Author: Dose

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Overview of the CH hopes: Michael Hage scores a magnificent goal in overtime

While Lane Hutson continues to amaze Montreal Canadiens fans, notably with his first goal in the NHL, the Canadiens’ prospects outside of the NHL are also standing out.

Indeed, across the various other leagues, several Canadiens prospects are performing very well.

Here are the performances that caught attention this weekend.

Michael Hage – Center – 18 years old

Since the beginning of the season, Hage has been simply dominating in the NCAA.

In his first season in this league, he is performing really well, which is very encouraging for the continuation of his development.

After missing two games last weekend due to an ankle injury, Hage was back this weekend to play both games for the University of Michigan.

Unfortunately, Michigan was shut out 3-0 on Friday night against the University of Wisconsin, but Hage made sure his university got revenge last night, scoring the winning goal in overtime.

Indeed, the Canadiens prospect led his team to a 3-2 victory with a beautiful goal.

This brings him to ten goals and 18 points this season in 15 games.

This is an excellent production pace for an 18-year-old, and Canadiens fans can certainly be excited about him.

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Tyler Thorpe – Right Winger – 19 years old

Here’s another prospect drafted by the Canadiens in 2024 during the last draft, this time in the fifth round (130th overall).

Given his draft rank, Thorpe isn’t the prospect most talked about or followed closely in terms of performance.

However, after leaving a great impression at the Canadiens training camp this season, Thorpe has made a name for himself among the Canadiens prospects.

Many fans like him, especially due to his 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame.

So, here’s an update on Thorpe, who is currently having a great season in the WHL with the Vancouver Giants.

Last night, he scored two goals in a 6-3 defeat of the Giants against the Victoria Royals.

He even scored the goal that triggered the teddy bear toss in Vancouver.

Thorpe has a very good shot, and he proved it last night.

He now has 12 goals and 26 points in 30 games this season, which is a slightly better production pace than he maintained last season.

If he continues to progress well, Thorpe could very well become a solid fourth-line player for the Canadiens one day.

In case you missed it, here are the other Canadiens prospects who were in action yesterday.

In Summary

– The Rocket will be back in action today after losing 4-2 last night against the Hartford Wolf Pack.

– What do you think?

– Bad news for the Islanders.

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Seven shots on goal: Patrik Laine accounted for a quarter of the shots for the Canadiens last night.

A defeat is a defeat, but at least yesterday, the Montreal Canadiens lost honorably, as they put up a great fight against the best team in the National Hockey League.

The CH lost 4-2 to the Winnipeg Jets, and even though they didn’t earn a point, they managed to compete with the top-ranked team.

In fact, the Canadiens had more shots on goal than the Jets in this match, finishing the game with 28 shots against 27.

In this regard, the CH can give a big thank you to Patrik Laine, who recorded exactly a quarter of the team’s shots in this loss.

Indeed, the Finnish sniper, who was back in Winnipeg where he started his career, unleashed seven shots on goal last night.

Unfortunately, he did not find the back of the net, but that wasn’t for lack of trying, as Laine faced a Connor Hellebuyck in great form.

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Moreover, Hellebuyck did not hesitate to boast at Laine’s expense, stating that he understood why his former teammate had missed their last encounters.

In short, Laine really did everything he could to score at least one goal and make a difference against his former team, but in the end, his shots couldn’t deceive Hellebuyck’s vigilance.

It’s too bad because a goal from Laine would have really helped the CH last night.

If Laine does not score, the Canadiens’ power play is running dry, and the Canadiens lose.

Indeed, since Laine returned to the CH lineup, he is the only one to have scored on the power play, which means that in the last six games, the CH has been shut out on the power play during the three losses.

If we go even further, it is noted that the Canadiens have still not won when Laine does not score.

The Canadiens have a record of 3-0 when Laine scores and a record of 0-3 when Laine is shut out.

This speaks volumes about the importance of the Finnish sniper since his return from injury.

Martin St-Louis’s squad will therefore need to find a way to make Laine one of several important elements of the team, and not the only possible hero and savior.

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As for the rest of the match, here’s what I took away.

1. Nick Suzuki’s point streak ends at eight games.

After racking up 11 points in his last eight games, Suzuki couldn’t collect at least one point last night, ending his impressive streak of games with at least one point.

For Lane Hutson, his streak had ended in the last game at seven, which is really too bad considering that with his first goal in the NHL last night, it could have extended to nine.

2. Three players accounted for half of the CH’s shots.

With Laine’s seven shots, Cole Caufield’s three shots, and Christian Dvorak’s four shots, the CH recorded 14 shots, which represents half of the entire team’s shots last night.

Nine players, on the other hand, didn’t even get a single shot on goal.

3. The CH’s third line was solid.

Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher, and Christian Dvorak combined their efforts for the CH’s second goal while being quite solid overall.

They had good presences and generated nice opportunities for the team, as evidenced by Dvorak’s four shots.

Anderson deserves some love for playing good hockey this season and finding his role, even though we continue to see that his potential remains limited due to his poor game vision.

In Brief

– Interesting.

– Nothing is going well for the Rangers. A coaching change could happen very soon.

– Wow. One must believe that the Chiefs have a very good defense.

– To be continued.

– A big surprise.

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Top-5: the Senators’ emergency goalie rushes to the arena

After a Friday with a game in the National Hockey League, we were treated last night, as 30 teams faced off across 15 different games.

Several highlights captured attention, including the beautiful save by Matvei Michkov against his own team and the first career goal for Lane Hutson in the NHL.

Here are the other highlights from the day.

1. The emergency goalie rushes outside to make it to the game on time

An absolutely crazy story occurred last night just moments before the Ottawa Senators’ game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Anton Forsberg, the Senators’ backup goalie for the game, was injured during warm-ups, forcing the Senators to call in an emergency goalie.

This emergency goalie is Zach Dietz, a 22-year-old netminder who plays for the University of Ottawa.

Called in at the last second, Dietz had to hurry, resulting in incredible footage of him running on the highway with all his goalie gear, as he tried to make it to the game on time.

In short, Dietz didn’t end up needing to come in during the game, but he certainly did everything he could to not miss a potential chance to play in the NHL.

The Senators won 3-2 in overtime and found themselves in a playoff position after 30 games for the first time in eight years, since the 2016-2017 season.

2. Nathan MacKinnon reaches the 50-point mark

Who better than MacKinnon to be the first to reach this milestone in the NHL.

The Colorado Avalanche beat the struggling Nashville Predators 5-2 last night, and MacKinnon took advantage of the opportunity, scoring two goals and adding an assist.

It’s worth noting that Mackenzie Blackwood was excellent in his first start with the Avalanche, stopping 37 of the 39 shots directed at him.

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3. Jeff Petry scores his first two goals of the season

The former Canadiens player may not be getting any younger at 37 years old, but he still manages to score goals from time to time.

In fact, last night he scored his first two goals of the season in a 4-2 victory for the Detroit Red Wings against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He also scored the game-winning goal.

In the loss, the Maple Leafs still demonstrated great teamwork, as shown in this sequence.

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4. Nazem Kadri scores another beautiful goal

After scoring a fantastic goal earlier this week by jumping over a defender from the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nazem Kadri put on another show, this time against the other team from Florida.

Indeed, in a 3-0 victory against the Florida Panthers, Kadri scored a spectacular goal thanks to a beautiful fake.

This brings him to 11 goals and 20 points in 30 games this season.

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5. A sensational save by Marc-André Fleury

It’s not just

In Summary

– First NHL goal for Declan Carlile.

– Here are the results from the previous night.

– Here are the top scorers from the previous night.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– On the agenda today in the NHL: five games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
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Matvei Michkov prevents a goal… from his own teammate

One thing is for sure, Matvei Michkov is full of talent.

His 27 points in 30 games in his rookie season demonstrate this well.

However, he has often been criticized for his defensive game and his behavior.

And on this Saturday afternoon, during a matchup between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Minnesota Wild, Michkov seems to have taken notes on defensive play.

He even prevented a sure goal… from his own teammate Travis Konecny.

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Incredible…

John Tortorella has probably talked to him about his shortcomings, and Michkov probably misunderstood his coach.

He prevented a goal and it was well thought out… if it wasn’t his teammate who was about to score.

As Pete Blackburn succinctly stated in his retweet above: “And people say he’s not good defensively.”

The defensive IQ of the Russian may not be very high.

Following this game, the excellent page Big Head Hockey published a summary of his performance this afternoon.

“He’s doing things that no one thought were possible in the NHL.”

I love this comment.

-1 goal and -2 plus/minus, that’s something…

Michkov’s defensive game: another dilemma to solve for Tortorella.

Maybe he will have to give up this battle, just as he has given up the debate over Michigan goals.

At least, Torts can count on the offensive contributions of his young protégé, even if he does not have a candidate for the Frank J. Selke Trophy (best defensive forward).

In brief

– Good news for the Laval Rocket.

– We’re getting attached, everyone.

– We can expect a big tournament for Schaefer who has strong reasons for competition.

– Worth reading.

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The huge cut on Michael McCarron’s face

As we know, in hockey, things can get pretty rough.

Fights, big checks, and unfortunately serious accidents and injuries can happen.

When Adam Johnson died from a skate cut, it sparked controversy regarding neck protection. The famous kevlar neck roll or a simple “neck guard.”

Some leagues have started to mandate neck protection to limit cuts of this nature after this unfortunate death.

The NHL has not yet forced its players, and on Thursday night, we almost faced another similar catastrophe.

Former Montreal Canadiens player, Michael McCarron, was cut in the upper neck by Lian Bischel’s skate, who was playing his first NHL game.

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Looking at the photo, it’s hard to say that it’s truly in the upper neck, since the cut appears to extend to the jaw and is close to the ear as well.

What stands out most in this situation is the fact that McCarron mentioned even with a neck guard, he would not have been able to avoid this injury.

The cut was too high.

Nonetheless, it’s clear that a neck guard certainly wouldn’t have harmed, and it might have still reduced this cut…

After having checked the young defender (who is even bigger and stronger than McCarron), Bischel’s skate flew up and cut McCarron.

A sequence that oddly recalls that of Richard Zednik, but on a smaller scale.

Here’s the sequence in question:

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Frank Seravalli makes a very good point, however.

“Every NHL team should be forced to watch a montage of the dozens of plays where the worst was avoided this season alone. McCarron was cut, but still incredibly lucky.” – Frank Seravalli

It happens all too often that the worst is avoided on sequences similar to McCarron’s.

The NHL cannot wait for a serious accident to require players to protect themselves.

I understand that some don’t like to have it on their neck while playing because it can be bothersome or restrict their head movements. But personally, if my career depended on it, I would do everything possible to avoid such injuries.

And that starts with wearing a neck guard.

By requiring players to protect themselves, everyone would be on the same level.

Moreover, I can’t believe that there will never be an invention of an ultra-thin neck guard that does not hinder your head movements (if it doesn’t exist already).

We seriously need to think about better protecting players, especially since hockey is a dangerous sport…

In Brief

– Worth reading.

– Another candidate for save of the year.

– A good start for young Commesso.

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Ivan Demidov: Evgeny Kuznetsov wants him to stay with SKA next year.

SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - 2024/11/18: Ivan Demidov (91) of SKA Hockey Club is seen in action during the hockey match in the Kontinental Hockey League 2024/2025 between SKA Saint Petersburg and Amur Khabarovsk at the Ice Sports Palace. (Final score; SKA Saint Petersburg 6:3 Amur Khabarovsk). (Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

If all goes well, in a few months, Ivan Demidov will be playing in North America. The prospect for the Canadiens, whose contract expires with SKA at the end of the current season, is expected to make the leap across the ocean for the 2025-26 season.

It would be extremely surprising to see him this season, even for 1-2 games at the end of the season. His season in Russia won’t finish in time.

However, you may have noticed that I used the conditional tense at the beginning of the text. We know that it is the (very) likely scenario… but until it’s done, things can change.

We know that right now, SKA is putting pressure on Demidov to encourage him to stay. The kid has refused contract extension offers, and he is being punished by receiving very little ice time.

Moreover, according to comments reported by Championat (a Russian media outlet), it’s not just the team that is pushing for Demidov to stay in Russia next year: Evgeny Kuznetsov would really like the young player to continue playing with SKA next year.

The two guys have great chemistry on the ice, and the veteran would like to keep playing alongside the young one next year.

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Obviously, for the Canadiens, this is a situation to monitor. We know that SKA is already putting a lot of pressure on Demidov, and if his teammates start getting involved, it could become heavy on the young player’s shoulders.

I don’t think Kuznetsov, who exiled himself in the NHL when he was younger, will push very hard to force Demidov to stay… but who knows if he’s the only one thinking that way.

Because yes, there exists a world in which Demidov, who remains cautious when it comes to talking about his season so far, thinks that he might benefit from another year in Russia, if only to lessen the pressure he feels within his team.

This is not the most probable scenario, and until proven otherwise, it remains unlikely. That said, it is still something to keep an eye on… and it shows how the Canadiens are smart to continue building their relationship with him.

We’ll see where this leads us, but I imagine that right now, the Canadiens’ management is really eager for Demidov to be settled in America.

And if that happens, Kuznetsov won’t be able to follow him to America, as he is under contract for the next three seasons in Russia.

In Brief

– The Canadiens’ prospect will not be at the WJC. He will still be eligible next year, though.

– What do you think?

– Patrik Laine teases Connor Hellebuyck.

– Phew.

– This will be something to watch.

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David Savard skates with the players who will not play tonight.

NEWARK, NJ - NOVEMBER 07: David Savard #58 of the Montreal Canadiens skates during the game against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on November 7, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images)

Today, the Canadiens are in Winnipeg to face the Jets in the evening. After the crushing defeat on Thursday night against the Penguins, the team will want to try to get back on the right track.

And above all, to avoid imploding in the third period as they did on Thursday.

On the sidelines of the game, the CH did not hold a proper morning skate… but it was known that the extras were going to skate this morning.

Among the guys who skated was David Savard, who missed his team’s last game due to an upper-body injury.

So we can assume he will miss a second consecutive game.

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In the images captured by Renaud Lavoie (TVA Sports), we see the defender in discussion with a man who appears to be Stéphane Robidas, the team’s assistant. We can think that he was on the ice with Savard to be able to see how #58 is doing.

They probably don’t want to play him if he is still affected by the ailment he is carrying, after all.

More details to come…

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Cam Fowler traded to the St. Louis Blues

The Ducks are missing their #1 defenseman, Cam Fowler.

Earlier this morning, I was talking to you about the fact that there have been developments in the National Hockey League regarding trades over the past few weeks.

We’ve passed the quarter mark of the season, and the holiday trade freeze period is fast approaching.

Teams are rushing to make trades before the end of the year.

We’ve just learned that Anaheim Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler has just been traded to the St. Louis Blues.

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Fowler and a fourth-round pick are heading to St. Louis in exchange for a second-round pick and a minor-league prospect.

It should be noted that the Ducks are retaining 38.5% of Fowler’s salary, which is $6.5 million for one more season after the current 2024-2025 season.

Details to come

In Brief

– To read.

– This will be worth following.

– No one is talking about it, but the Trois-Rivières Lions are having an excellent start to the season.

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Eight thawed games with six goals or more: a first in CH history after 29 matches

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Practically everyone bought into the reconstruction plan of the duo Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton a few years ago.

We all agreed to be patient and suffer through a few more seasons to eventually have a competitive team in the long run.

The problem, however, is that currently, this patience is turning into disinterest and frustration among many CH fans who do not see any progress this season.

Indeed, the Tricolore is not showing any real improvement this season, as it still languishes at the bottom of the NHL while watching some of its promising young players greatly disappoint.

Of course, there are positives this season, like the special teams that are functioning very well and the offensive play that is clearly better, but in the end, what stands out are the defensive woes and the lack of character.

It is absolutely not normal for the club to be completely blown out so many times in such a few games.

When the floodgates open, they open far too wide, as the players seem to give up and are already thinking about what they will do when they get back to the hotel or home.

It’s so pathetic that you have to say it’s the first time in CH history that the club has given up six goals or more in eight of its first 29 games of the season.

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Indeed, this is the statistic reported by Martin Leclerc during the last episode of Tellement Hockey.

The CH is logically leading the way this season in the entire NHL for this statistic.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, who beat the CH 9-2, are in second place with six games where they have given up six goals or more, while the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers are in third place with four games.

In short, the CH looks very bad with this statistic, and what is even more serious in all of this is that four of these games ended with a margin of four goals or more against the opponent.

  • October 22: Loss 7-2 against the New York Rangers
  • October 29: Loss 8-2 against the Seattle Kraken
  • November 23: Loss 6-2 against the Vegas Golden Knights
  • December 12: Loss 9-2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins

And the worst part is that these blowouts all took place at the Bell Centre at home in front of the CH fans.

It’s sad to think that the club has often given up in front of its own fans.

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There is clearly a blatant lack of character in the Tricolore this season, which is concerning for the future, as it really seems like the guys have become accustomed to and comfortable with losing and getting blown out by many goals.

The players are giving up and seem to simply be waiting for the final buzzer without putting in any effort.

Yet, character is one of the main elements sought by Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes when they draft and acquire different players.

This is clearly not showing this season.

We all thought things had changed in the last weeks and days with the return of Patrik Laine, but Thursday’s game just proved the opposite.

The CH stopped playing in the third period, leaving its goaltenders completely alone.

It’s really unfortunate, because the CH was entering into a stretch with several winnable games against rather weak teams.

With a win against the Penguins on Thursday, the CH would have been five points out of the playoffs with a game in hand on the Philadelphia Flyers and could have continued this stretch with positive momentum.

Currently, it’s quite the opposite, as Martin St-Louis’ squad will try to bounce back against the best team in the NHL, the Winnipeg Jets, after suffering its biggest loss of the season.

In Brief

– The Rocket will be in action tonight.

– Very interesting.

– Wow.

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Rumor corner: the Canucks are looking to trade Vincent Desharnais

CALGARY, AB - SEPTEMBER 28: Vancouver Canucks Defenceman Vincent Desharnais (73) in action during the third period of an NHL preseason game between the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks on September 28, 2024, at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, AB. (Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

With a quarter of the 2024-2025 season already behind us, things are starting to move in the National Hockey League.

Indeed, in recent days and weeks, Alexandar Georgiev, Mackenzie Blackwood, Jacob Trouba, and David Jiricek have all changed addresses.

And according to the latest rumors, this could continue.

It hasn’t worked out for Vincent Desharnais with the Canucks

This summer, during the free agency period in the NHL, one of the signings that caught attention in Quebec was Vincent Desharnais’s deal with Vancouver.

The 6-foot-7 Quebec defenseman made a name for himself with the Edmonton Oilers last season, establishing himself as a solid depth defenseman.

He signed a nice two-year contract worth $2 million per year with the Vancouver Canucks to pursue his NHL career.

However, so far, things haven’t really worked out for Desharnais with the Canucks, as he has played only 17 of his team’s 28 games.

He has been sidelined on several occasions, and as of the latest news, the Canucks are reportedly trying to find a better fit for Desharnais.

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This was recently reported by Elliotte Friedman.

Desharnais is therefore already on his way out of Vancouver, and if this is the case, several teams could be interested in such a tough 6-foot-7 defenseman.

Could the Montreal Canadiens be among those interested teams?

Why not, as Desharnais is a right-handed defenseman who could form a very dangerous pairing with Arber Xhekaj.

Desharnais is the kind of player you always prefer to have on your side.

Xhekaj would thus avoid getting injured again against the tough Quebecer.

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The Sabres receiving multiple calls for Dylan Cozens

Now, that’s an interesting case.

Again this season, the Buffalo Sabres look set to miss the playoffs, as they have only one more point than the Canadiens.

Several elements just aren’t fitting in Buffalo, including Dylan Cozens, who seems to have completely lost his touch.

Two seasons ago, the 23-year-old Canadian forward scored 31 goals and 68 points, but this season, he has only 13 points and six goals in 29 games.

As Elliotte Friedman reported, this situation has sparked several rumors, given that many teams are interested in the 6-foot-3 right-handed center.

The problem is that Cozens already has a hefty contract, with six seasons (including this one) remaining at $7.1 million per year.

His current production rate is really far from that value.

In short, it’s a situation to watch closely, and it brings to mind Kirby Dach with the Canadiens.

Dach (3rd overall) was drafted the same year as Cozens (7th overall) and is a 23-year-old center who is struggling significantly this season.

Could a potential “swap deal” be a possibility?

To be continued.

In Brief

– Read.

– Listen.

– Wow.