Author: Dose

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Owen Beck is currently the Laval Rocket’s leading scorer

After a poor end to November with three consecutive defeats, the Laval Rocket is back on track at the start of December.

Pascal Vincent’s team has amassed five points out of a possible six so far in December, thanks to a superb victory over the Toronto Marlies last night.

The Rocket took revenge on the Marlies and Cédric Paré after losing in a shootout on Friday.

It was a huge victory for the Rocket last night, and it was largely due to Owen Beck’s excellent performance.

The Rocket’s 20-year-old forward collected three points, including two goals, in a 5-4 regulation-time victory.

In fact, it was Beck himself who prevented the game from going into overtime, as he scored the winning goal with around 20 seconds left in the game.

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Beck was also a brilliant accomplice on Adam Engstrom’s first goal of the game, which set off an avalanche of doggies on the Place Bell ice.

In short, Beck is really coming into his own in his rookie season, and as the season progresses, he’s getting more and more comfortable.

He’s gotten so comfortable in the last few games, he’s even quietly taken the lead among Laval Rocket scorers with his 20 points in 23 games.

(Credit: TheAHL.com)

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Of course, Joshua Roy and Alex Barré-Boulet, who have played fewer games, are only one point behind him, but still, it’s very encouraging to see Beck emerging as one of the Rocket’s most important players.

As a 20-year-old AHL rookie, that’s a lot of production for the Habs’ second-round pick (33rd overall) in 2022.

In the entire AHL, Beck ranks 4ᵉ among the top rookie scorers, four points behind a certain Frank Nazar.

(Credit: TheAHL.com)

For those who don’t replace him, Nazar is the prospect who was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks 13thᵉ overall in 2022, with the Canadiens’ traded pick for Kirby Dach.

Would the Habs be further ahead with Nazar in their ranks rather than Dach?

The question clearly arises.

In short, Owen Beck is on fire right now, on a six-game point streak in which he has scored eight points.

It’s clear that with his current performances, Beck is shopping himself for a potential NHL call-up to the Canadiens by the end of the season.

But for now, it’s best to let him dominate in the AHL and make sure he’s ready for next season, when he could very clearly land a spot in Montreal.

Owen Beck and Oliver Kapanen will be battling it out at center during practice for the 2025-2026 season.

Overtime

– When you look at it that way, it really was a great draft.

– To be followed closely.

– A fine 4ᵉ place for Lewis Hamilton to conclude his chapter with Mercedes.

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Lack of opportunism: Tom Wilson’s swollen face gave the Habs a scare

Last night, the Canadiens lost 4-2 to the Washington Capitals, despite having a 2-0 lead in the game.

It was a frustrating defeat because of the lost lead, of course, but that wasn’t the main thing that frustrated Habs fans at the end of the 60 minutes.

Rather, it was the club’s enormous lack of opportunism (especially in the third period) that bothered and exasperated Habs fans.

So it’s not a frustrating defeat because the Habs didn’t give it their all or lacked effort and zeal, but rather a frustrating defeat because the Habs really could have run away with the game quite easily if they’d converted their scoring chances a little less.

The game looked great at the start, with the Habs first line quickly scoring two goals and converting two great chances.

But after that, the Habs failed to score a single goal.

This lethargy coincided with a facial injury to Tom Wilson, who took a shot directly on the left cheek from defenseman Jakob Chychrun.

It seems that Wilson’s swollen face frightened the Habs players, who didn’t dare score any more.

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For real, it’s pretty impressive how the Habs were far too kind offensively, while on all their chances after Wilson’s injury, there was always a little something missing.

Especially in the third period, the Habs had not one, not two, not three, but FOUR OPPORTUNITIES, all with the same result: no goal.

Give credit to Logan Thompson, who after being shaky on the Habs’ two goals, was simply smoking the rest of the game.

Worst of all, right after the Habs’ fourth breakaway, chipmunk Tom Wilson came to hurt the Habs badly with a big goal to take a 3-2 lead.

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He also scored the equalizer.

In short, even though Wilson was probably in more pain during the game than the Habs, and probably even more pain this morning, he was still more opportunistic than the entire Montreal Canadiens.

Even with a swollen cheek and excruciating pain, Wilson found a way to step up and give his team the win.

And that’s where it’s a real shame, because the Habs played a good game, but once again lacked that little something extra to overcome one of the NHL’s best teams (1ᵉʳ rank in the Eastern Conference and 1ᵉʳ rank in the entire league).

This game reminded me a lot of last Saturday’s game against the Rangers in New York, when the Habs deserved to win, but still dropped the game.

Last night was also a great opportunity, with the Capitals playing their second game in two nights after traveling overnight from Toronto.

The Habs should have killed the game without letting the Caps back in.

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It’s not right that the team that played the night before is the one that’s progressing and coming back into the game, especially without their best player, Alex Ovechkin.

In short, this defeat was a great lesson for the Habs, and also for the fans who celebrated too early last night at the Bell Centre.

Olé Olé Olé could be heard after the two goals and the Habs’ complete domination.

The game was far from over, especially considering that the Caps are the team with the most come-from-behind victories this season.

In short, the Habs played a good game and continue to progress, even if they’re still lacking some.

Martin St-Louis’s team will be in practice this morning, hoping that breakaways will be on the menu.

Overtime

– Further proof that hockey players are tough.

– A crazy start for the last Grand Prix of the season.

– Indeed.

– Coming up.

– To read.

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Top-5: two goals for Matvei Michkov, who has seven points in his last three games

There were 11 games yesterday in the National Hockey League, which kept us entertained throughout the day.

There were a number of highlights throughout the 11 games.

Here’s a rundown of Saturday’s hockey action.

1. Matvei Michkov scores two goals and comes close to a point per game

Once again yesterday, the Philadelphia Flyers’ young Russian rookie showed the full extent of his talent.

Michkov scored two goals in a 4-3 loss to the Boston Bruins, giving him seven points in his last three games.

The young Russian is the first rookie to reach the 10-goal plateau, as he now has 24 points, including 11 goals, in 25 games.

And just like that, well, with 11 goals, Michkov would be the Habs’ second-leading scorer ahead of Nick Suzuki and his 10 goals.

I still can’t believe how Kent Hughes and the Habs passed up Michkov for the 5ᵉ spot in 2023.

The 19-year-old is already making Flyers history, and even more so with his three-game streak of at least two points.

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2. Connor McDavid joins Mario Lemieux

Despite missing three games, McDavid remains at the top of the NHL in points, as he quietly catches up.

With two points last night in the Edmonton Oilers’ 4-2 win over the St. Louis Blues, McDavid moved within five points of scoring leaders Kirill Kaprizov and Martin Necas (42 points each).

And what’s especially important to note is that with an assist last night, McDavid collected his 123ᵉ assist of the 2024 year, tying him with none other than Mario Lemieux.

It was a beautiful extra pass for McDavid.

Only Wayne Gretzky has ever won more (six times) in a single year.

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3. Logan Thompson makes three breakaway saves in a row

As I’m sure you all saw last night, the Canadiens lost 4-2 to the Washington Capitals.

The Habs played well, however, and it wasn’t for lack of trying and threatening that they lost.

On the contrary, the Habs played very well and did everything in their power to run away with the game, but came up against an in-form Logan Thompson.

Thompson turned away three breakaways in quick succession in the third period, with the game tied 2-2.

We could even add Brendan Gallagher’s semi-escape.

In short, the Habs lacked finish and let the game slip through their fingers, while Thompson was very solid.

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4. Two more goals for Matthew Tkachuk

After a slow start to the season, the Florida Panthers’ star player is back in top form.

In his last four games, Tkachuk now has 13 points. He has virtually doubled his production this season in just four games, with 30 points in 23 games.

Last night, Tkachuk scored two goals to reach the ten-goal plateau.

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5. Marc-André Fleury has fun!

Despite the Minnesota Wild’s 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings last night, Marc-André Fleury still finds a way to have fun.

Here’s further proof.

With the season the Wild are having right now, we can only hope they go far in the playoffs.

Overtime

– A battle of the goalies in the ECHL.

– Here are all the results from the previous day.

– Today’s NHL schedule: seven games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
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Oliver Kapanen’s dismissal in Sweden whipped him into a frenzy

At the start of the season, Oliver Kapanen surprised many by landing a spot with the Montreal Canadiens.

It was either that or Sweden for the man who couldn’t play with the Rocket. We all agree that playing under Pascal Vincent would have been optimal for his development.

In 12 games in Montreal, he finally accumulated two assists. Unlike Emil Heineman, he failed to make his mark on the fourth line. Martin St-Louis didn’t give him every opportunity, but it was up to him to earn it.

Since being sent back to his homeland, Kasperi’s cousin has been looking good.

In nine games, he has eight points, including three goals. Today, in a 4-1 victory for his club, he scored two.

First of all, he scored with a good shot in the top corner after having missed his throw a few moments earlier.

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Then, at the mouth of the net, he completed his teammate’s beautiful play.

His future in Montreal isn’t certain, but clearly, he’s not going to be a guy who scores 20 goals a season. If he plays with the big club one day, it will be on a bottom-6 and he’ll have a more defensive role.

In the SHL, he gets more playing time and quality time on the power play, in particular.

In any case, he seizes every opportunity to be recalled to the big North American league.

Overtime

– Well done.

– Brings back bad memories.

– Obviously.

– Bravo.

– Brady Tkachuk doesn’t want to go anywhere.

– He is excellent.

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Andrei Markov returns to the Bell Centre for the first time since 2017

A good little rumor, my Andrei.

It’s going to be a very special evening tonight at the Bell Centre.

Behind the scenes, a great will be returning to the amphitheatre in which he built his legend. Indeed, Andrei Markov will be there as a fan for the first time since April 20, 2017.

Guillaume Lefrançois met the Russian today at the Hobby festival at the Palais des Congrès. My colleague Michael Petit opened the door to a tribute a few days ago.

Unfortunately for fans, there won’t be a standing ovation or a presentation or anything. In fact, Markov doesn’t even know where he’s going to sit and is just hoping to find his seat. The defenseman is an extremely shy man, and Lefrançois’ headline on La Presse sums it up quite well: Le timide retour d’un grand timide.

He’s a man of few words, and fans were quick to notice this at the signing session a few hours before the game.

The 79 considers himself a lucky man to have made his mark on the city of Montreal. He doesn’t necessarily want a standing ovation, but if it happens, it happens. Good luck finding him in the stands.

I walk down the street and people still recognize me. It’s flattering. It means you’ve done something for the team, for the city. – Andrei Markov

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As much as he enjoyed his time in Montreal (990 games), he doesn’t hold on to his past any more than he should. Of all his former teammates, P.K. Subban is the only one he keeps in touch with on a regular basis.

I’m not really surprised.

In his interview with La Presse, the left-hander also talked about his future in hockey. He also says he doesn’t watch many KHL games and isn’t too aware of what Ivan Demidov is up to in the Russian league.

If the Canadiens drafted him this high, it’s because he’s good, he’s talented, and he needs to work on it. – Andrei Markov

He finished by praising another part of the team’s future: Lane Hutson.

Markov thinks he’s very good and can’t wait to see him live tonight.

Overtime

– The Rocket takes revenge against the Marlies.

– Bad news.

– Matthew Schaefer: a prospect to keep an eye on. [RG]

– Exclusive interview with Alexis Lafrenière.

– He certainly counts.

– He’s the Rookie of the Year.

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Five goals in seven games: Shane Wright is on fire in Seattle

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 09: Shane Wright #51 of the Seattle Kraken skates during the third period of a game against the Arizona Coyotes at Climate Pledge Arena on April 9, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Christopher Mast/NHLI via Getty Images)

In Montreal, the names of Shane Wright and Matvei Michkov are two that will inevitably be the talk of the town for the rest of their careers. Both players were fan favorites to be the Canadiens’ draft picks, but in the end, other players were chosen.

Juraj Slafkovský was preferred to Wright, while David Reinbacher was chosen over Michkov.

Inevitably, then, we’re following the progress of both prospects… and right now, both Wright and Michkov are really starting to find their way to the NHL.

Wright’s case is particularly interesting. In fact, on November 17, Wright’s season was going nowhere, so Dan Bylsma passed on him.

Since then, the young forward seems to have had the knife between his teeth. Since his return to the line-up (on November 25), Wright has been scoring goals by the ton.

He now has five goals in his last seven games.

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It’s a solid comeback for the youngster, who has now scored six goals and nine points this season. That’s three times more goals than Slafkovský, even though the latter has five more points on his record this season.

Michkov is also on fire. The man who is competing with Lane Hutson (among others) for the Calder has clearly reached a new gear in recent games.

Today, he added two goals to his record… so that he now has seven points (including three goals) in his last three games. The Flyers, however, are 1-1-1 in those three games.

Mishkov became the first rookie to reach the 10-goal plateau in the NHL this season. The Flyers forward, whose offensive qualities have been widely praised, hasn’t disappointed so far at this level, with 11 goals and 24 points in 25 games.

Reinbacher, who is injured, unfortunately doesn’t have the chance to prove his worth at the moment, so it’s hard to compare the two choices. But at the moment, the Flyers must be very happy that Michkov was available on their draft board.

Let’s see how both youngsters’ seasons go, but things are going well for both the Kraken and Flyers forwards at the moment.

In Overtime

– Doggies in Laval and Trois-Rivières.

– 11.5 M per year: Igor Shesterkin left money on the table.

– The end for Brendan Lemieux in Carolina.

– A name to watch.

– Interesting.

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Jacob Trouba: “We’re told the Canadiens were interested”.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 22: Jacob Trouba #8 of the New York Rangers during the anthem prior to the game against the Florida Panthers in Game One of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 22, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)

Yesterday, the Jacob Trouba saga finally came to an end, as the defenseman was traded to the Anaheim Ducks. The Rangers clearly wanted to get rid of their captain, but his partial no-trade clause complicated matters.

There was even talk of placing him on the waivers to try to get around this clause. Not a smart move.

In the end, it was Anaheim, but we know that the Rangers tried to send him to several teams. And obviously, several teams were interested.

And according to Bruce Garrioch (Ottawa Citizen), one of those teams… was the Canadiens.

TVA Sports picked up the story in an article published this afternoon.

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The connection isn’t particularly hard to make: we know that the Habs are looking for reinforcements on the blue line (especially right-handers), they had room on their payroll… and most importantly, Jeff Gorton is in the organization’s hockey department.

Remember that Gorton was at the helm of the Rangers when the club acquired Trouba in 2019.

On the other hand, it was a lose-lose situation for the Canadiens: Trouba wanted absolutely nothing to do with a return to Canada. We know he’s left Winnipeg in the past, and with his wife unable to practice medicine in Canada, he doesn’t want to leave the States.

That said, it just goes to show that the Canadiens are willing to get creative to solve their blue-line woes. They want to add some reinforcements, and in Trouba, the club would have gotten their hands on an experienced right-hander.

It might have been peculiar in the dressing room with Justin Barron (whom he knocked out earlier this year and would probably have stolen the spot from) and with Josh Anderson (who gave him a beating last Saturday), but hey.

Extension

We’ve known since the start of the season that the Habs would like to add some physical players to their squad.

We agree that Trouba would have been part of the solution… but I wonder if fans would have appreciated the deal. He’s not the most popular player in town, after all.

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Rocket: Vincent Arseneau (team heavyweight) to face Cédric Paré and the Marlies

Cédric Paré’s name has become popular in Montreal for all the wrong reasons in recent months. The Québécois forward, who faced the Habs in a warm-up game, pulled his knee out in front of Patrik Laine, injuring the Canadiens’ forward.

He didn’t exactly make many friends in town that night.

And yesterday, on his return to Laval, he was loudly booed all evening… but he finally had the last laugh, scoring the winning goal in the shootout. And he took the opportunity to taunt the crowd.

During the game, the Rocket guys invited him to dance, but Paré refused. But seeing him taunt the crowd must have pissed off the Rocket… who responded in kind.

Today, the club will be dressing Vincent Arseneau, the team’s heavyweight. And it’s safe to assume that it’s not just because Sean Farrell had a tough night last night.

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For those less familiar with him, Arseneau is no soft touch. He’s a real heavyweight… and last season, he proved it against a certain Matt Rempe.

It was quite a fight.

We’re also talking about a guy who, without fighting, brings a physical element that helps the club. He’ll be playing alongside Luke Tuch and Florian Xhekaj, which will make for a very physical line-up at Pascal Vincent’s disposal.

Obviously, the Rocket mustn’t get out of his game just to send a message to Paré. That said, it’s logical to think that the Marlies’ forward should receive a visit from one of the three forwards in this line.

Let’s see what happens.

Overtime

– Speaking of the Rocket.

– Connor Bedard thinks he can make football investments.

– Owen Beck’s former GM isn’t surprised to see him succeed.

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Morning practice: all signs point to Kaiden Guhle’s return to action this evening

The Montreal Canadiens play their third straight home game this week tonight, while the Washington Capitals are in town.

Ovi’s team, WITHOUT Ovi, will be looking for their ninth straight win away from home tonight, after defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs last night.

As for the Habs, they’ll be going for their third win in a row for the first time this season, and especially for the first time since March.

In preparation for this game, the Habs practiced this morning at the Bell Centre, and quickly got some good news.

Kaiden Guhle was on the ice, and everything points to him playing tonight against the Capitals.

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Guhle missed the last game at the last minute due to illness.

Justin Barron took his place just before warm-up.

And if logic is anything to go by, it’s Barron who should bail out tonight, leaving his place to allow Guhle to re-enter the line-up.

So it wasn’t too serious for Guhle, who missed just one game.

In net, unsurprisingly, it’s Samuel Montembeault who will be the starter for a third straight game this week.

He’s been excellent in his last two games, and will need to be again tonight against the mighty Capitals.

What’s more, he’ll be up against Logan Thompson, one of the goaltenders with whom he competed in the four-mation tournament with Team Canada.

So, it’s going to be a big goaltending duel, with Thompson clearly out to prove that he would have earned his place ahead of Montembeault.

Overtime

– Happy Birthday Georges Laraque!

– Read more.

– Here’s the starting grid for the final grand prix of the season.

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Jacob Trouba will join the Ducks in Montreal: Josh Anderson must be ready

The National Hockey League was abuzz yesterday.

Everyone was shocked and surprised by the Jacob Perreault Trouba, as the New York Rangers captain packed his bags to join the Anaheim Ducks.

It’s a big deal that allowed the Rangers to make room under their salary cap to put their number-one goaltender, Igor Shesterkin, on a long-term contract.

In the end, it was a very good deal for the Rangers, even if they did end up disrespecting their captain.

In short, Trouba now returns to the Western Conference, but he won’t have a huge first trip to make, as he’ll be joining the Anaheim Ducks in Montreal.

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Indeed, Trouba will meet his new teammates in Montreal, when the Ducks take on the Habs at the Bell Centre on Monday evening, starting at 7:30pm.

This means that Trouba is likely to play his first game in a Ducks uniform against the Canadiens.

That’s big news in itself, but it’s even bigger considering Trouba’s recent history with the Habs.

Barely a week ago, on November 30, Trouba threw down the gloves against Josh Anderson at Madison Square Garden.

Anderson won the fight handily, having called it off in response to Trouba’s hard body check on Justin Barron at the Bell Centre on October 22.

So it’s quite possible that next Monday, Jacob Trouba will be looking for a rematch with Josh Anderson, especially considering that he looked a bit crazy in that fight and will want to make a good impression with his new team.

What better way to make a name for himself with his new team than with a big fight?

In short, we’ll be watching closely next Monday.

Overtime

– Trouba will wear #65 with the Ducks.

– Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba on the same team… sounds promising!

– She is excellent!

– Trevor Zegras is likely to be away for a long time.

– Read more.