Author: Dose

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Dans les coulisses

The CH has not scored in its last ten outings.

Yesterday, the Tricolore suffered a drubbing in front of its fans, and the first-degree analysis shows us another match where the CH completely packed it in after allowing two quick goals in the third period.

Since the Canadiens have difficulty coming back this year, the team must find a way to equalize quickly and seize its opportunities when they arise.

The CH is not doing this at present, and the following statistic is very telling. The Tricolore has not scored a goal on its last 10 breakaways.

 

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It may seem trivial, but it may have cost two games to the CH, the last two lost.

Yesterday, Christian Dvorak had a golden opportunity to bring the Canadiens back into the game in the middle of the second period when he found himself alone in front of Tristan Jarry. He failed to beat him. The Tricolore let the game slip away.

Last Saturday against the Capitals, the CH squandered four breakaways in the third period while the score was tied 2-2. The Tricolore let the game slip away.

Yes, it is true that the CH has a lot to correct, including the level of confidence which seems so fragile. But one way to correct it is to take advantage of those opportunities that are rare in a game.

The Tricolore should perhaps ask Paul Byron to conduct a clinic on how to score on breakaways, as it was his specialty when he played. If the CH has already held a clinic on face-offs, why not one for breakaways?

When a team lacks raw talent, it must find a way to be opportunistic, and at this moment, the CH is not.

In brief

– Crazy the talent left aside.

– Vincent Desharnais on the market.

Michael Hage is back.

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Dans les coulisses

Ivan Demidov is not behaving properly, according to Alex Kovalev.

Ivan Demidov has been making Canadiens fans salivate since being selected 5th overall in this year’s draft. He gets limited playing time in the KHL (thanks to his coach), but still manages to get on the score sheet regularly.

While almost everyone in Montreal agrees that the young man can do nothing and must be patient, Alex Kovalev does not share the same opinion.

The former NHL player spoke with Responsible Gambling and did not hold back.

«He is not acting the right way. It’s not good to just sit there and play six minutes a game, with the plan to leave in six months to play in the NHL» – Alex Kovalev

He added that Demidov needs to do everything possible to get ice time.

Let’s put things into context. Everyone knows that Demidov wants to make the jump to North America, and it is known that when such a situation arises, it does not please coaches in Russia.

As a result, the young player is often benched despite good performances when he is on the ice.

What more can he do? Kovalev suggests that he have a discussion with his coach, but there’s no telling whether that has already been done. It’s not like Demidov looks bad on the ice when he gets playing time.

At the same time, Kovalev has coaching experience in the KHL, but it is still hard to understand his viewpoint regarding his young compatriot.

In a nutshell

– Quite a fight.

– A lot of talent in this team.

– Quite special.

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Dans les coulisses

Ivan Demidov is not behaving properly, according to Alex Kovalev.

SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - 2024/09/23: 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 Avangard Omsk at the Ice Sports Palace. (Final score: SKA Saint Petersburg 4:1 Avangard Omsk). (Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Ivan Demidov has been making Canadiens fans salivate since being selected 5th overall in this year’s draft. He gets limited playing time in the KHL (thanks to his coach), but still manages to get on the score sheet regularly.

While almost everyone in Montreal agrees that the young man can do nothing and must be patient, Alex Kovalev does not share the same opinion.

The former NHL player spoke with Responsible Gambling and did not hold back.

«He is not acting the right way. It’s not good to just sit there and play six minutes a game, with the plan to leave in six months to play in the NHL» – Alex Kovalev

He added that Demidov needs to do everything possible to get ice time.

Let’s put things into context. Everyone knows that Demidov wants to make the jump to North America, and it is known that when such a situation arises, it does not please coaches in Russia.

As a result, the young player is often benched despite good performances when he is on the ice.

What more can he do? Kovalev suggests that he have a discussion with his coach, but there’s no telling whether that has already been done. It’s not like Demidov looks bad on the ice when he gets playing time.

At the same time, Kovalev has coaching experience in the KHL, but it is still hard to understand his viewpoint regarding his young compatriot.

In a nutshell

– Quite a fight.

– A lot of talent in this team.

– Quite special.

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Dans les coulisses

CMJ: Ethan Gauthier and Mathieu Cataford make the team

It’s done: the official lineup for Canada for the upcoming Junior World Championship has been released.

And there are some nice surprises.

First, the only two Quebecers invited (Ethan Gauthier and Mathieu Cataford) have been selected for the team.

Here is the complete final lineup:

The team is very well-equipped on paper, but there are a few surprising names that have been cut.

First, the 3rd overall pick from the last draft, Beckett Sennecke, did not make the team.

A total of three top-10 picks from the last draft, including Sennecke, failed to secure a spot.

The other two are defensemen Carter Yakemchuk (7th) and Zayne Parekh (9th).

Three very big surprises, just like Andrew Cristall and Matthew Wood (who made the team last year).

Before criticizing some decisions, it is important to understand that Parekh and Yakemchuk are two very offensive right-handed defensemen, and a defensive brigade cannot consist solely of that.

We must balance everything and not just take the most talented players, as there needs to be good cohesion.

Also, experience is important, and that’s where the 19-year-olds come into play.

Players who are 18 years old and just drafted rarely become a priority when building a Canadian team for the WJC, unless the player is sensational.

Speaking of exceptional players, young prodigy Gavin McKenna (16, soon 17) has been selected, along with defenseman Matthew Schaefer and goalie Jack Ivankovic.

These three players are the only ones in the final roster born in 2007.

In short, despite the overlooked players (who would also make an excellent team), Canada will once again be able to count on an excellent team.

We simply need to see effort and heart at work, and everything should go well for the Canadians.

I can’t wait to see this edition of the WJC.

In Brief

– This contradicts a lot of what Nick Suzuki said yesterday after the game.

– This will never top the time Pavel Datsyuk embarrassed Logan Couture by sending him to the ground with his masterful dekes.

– Too bad…

– Interesting.

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Dans les coulisses

Several supporters of other teams are mocking Lane Hutson.

Ah, how we love little Lane Hutson in Montreal.

It’s normal to be this excited to have such an electrifying player on a team that is currently struggling.

Even though he hasn’t scored any goals yet and has some defensive shortcomings, he frequently creates scoring chances and regularly makes the highlights.

However, reading this article from TVA Sports, we understand that fans from other teams do not understand at all the intense enthusiasm surrounding the little defenseman.

In fact, many of them greatly mock his little “step backs” that never lead to a goal.

In this TVA Sports article, there are many inserted tweets showing the hatred towards the rookie.

You can even see it for yourself by searching “Lane Hutson ” in the Twitter/X search bar, or by clicking right here.

It’s ridiculous the amount of hateful comments about #48 of the Habs.

Here are a few others that caught my attention. Sarcasm is often present in these tweets/retweets.

There’s even an internet user suggesting sending Lane Hutson to the American League.

And it’s not necessarily because they don’t like the style of player he is, it’s pure hatred.

Obviously, these tweets should be taken with a grain of salt, as most of them seem to be fans of the Maple Leafs, the Bruins, or simple “haters of the Habs.

To return to the tweet above, it’s true that his -14 performance is far from good, but we have to keep in mind that he is playing with several players who are struggling.

We all know that he is not a defensive pillar and will make mistakes. He’s a 20-year-old rookie defenseman, we have to give him time to learn.

As we can see in the next tweet, these haters do not seem to understand that there aren’t many players on the team who have the hockey IQ to keep up with him.

“Every highlight of Lane Hutson is just him dancing around with the puck without a precise goal. His highlights never result in a goal or an assist.”

No, Hutson has no goals yet, but that’s coming and to say it never results in an assist is crazy.

He still has 19 assists this season, with a mediocre team, in his rookie season a third of the way through the season.

Moreover, in the sequence of the last tweet, we see the beautiful pass he made to Christian Dvorak, who then zipped through the air…

You can’t expect much more from Hutson when you see what Dvorak is doing on the ice… Hutson has created several opportunities; he did everything for Dvo, but the result summarizes the overall season of the Habs.

Wait until the little defenseman is better surrounded, with the imminent arrivals of Ivan Demidov (who was recently named MVP of a 3 on 3 tournament today) and Michael Hage, among others.

Then it will be even more interesting, but much less pleasant for rival Habs fans.

In Brief

– Ethan Gauthier and Mathieu Cataford made the team. Matthew Wood (who was there last year) and Zayne Parekh, among others, were cut.

– Bedard is still the 3rd youngest player in the NHL and leads his team in points.

– Well.

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Dans les coulisses

Ivan Demidov is named MVP of a 3 vs. 3 tournament in Russia.

The “Channel One Cup” tournament continues in Russia.

Today, no matches were scheduled to make way for a small three-on-three competition held between representatives from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and the rest of the world. A bit like what we see at the NHL All-Star Game, really.

Demidov wore the “C” on his jersey:

The hope of CH stood out during the mini competition.

His team secured their spot in the finals, and Demidov scored a goal (penalty shot) and provided an assist during the match.

His highlights can be found right here:

His team won the mini tournament, and Demidov played an important role during the “competition.”

He was even named MVP of the mini tournament:

Recently, things have been tough for Demidov with SKA.

And the reason is simple: his coach, Roman Rotenberg, is not utilizing him effectively.

But perhaps seeing him win the MVP title during the mini tournament will help him gain confidence.

Lastly, let’s remember that the matches of the “Channel One Cup” tournament are set to resume tomorrow.

At this level, I’m looking forward to seeing if Rotenberg (who is the coach of Russia) will trust Demidov after watching him perform well today.

Stay tuned.

In Brief

– Oh.

– Sick.

– Well then. I hope…

– Oh really?

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Dans les coulisses

Juraj Slafkovsky seemed bothered by a question from a journalist today.

Going to Centre Bell is expensive.

Very expensive.

That said, it’s frustrating to pay a huge amount to watch the Canadiens get beaten by another team. That’s what happened yesterday, and it has also happened a few times since the start of the season.

After today’s practice, a journalist asked Juraj Slafkovsky if he would be willing to pay hundreds of dollars to attend a Habs game.

This led to an interesting moment between the journalist and the Slovakian, who responded:

Yeah, I would pay. We are young players, and there is still a lot ahead of us. It doesn’t change anything. – Juraj Slafkovsky

Without saying he responded with attitude, you can see on his face that the journalist’s question slightly bothered Slaf.

And that’s okay too:

Journalists are there to ask more “complicated” questions sometimes, and that was one of them.

That said, I believe Slaf answered the question well even if he is a bit wrong in saying that “it doesn’t change anything.”

Watching the Canadiens lose like they did last night… It doesn’t make you want to pay $300 for an evening when all fans want to see the team win.

On the other hand, seeing Slaf respond this way indicates one thing to me: the kid is still confident, and in the locker room, the players know they can give more.

I’d like to see him be that confident on the ice every game, but oh well.

That’s another discussion, though…

In Brief

– The Habs are still far away.

– I miss it.

– Oh really.

– This deserves highlighting.

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Dans les coulisses

There is interest in Zachary Fucale from all corners of the NHL (according to Kevin Weekes)

SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - 2023/11/09: Traktor Hockey Club player, Zachary Fucale (30) seen in action during the Kontinental Hockey League, regular season KHL 2023 - 2024 between SKA Saint Petersburg and Traktor Chelyabinsk at the Ice Sports Palace. (Final score; SKA Saint Petersburg 4:3 Traktor Chelyabinsk). (Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Zachary Fucale has played four career games in the National Hockey League.

And this is despite being selected by the Canadiens in the second round of the 2013 draft with the 36th overall pick.

He had difficulty making the jump to the professionals and has bounced between the American Hockey League and the ECHL for nearly four years… But he found his niche in Washington before moving to the KHL. He notably won the Calder Cup with the Hershey Bears during the 22-23 season.

Since the beginning of last season, the Quebec native has been wearing the colors of Traktor Chelyabinsk and he is performing well.

His numbers are really excellent, at least:

  • Record of 24-17-4, average of 2.16, and save percentage of .929 (23-24 season)
  • Record of 14-8-2, average of 2.07, and save percentage of .924 (current season)

The goalie has changed agents and now trusts Dan Milstein because he wants to facilitate his return to the NHL.

And according to Kevin Weekes, there is interest in Fucale’s services for the 25-26 season:

The journey of every player is different. But if Fucale manages to find his place on an NHL team next year, it will be a great story.

He is still young at 29 years old and has good years ahead of him.

Fucale may have had to go through the KHL to get noticed even more… But oh well.

All roads lead to Rome, as they say!

I wonder, however, what his contract could look like if he continues to dominate the KHL and then makes the jump to the NHL next year.

Will a team decide to offer him a “big” amount after seeing him perform really well in Russia? Hmm…

All in all, this is still good news for the player concerned. Because if there is interest in his services at this moment with the next season starting in 10 months, it means that this is really a good sign for the future.

In brief

– Yeah..

– Hehe.

– What a hockey player this Matt Boldy is.

– It’s done.

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Dans les coulisses

“Tomorrow is a big match for us”: The subtle message from St-Louis to his players

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…

Obviously, you noticed that I can count up to six. But six is also the number of goals that were scored in the third period of yesterday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It’s unacceptable.

One could expect that Martin St-Louis would punish his guys at practice this morning, but he did not.

He yelled loudly at times and stopped a few drills to talk to his players, and that was it.

The coach addressed the media after practice and said he liked the effort of his players today.

But in his comments, Martin St-Louis also sent a subtle message to the players: tomorrow, they better be fit.

The coach is aware that the chain arrived yesterday, but he expects to see his club bounce back against the powerful Jets in Winnipeg:

Tomorrow is a big game for us. – Martin St-Louis

I would have liked to see Martin St-Louis get angry after yesterday’s game in the press conference.

But he decided to go for calm, as has (too) often been the case since the beginning of the season.

That said, there must be something that changes tomorrow if the Canadiens get their tails kicked again.

Just because the club had won three out of four games (before yesterday’s) doesn’t mean the players have the right to give up on the ice, and what bothers me is that this has been happening often since the beginning of the season. And if the coach continues to accept those moments, the players will never understand from their side.

Martin St-Louis describes yesterday’s third period as a misstep… But you can’t win or progress when those so-called missteps are frequent, as we’re seeing right now.

All of this to say we will see how the team responds tomorrow, and if we can trust Martin St-Louis, it should be better than last night at the Bell Centre.

Although, it would be hard to do worse…

In brief

– The Hawks aren’t wasting any time.

– Love for Brad Marchand.

– A fine for Josh Norris.

– The Hurricanes are still looking for a goalie.

– Not bad.

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Dans les coulisses

The Bell Centre is no longer hostile to others; it is now hostile to the Canadiens.

The Bell Centre is far from being hostile to other teams (and their supporters).

Generally speaking, a team usually finds a way to win more games than it loses in front of its fans. Mostly only the teams that flirt with the bottom of the overall standings lose more games than they win in their arena.

Last change… home crowd advantage… more normal sleep the night before…

Except that for Canadiens, it doesn’t seem to work that way.

The CH has lost 9 of the 17 games it has played at the Bell Centre since the beginning of the season.

One has to go back to the 2018-19 season to see the Canadiens win more than 50% of their home games. Even in 2020-21, the year the team made it to the Cup Final, they lost more games than they won in the regular season in downtown Montreal.

Why does the Canadiens have so much difficulty winning games in front of their fans? Good question!

Is it because of the pressure from the fans (who know hockey)?

Because of the other players who love playing at the Bell Centre?

Due to the lack of toughness of the Montreal team? The Bell Centre is far from being a fortress if the other players feel comfortable and enjoy coming there…

I don’t know!

The Bell Centre is far from hostile to other teams (and their fans).
(Credit: Getty Images)

One day or another, the CH organization will have to seriously address the issue. Because this is not normal…

Especially when your worst blowouts of the season are suffered in front of your fans (who pay several hundred dollars to come watch your show).

9 to 2 against the Penguins…

6 to 2 against the Golden Knights…

8 to 2 against the Kraken…

7 to 2 against the Rangers…

Something is wrong.

All the more so that the victories you’re managing to get are almost always against teams that will not make the playoffs…

It’s up to Martin St-Louis to react
No, I do not have THE solution for Canadiens to start winning the majority of their home games. If I had it, I would sell it to the CH (or I would be hired to analyze their game internally).

Except I have a line of thought…

Many head coaches have burned themselves over the years by being too hard on their players.

But others have also burned themselves by being too soft… by being too close to them.

The regular players who do not deliver the goods have not been left out in recent years with the Canadiens.

The players expected to produce offensively, but who do not, are never punished. On the contrary: they are placed – Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach – on the first or second line with the team’s best forwards. And they continue to be given power play minutes…

Only Juraj Slafkovsky has been A LITTLE reprimanded for his disastrous performances (for a first overall pick who will earn $10 million next season).

In front of the media after the blowouts, the coach finds it funny, cracks jokes, looks devastated and repeats the same words about the referees, talks about bad luck and unlucky bounces…

But he never gets angry. He never throws stones at his players. He protects them.

And that might be the problem.

Martin St-Louis still seems to think like a player, not like a head coach. He still seems to think he is one of them.

You should not become a head coach hoping to extend the fun you had as a player. When you become a coach, you are no longer a player. You are no longer one of them.

And that, Martin St-Louis seems to have forgotten.

“Martin, it’s time for you to start coaching like a coach, not with a player mentality. You are no longer a player… and your players need a coach, not a guy who still thinks like a player. It’s time to stop protecting them, defending them, feeling sorry for them or whatever. The players must feel they are accountable for their play.” – me

Martin St-Louis once said that John Tortorella was not always fun on a day-to-day basis, but that he made him a better player… that Torts’ demands pushed him to become the player he is now.

Can you name me a single player that Martin St-Louis DRIVES to be better right now…

Come on, I’m waiting…

The time has come for Martin to coach, and not just to lead a group of hockey players. We’re not at the local arena for a Pee-Wee practice at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday.

In Brief

– JT and I welcomed Catherine F. (O.D.) and her sister Alexandra this week for a special episode of the podcast Stanley25. We talked about hockey, the Canadiens, and Montreal. If you’re interested, here’s the link:

– The Canadiens play a man-to-man system… Laine has Rakell as his man to mark… Rakell ends up all alone in the slot…

– Let’s try to find some positives in yesterday’s blowout.

– Could Matias Cooraco stay in South America?

– CF Montreal will face Toronto FC in the first round of the Canadian championship… in Toronto. If they win, they could very well AGAIN face Forge. #Rivalries