Author: Dose

Categories
Uncategorized

Revisions: Brendan Gallagher wants “people who understand the game”

And then? How’s your playoff run going?

It was clear that the Habs couldn’t keep the pace of the “old days” when the team was winning all the time. But did you think the guys would come out so shapeless this week?

Because yes, in the losses in St. Louis (6-1 on Tuesday) and in Philadelphia (6-4 last night), the Habs looked bad. The eye test confirmed it: the guys aren’t there.

Yesterday, against Flyers who hadn’t won in the regular season in March and who hadn’t scored on a powerplay in March (!) before last night’s game, the Habs lost. #EffetBradShaw?

The Habs are still in the playoff picture this morning, but still: everyone knows the situation is precarious.

(Credit: Sportsnet)

The guys are lucky that opposing teams are only losing in this race. After all, if that weren’t the case, qualifying would be a lot more difficult.

For now, the Habs still have a chance.

This doesn’t prevent some guys from being dissatisfied with what’s been happening since the start of the trip. And among them is Brendan Gallagher, who’s playing despite the loss of his mother.

What did he have to say, Gally?

After the game, we felt all the frustration of the veteran towards the NHL and the situation with disallowed/goals when the goalie is (or isn’t) interfered with.

Let’s say #11 didn’t hide to say what he thought.

He spoke of a lack of consistency in the decisions made in Toronto in such situations and would like people who understand the game to make the decisions. Ouch.

He also talked about frustration across the league since nothing is consistent from one game to another. And he’s right.

Maybe the goal would have been disallowed if it was Gally who had his two feet in the goalie’s blue paint… but we don’t know. We just know that in this case, the goal was allowed.

And we also know that on the powerplay obtained by the Flyers on the failed challenge by the Habs, the Flyers made it 5-2. That was one of the last nails in the Habs’ coffin.

But we have to stress that even if the goalie interference situation didn’t help the Habs’ cause, we’ll agree that the team wasn’t playing well enough to hope to win.

So what explains the Habs’ loss?

1. Defensively, the team is struggling. The players are having trouble making good defensive plays (except maybe the duo of the two Americans) and let’s say that Kaiden Guhle’s return will help.

On that one, Mike Matheson has already looked better, let’s say.

2. Yesterday, we saw that an easier game on paper isn’t always easier on the ice. The Habs couldn’t get at least a point against Philly, but will have their #1 goalie against Carolina tonight.

Would you have done the same thing? With hindsight, it’s easy to talk. But yesterday, I understood Martin St-Louis’ decision since, in my eyes, Samuel Montembeault needed rest.

That being said… we saw that Jakub Dobes needs to work before becoming a real NHL goalie.

Yesterday, the loss isn’t really his fault, we agree. However, sometimes a goalie can get up and make a save at the right time to give his team a boost. And yesterday, that didn’t happen. Dobes’ movements didn’t inspire confidence and that’s what happened.

3. Nick Suzuki tried, but he couldn’t buy a goal in the game against Philly. However, he contributed by getting an assist on Patrik Laine’s goal… who scored on a 6-on-5. #Obviously

Cole Caufield, Alex Newhook (who’s doing well at center) and Christian Dvorak found the back of the net yesterday. And Lane Hutson got two assists, obviously while playing almost half the game.

4. The Habs have had several comebacks in the last few weeks. But this week, we saw that it can’t happen too often because it’s unsustainable.

We’ll need to start games better, period.

5. Speaking of starting games better: Gilbert Delorme, this morning on BPM Sports, wondered if the fact that they’re no longer skating in the mornings of game days explains the bad starts. The question arises.

6. Have the math caught up with the Habs? A few weeks ago, we were talking about a one-in-five chance of making the playoffs. Last week, we were saying that the one-in-five chance could happen. But the way the team is playing…

The Habs, who currently have a 34% chance of making the playoffs, play in sequences. It will depend on the next games – and the losses of other teams in the Eastern Conference race.

7. I know it doesn’t work exactly like that, but if Matvei Michkov had scored his two goals for the Habs instead of the Flyers, the game would have still ended 6-4, but…

Ah, never mind.

overtime

The Habs will play in Raleigh tonight. Samuel Montembeault will be the starting goalie for the Habs, and we’re wondering if Kaiden Guhle will be able to play.

Around 11:45 AM, Martin St-Louis will speak to the media.

Categories
Uncategorized

Top-5 : Ovechkin brings teammates back on the ice to shake hands with Fleury

The Habs looked crazy last night in Philadelphia.

Losing to a team that had only one win in their last 12 games and who fired their coach on the same day… it hurts.

But there were also nine other games presented in the NHL:

1 : What a nice gesture from Ovi

The Capitals were visiting Minnesota last night.

And they lost the game with a score of 4-2.

For those who wonder: no, Alex Ovechkin was not able to score to get closer to Wayne Gretzky’s absolute record.

But…

But the Capitals’ captain still attracts attention because he made a great gesture when the game was over.

The Caps’ captain wanted to make sure his teammates returned to the ice so that all the guys could shake hands with Marc-André Fleury – who wasn’t even playing last night.

It gave a nice moment:

Of course, we know it’s Fleury’s last season in the NHL.

And we also know that over the years, Fleury and Ovechkin have had some great battles.

Seeing the Capitals’ captain respect his opponent like that shows how much the Quebecois goalkeeper is a guy appreciated throughout the league.

2 : Meanwhile…

In Buffalo, we were watching Sidney Crosby.

Why?

Because with one point, he would become the first player in NHL history to have at least 20 seasons with at least one point per game.

And… the Penguins’ captain made history with a goal scored in the first period:

The evening did not go as planned for the Penguins, who ultimately lost the game with a score of 7-3.

Ouch.

But at least they were able to experience a nice moment seeing Crosby break a record held by Wayne Gretzky. Not bad for a 37-year-old guy!

3 : Big loss for the Wings

There was a playoff atmosphere in Detroit last night as the Red Wings faced the Senators.

This was an important game for the playoff race in the East… and the Sens responded with three consecutive goals.

It ignited, too:

The Red Wings did everything they could to try and come back in the game.

Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko notably touched the target in the third period:

Tarasenko’s goal reduced the deficit to one goal… but it was too late for the Wings.

The Senators won 4-3 in regulation, and that means the standings haven’t changed much.

The Habs are still in the last playoff spot this morning:

(Credit: NHL.com)

4 : The young Sharks take care of the Leafs

We’re heading to the end of the game between the Leafs and the Sharks.

Believe it or not: with one minute left to play, San Jose was leading by two goals (5-3).

But, of course… what was supposed to happen happened.

The Leafs scored twice in the last minute of play to tie the game:

No goals were scored in overtime… and it was the young Sharks who took care of the Leafs in the shootout.

Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith scored two beautiful goals to allow their team to win with a score of 6-5:

5 : MacKinnon is too strong at home

When he plays at home, Nathan MacKinnon is the best player in the NHL.

That’s it!

The Dogg helped his team beat the Kings with a score of 4-0 by collecting an assist on a Jonathan Drouin goal.

MacKinnon now has at least one point in… 23 consecutive home games.

Wow:

In the game, we must also remember Mackenzie Blackwood’s performance.

The Avalanche’s goalkeeper was perfect in front of his net, stopping all 22 shots to earn his fourth shutout of the season.

He’s really helping the Avalanche since his arrival in Colorado:

Overtime

— 500 career points for Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

— Nice goal.

— Big performance from Casey DeSmith.

— A rocket.

— The Blues are really on fire.

— The top scorers of the evening:

(Credit: NHL.com)

— Six games tonight in the NHL, including the Habs’ game in Carolina. Go Ducks and go Canucks!

(Credit: Google)
Categories
Uncategorized

Being better in the faceoff circle: the challenge of Michael Hage

Michael Hage had a first season in the NCAA that could be described as exceeding expectations by many. He quickly established himself as an important player for Michigan.

This season, however, was not only filled with good performances, and Hage knows it. If his season had been perfect across the board, he would already be negotiating his entry-level contract with the Canadiens.

The first-round pick of the Habs in the last draft believes he should improve in the face-off circle.

This is what he revealed in an interview with Russ Cohen of The Hockey News.

We can start by explaining that Hage finished the season with a 46% efficiency rate in the face-off circle, which is not bad, but still leaves room for improvement.

Out of his 33 games played this season, Hage only completed 9 where he won more than 50% of his face-offs. He has a consistency problem.

By observing his statistics in each game, we realize that he had several games with a very high success rate in the face-off circle, but he also had games where he didn’t have an answer to his opponent.

Hage, however, confided to Russ Cohen that he feels he has improved in this aspect during the year. He learned from some of his older teammates.

The prospect of the Canadiens will certainly want to improve this aspect if he wants to one day aspire to be the second center of the Habs.

With his 34 points in 33 games this season, Hage didn’t just focus on the things to improve. He arrived at Michigan with the mentality of having an impact on this new team, and he knows he succeeded in doing so.

Another season in the NCAA won’t hurt him. He’s on the right track, and it’s great to see him recognize the aspects he needs to improve.

Overtime

– A true legend.

– He’s not slowing down!

– FC Barcelona continues its great season.

Categories
Uncategorized

The decision to send Oliver Kapanen to Europe was the right one

The Canadiens made the right decision to send Oliver Kapanen to Sweden for the current season.

The Finn had impressed at training camp and had even managed to carve out a spot in Montreal. However, his start to the season proved that he still needed development, and that’s what he’s doing right now in Sweden.

Kapanen is being used on the first line of Timra IK’s offense, even in the playoffs. In fact, his team has so much confidence in him that he played over 36 minutes in game three of the first round of the playoffs in a game where his team won.

Kapanen didn’t pick up any points in that game despite the significant amount of ice time, but he did manage to pick one up on Thursday in game four of Timra IK’s playoff series.

The Canadiens prospect recovered the puck in a battle along the boards and made a perfect pass to his teammate, who then scored the second goal of the game, which became the winning goal for Timra IK.

With this win, Timra IK has tied the series 2-2. Kapanen now has two points in four playoff games.

It’s great to see Kapanen thriving with his team in Europe, unlike a certain Ivan Demidov, who’s having problems created by his head coach.

With 35 points in 36 games in the SHL this season, it’s safe to say Kapanen’s season has been a success.

Used more often than not on the top line and on the powerplay, Kapanen has played games where he had an important role. That’s something he wouldn’t have had the chance to do in Montreal.

In fact, I’m not even sure he would have had that ice time playing for the Laval Rocket.

He should experience success with the Rocket in the future, but we’ll have to wait until the end of Timra IK’s playoff run to bring him back to North America.

Overtime

– There are representatives from the Canadiens at the Armada game.

– What a plate!

– Impressive.

– Ayoye.

Categories
Uncategorized

The name of Rick Tocchet is circulating (a lot) in Philadelphia

The Flyers made the decision to fire John Tortorella earlier today.

Or should I say John Tortorell-out… #BadJoke

Seriously, the decision isn’t necessarily surprising. The Flyers had a tough season and Torts somewhat took himself out of Philadelphia by saying he didn’t want to learn how to manage the team with the current circumstances.

Daniel Briere spoke with the media to explain his choice and said he loved working with his former coach.

However, the repeated losses started to weigh on the experienced NHL coach and the organization as well.

Briere explained that the discussion with John Tortorella was respectful and he also took the time to praise him after his dismissal.

It’s going to be Brad Shaw who will be the Flyers’ head coach for the rest of the campaign, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be back next year.

In fact, Daniel Briere claims that the organization doesn’t necessarily need a young coach… because there are many young players to manage on the team.

The most important thing will be to find the right “fit”:

It didn’t take long for names to start circulating for the job in Philly. And at this level, it’s mostly Rick Tocchet’s name that’s been getting attention for the past few hours.

The Canucks’ coach is in the last year of his contract (the team has an option for next season) and given that things aren’t going as planned in Vancouver, he might find himself without a job at the end of the season.

If he becomes available, there will be teams lining up for his services. And the Flyers could very well jump on that opportunity:

Rick Tocchet had success in his first two seasons with the Canucks.

He almost led the team to the playoffs when he took over from Bruce Boudreau in 22-23, and last season, the Canucks won 50 games… and finished the campaign in 6th place in the NHL standings.

The Canucks were eventually eliminated in the second round in 23-24. But it’s tough this season with everything going on in Vancouver: the Canucks are underperforming and are three points away from a playoff spot.

If the team misses the playoffs, it’s likely that Tocchet won’t be back behind the bench…

All this to say that we need to keep an eye on Rick Tocchet’s name in Philadelphia. He’s capable of working with young players, he’s patient… but he also has a bit of a tough side.

He would fit in well with the Flyers organization.

Overtime

– Sacred Arber.

– He must know something big tonight.

– The former Habs captain found his role in Toronto.

– That makes sense.

Categories
Uncategorized

We will hear the voice of Pierre Houde in the new movie “F1”

For years, we’ve been hearing Pierre Houde’s voice describing the Montreal Canadiens’ games.

And the main man has a new challenge ahead of him.

Pierre Houde will be participating in the new movie “F1” in which we will notably see Brad Pitt.

The habs’ game describer on RDS made the announcement yesterday during a passage on the BLVD 102.1 radio station, a Quebec radio station located in Lévis.

He, along with his colleague for F1 on RDS, Bertrand Houle, will be called to describe the moments of Formula 1 in the French version of the new movie, which is supposed to be released in June 2025.

Recording will begin at the beginning of May and it will take place at the Cinelume Postproduction studio located in downtown Montreal.

This will be a great experience:

This isn’t the first time we’ll see Pierre Houde participating in the making of a movie.

He was notably in the third movie of the series “Les Boys”, which was released in 2001…

He was the hockey commentator in the movie “Les Pee-Wee 3D: The Winter That Changed My Life” and he also played the same role in the movie “Bon Cop, Bad Cop”.

Pierre Houde has experience, to put it another way. Especially with his years on television!

But the fact that he was chosen to participate in the new F1 movie is also a nice recognition for him.

Pierre Houde is excellent at what he does, and the movie’s producers wanted his help because they know how talented he is.

All the better, then. And I look forward to seeing the result!

Overtime

– Oliver Kapanen continues to do well in Sweden.

– The habs will have to be careful tonight.

– Good idea.

– Oh well…

Categories
Uncategorized

Loss in series: Demidov played for 7:43 and his club scored only one goal

At this point, it’s almost laughable.

Ivan Demidov and SKA Saint-Petersburg were playing their first playoff match, and the Habs prospect started the game as the 13th forward.

He didn’t play a single second in the first period, had six shifts (3:30) in the second, and was only used during the last shift.

Result?

Ivan Demidov, the team’s top scorer in the regular season, finished the game with a spectacular (or not) 7:43 of playing time with his 11 shifts on the ice.

And the SKA lost 3-1.

Super.

Even the SKA commentators don’t understand why Demidov is playing so little:

The HK Dinamo Moscow (SKA’s opponent) has a good lineup on paper.

The team has players like Nikita Gusev, Jordan Weal, Maxime Comtois, and Cédric Paquette, who have all played in the NHL and have been useful.

But in the end, Roman Rotenberg’s decisions sank his team in the first playoff game.

He didn’t use his best players as he should have, and it backfired.

Let’s recall that he will probably lose his job if the SKA is quickly eliminated from the playoffs… and he needs to find a way to get things back on track before it’s too late.

But let’s also recall that the Habs prospect should finish the season in the MHL if the SKA loses quickly in the playoffs. The organization wants to give itself the best chance to win the junior league title, and we know Demidov had a lot of success in that league last year.

It’s just one game, but the playoffs aren’t starting well for the SKA and Ivan Demidov… and maybe that will encourage Roman Rotenberg to change his game plan before the team’s next game, which is on Saturday.

Overtime

– The Flames need to keep the pace.

– John Tortorella and the Flyers, it was bound to fail. [Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre – BPM Sports]

– The Habs must win tonight. [BPM Sports]

– I’m looking forward to the draft.

Categories
Uncategorized

Lane Hutson contract: Will he follow Jake Evans’ example?

Kent Hughes will have a big file on his table this summer.

That of Lane Hutson.

The defenseman will be able to sign a contract extension as of July 1st and the Canadiens have an interest in not delaying too much. Because if Kent Hughes waits until next year, when Hutson’s entry-level contract in the NHL ends, Hutson may cost even more…

We know that Lane Hutson will sign a contract that will earn him a lot of money, even if it happens this summer. He is part of the elite among offensive defensemen in the NHL – even if he is in his first season in the league – and he is already one of the most important players on the Montreal team.

Right now, he’s worth (a lot) more than his $950,000 salary on the habs’ payroll.

The amount of his next contract will attract attention, but we will also have to watch the length of the agreement. Nicolas Cloutier, in an article on TVA Sports, explains why it would be beneficial for him to sign a four-year agreement… which would bring him one year closer to full autonomy, in 2030.

A four-year contract would kick in in 2026 and in 2030, Hutson would still be a free agent with compensation:

Being eligible for an offer sheet in addition to having arbitration rights, Hutson would have incredible leverage in his negotiations with the Canadiens. – Nicolas Cloutier

But in all this, we must also wonder if the player is interested in following the same path as Jake Evans.

The Canadiens’ center recently signed a four-year contract extension that will earn him $2.85 million per season. He decided to agree with the habs for less money because he loves playing in Montreal and because he wants to grow with the team.

Kent Hughes was able to sell him a good plan and that allowed the habs’ GM to save money on the payroll for the coming years. Will he be able to do the same with Hutson… and will the latter want to accept “helping” his team at that level?

Because in fact, Hutson will probably have the upper hand in the discussions.

Especially after seeing Jakob Chychrun, a less offensively skilled defenseman and more often injured than Hutson, sign an eight-year contract with an annual value of $9 million.

Hutson has arguments to demand an astronomical salary. We know that the salary cap will increase and the habs organization also knows that he has the talent and potential to become not only one of the best defensemen, but also one of the best players in the National League.

Again, Kent Hughes will have a big file on his table.

But if the GM manages to sign him for several years at a more than respectable salary – as he did with Jake Evans, Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki, we will all be able to celebrate in the city.

[spacer title=’In a lot’

– I doubt it.

– To be continued.

– Too bad.

– It’s on!

Categories
Uncategorized

Samuel Montembeault : Stéphane Waite knows how to correct his flaws

Stéphane Waite has a lot of experience with goalies in the NHL. He notably worked for a championship team in Chicago and when Marc Bergevin took the GM position in Montreal, he eventually brought him along.

And for years, he guided Carey Price.

Today, in the media, he shares his experience with goalies. And yesterday, on 98.5 with Mario Langlois, he talked about Samuel Montembeault, who has been giving up too many goals lately.

In his eyes, the fact that Monty is too passive works against him when there is traffic in front of the net.

We know that Montembeault is not the most aggressive guy in general and visibly, right now, his calmer personality is showing for the wrong reasons in front of the net.

Basically, when he has his view blocked or a shot is deflected, being high in the semicircle has the effect of pushing players back a bit, but also of appearing bigger in front of the net and blocking more space.

And against the Blues, notably, it was flagrant in Waite’s eyes: Montembeault was poorly positioned.

A deflected shot, the higher you are in your semicircle, the less space there is. – Stéphane Waite

I wonder if it’s just a natural instinct that comes back or if fatigue, for example, can make him challenge opponents less in front of his net. But right now, it’s often like that that he gets beaten.

Will the rest tonight do him good? We’ll see.

Overtime

– Oh yeah?

– To read.

– Cayden Primeau is doing well in Laval. [RC]

– To follow.

Categories
Uncategorized

Kaiden Guhle absent tonight | Jakub Dobes in the net

Martin St-Louis spoke this morning, ahead of tonight’s game.

First of all, we knew that the Canadiens intended to have Jakub Dobes play either tonight or tomorrow. And finally, it’s tonight, in Philadelphia, that the goalkeeper will play.

This means that Monty will play in Carolina, on Friday – and probably on Sunday, in Florida.

Meanwhile, he will be able to rest and Dobes will have the mandate to face, on paper, the worst team on the schedule this week. Will the strategy pay off for the club?

We’ll see.

Note that Dobes will face a club that will play under the orders of Brad Shaw, since John Tortorella, the former Flyers coach, was fired. The announcement was made this morning.

Will this make the task more difficult for Dobes and the rest of the team?

But we were especially watching to see if Kaiden Guhle would be able to return to the game. It was a long shot and it wasn’t exactly predictable, but the question still arises.

And finally, he won’t play tonight. We don’t know if he’ll play this week.

Also, as we were talking about Martin St-Louis’ press conference, the subject of John Tortorella was brought up. He says he doesn’t like to see someone lose their job and that it can hurt.

However, he doesn’t want to judge (especially his comments about his desire to lead a last-place team) since he doesn’t have all the information at hand.

Overtime

– Good listening.

– Signature in Laval.

– What do you think?

– He needs to get back on track.

– Ah?