his analysis focuses on yesterday’s game, Wilde sheds light on a recurring issue this season with Slafkovsky: many poor decisions leading to aborted attacks or turnovers.

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The lack of vision or “hockey sense” of the Canadiens’ forward has often been seen as one of his weaknesses and it’s one aspect of his game that improved a lot last season.

Could the problem be more mental? Is the young player (let’s remember that even though it’s already his third season, he is only 20 years old) putting too much pressure on himself following the signing of his eight-year contract worth $60.8 million?

Because even though his contract doesn’t start until next season, Slafkovsky will need to start producing regularly if he wants to justify a salary of $7.6 million per season.

In quick succession

– Hutson is incredible!

– Sweet stuff!

– Several comebacks this week.

– Top clash!

– The Broncos are 9-5.

– Strong performance from the Bucs!

– Victory for the Cards.

– Consistency for Jake Burger.

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Dans les coulisses

A victory that feels good for the Rocket

LAVAL, QC - OCTOBER 18: A view of Laval Rocket defenseman Logan Mailloux (24) during the game between the Rochester Americans and the Laval Rocket on October 18, 2023, at Place Bell in Laval, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Rocket just signed a nice victory of 6-2 this afternoon, largely thanks to a burst of five unanswered goals in the third period and a five-point performance, including three goals, from Florian Xhekaj.

However, the team has only four victories since November 20, with a record of 4-6-2 over the last 12 games.

Thus, after a historic start of 12 victories in 14 games (12-2-0), the Laval Rocket is experiencing its first slump of the season.

Although the Rocket has lost several close games (none of their defeats were by more than two goals), the team seems to have difficulty winning regularly in recent weeks.

During this period, the AHL team has recorded a performance of 34 goals scored against 39 goals allowed, for a differential of -5.

This is not dramatic, but there is notably a decline in the team’s defensive performance as the goaltending duo is less dominant.

In their first 14 games, the Rocket allowed only 31 goals for an excellent average of 2.21 goals allowed per game. In the last twelve games, the team’s average is 3.35.

This is more than one goal allowed per game, which partly explains the recent drop in form.

However, with this poor streak, Laval is quickly dropping in the standings, sitting in third place in the northern division after having been at the top since the start of the season.

Moreover, the team has only five points of advantage to secure a playoff spot.

Back to normal or a bad streak? Hard to say, but the Rocket will need to quickly bounce back and win more often if it does not want to see its chances of participating in the Calder Cup playoffs melt away like snow in the sun.

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For now, I do not believe that the Rocket’s coach, Pascal Vincent, should press the panic button while his team is still well positioned in the standings with seven games above .500.

Therefore, if the Laval players can maintain a performance of at least .500 until the end of the campaign, they should be well positioned to play spring hockey.

However, the Rocket should not experience too many stretches like the current one, especially since several of the teams behind them have multiple games in hand.

By the way, Laval was able to count on reinforcements as Noel Hofenmayer, acquired by the Canadiens earlier this week for Jacob Perreault, made his debut with the team today.

In Brief

– It’s going to cost a lot for Vlad!

– Another victory for the Chiefs.

– The Ravens too strong for the Giants.

– Ninth victory for the Texans.

– And for the Commanders.

– A nice hat trick!

– Canada wins.

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Dans les coulisses

Only one hope from the CH will participate in the junior world championship.

Kent Hughes set the bar too high.

The Junior World Hockey Championship will take place from December 26 to January 5 in Ottawa.

We now know the rosters of all the clubs that will participate… Finland has shared its official roster in anticipation of the tournament.

It’s tough for Aatos Koivu, but he didn’t make the team:

It is often said that this tournament is for 19-year-old players.

That being said, Aatos Koivu celebrated his 18th birthday a few days before the last NHL draft in June, and it’s normal to see that there are other players who made their mark before him.

Additionally, Saku’s son had to deal with mononucleosis at the start of the season and had to miss five weeks of action.

It’s hard to gain points when you can’t play…

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In the end, there will only be one Canadiens prospect at the World Championship this year.

And we’re not talking about a super exciting prospect: we’re talking about Rasmus Bergqvist, a guy who was selected by the Canadiens in the 7th round of the last draft.

In 21 games this season in the Swedish league, the defenseman has one assist and a differential of -4.

And perhaps he won’t even have a big role on the Swedish roster…

Ultimately, Ivan Demidov would have been there if Russia had the right to participate in the event.

We can also believe that Michael Hage deserves a spot, even if he wasn’t invited by Canada to the training camp.

Otherwise, it’s just bad timing. Jacob Fowler and David Reinbacher (2023 draft) would have been too old, as is the case with Bogdan Konyushkov… And after Koivu’s selection in the 2024 draft, there weren’t really any guys who had logical chances to go to the tournament.

That said, there will still be things to watch because the Canadiens have (for now) nine picks in the first four rounds of the 2025 draft.

This will be a great opportunity to scout young talent ahead of the draft!

In Brief

– He is so good.

– That’s crazy.

– There’s action today in the American League.