Author: Dose

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Slafkovsky headbutt: Noel Acciari did what he wanted on the ice last night

The Montreal Canadiens suffered their third consecutive loss last night, as the Habs fell 3-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Let’s just say that when Christian Dvorak was the only Habs scorer, it says a lot about the kind of game Martin St-Louis’ team played.

The Habs didn’t play their worst game, and still managed to generate some good chances, especially in the third period, but in the end, the players lacked opportunism.

Of course, credit must be given to Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, who did very well in a game where he saw the opposition shoot at the net more often than his team (26 to 24 for the Habs).

In short, one might say that it was an uneventful game/loss for the Habs.

However, the referees’ performance made the game degenerate.

Several infractions by the Penguins, more specifically by forward Noel Acciari, were not penalized by the referees, creating a lot of animosity in the game and a lot of frustration on the part of the Habs players.

And, let’s just say, having to sleep in Pittsburgh certainly didn’t reduce that level of frustration after the loss.

In short, Noel Acciari did whatever he wanted on the ice last night, and that’s just not right.

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The Penguins forward made a number of dirty hits on the Habs players, including the one on Juraj Slafkovsky’s head late in the game that got the most attention.

Clearly a dirty hit, it broke the Habs’ momentum, especially as it went unpunished and Slaf retreated to the dressing room.

The Habs had plenty of life in the third period, but Acciari’s hit cut the Habs’ momentum.

So it’s only natural that Acciari’s hit was the one that broke the camel’s back, forcing the Habs players to react after the clock had run out, to avoid receiving a penalty as the club looked to tie the game.

As soon as the game ended, Arber Xhekaj attempted a knee-on-knee hit on Acciari, creating total chaos on the ice, as all players on the ice were involved in a free-for-all, with Xhekaj and Struble the main players on the Habs side.

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Anyway, the point is that, in the end, if the referees had done their job instead of letting Noel Acciari do whatever he wanted without consequence, it wouldn’t have come to this.

Kevin Bieksa himself said that Acciari had it coming and deserved it, and that in the end, the Habs had to react and give Acciari his due.

In short, the referees did a pitiful job yesterday, and today, Arber Xhekaj is being insulted and denigrated on social networks, when in the end, he only did his job by avenging Acciari’s dirty moves.

It’s a shame, but more and more, it seems that no matter what Xhekaj does, he’ll be punished and seen as the ONLY bad guy.

Overtime

– Deserved

– Nice.

– For those who missed it.

– To listen to.

– To be continued.

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Jason Kelce smashes the phone of a fan who insulted his brother

After last season’s football season, the NFL saw a great end his career.

Jason Kelce, one of the best centers in history, hung up his boots after 13 years with the Philadelphia Eagles. Not only has the league lost one of its finest players, but also an exceptional human being, an ambassador for the game.

In the last few hours, Jason went ballistic. A “fan” called his brother Travis a fag***. The fan deserved what he got: his phone was smashed by Jason.

This supporter richly deserved it, and whether he’s an athlete or not, you don’t treat someone like that.

Ever since he publicly dated Taylor Swift, the Kansas City Chiefs’ close winger has seemed an unloved soul. Yet the only “mistake” he’s made is playing with the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, the unloved ones of American football.

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Otherwise, Travis is a guy so close to his community, and like his big brother, he’s an exceptional human being. The Kelces have been very well brought up. They’re good football players and even have a podcast together, one of the most popular podcasts in the world.

It’s called New Heights , and it’s certainly a podcast not to be missed.

Coming back to Jason’s gesture, I don’t think he’s to blame. All the supporter had to do was shut up and keep his homophobic comments to himself.

It’s 2024, dude… C’mon …

Overtime

– Watch Elliotte Friedman’s interview with Juraj Slafkovsky.

– Will the Alouettes make it to the Grey Cup for the second year in a row?

– Well done.

– The Bell Centre filled for the Victory game in March. [THN]

– About time.

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Joshua Roy hat trick in Rocket’s (eighth) victory

Canadiens fans have a great Saturday ahead of them. First, the Rocket play this afternoon, and in the evening, the Habs visit the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Laval got off to a strong start with another win (6-3). It’s already the eighth win of the season for Sylvain Vincent’s team.

Joshua Roy was the star of the game, scoring three goals, his last in an empty net. First, he gave his team the lead:

Moments later, he doubled his team’s lead with his second goal of the game. It turned out to be the winning goal.

Too easy for him!

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And in front of a crowd of 10,033, he sealed the game’s outcome in an empty net.

This season, he has 10 points in nine games.

Let’s just say that, with the injury to Alex Barré-Boulet, Roy has earned himself the first recall in Montreal. I’d much rather have him play with the Habs than Christian Dvorak, but unfortunately I don’t make the decisions.

If he dominates with the club-school, why not leave him there, though?

Maybe that’s why; Sylvain Vincent’s team is in first place in the North Division with an 8-1-0 record. And in the AHL, only the Calgary Wranglers (9-1-0) have a better record.

In the absence of Jakub Dobes, Connor Hughes was on duty, and for the second time in 24 hours, he stopped the Providence Bruins. This time, he stopped 27 of 30 shots.

Overtime

– CFL Eastern Final: Alouettes vs Argonauts.

– Well deserved.

– What a performance!

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The problem is expectations (set and validated by management)

Kent Hughes set the bar too high.

The Canadiens had another tough night last night in Washington. The season is not even a month old, and already the Montrealers have had five thaws since the start of the season:

6 to 3 vs Penguins
4 to 1 vs Kings
7 to 2 vs Rangers
8 to 2 vs Kraken
6 to 2 vs Capitals

This was the team’s first thaw on the road, the other four having (unfortunately) been suffered in front of Montreal fans at the Bell Centre.

Apart from the play of Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky, nothing is going right for the Canadiens.

Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating, but Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson are giving it their all…

He gives what he can give, Gally.

(Credit: Getty Images)

But for the rest, it’s zero, as Julie Masse sang.

The Habs have the second-worst cumulative differential in the NHL(minus-15). Differential means nothing individually when the sample is small, but collectively, over a sequence of more than 10 games, it’s very revealing.

The Canadiens aren’t just losing games: they’re constantly getting washed out. It’s not necessarily the fact that the team has won only four of its 11 games that worries me this morning, it’s the fact that it’s downgraded far too often.

1. Montreal’s goaltenders (and defense) are giving up the most goals per game on average so far this season in the Bettman circuit: 4.18. And the forwards don’t even score three per game…

2. The Canadiens have been dominated in shots on goal in nine of their 11 games, often by almost twice as many.

3. In five-on-five situations, the Canadiens are struggling. Only the Ducks have a worse Corsi than the Habs in the entire NHL.

4. The Canadiens are on track for a 67-point season, which would put them in the NHL’s bottom 5 for the fourth year in a row. This would put the Habs in 28th place for the third straight season (after finishing 32nd and last).

5. Christian Dvorak, who made yet another mistake that no quality NHLer can afford to make last night, should be waived and sent to Laval.

6. Arber Xhekaj, Joel Armia, Alex Newhook…

I could go on like this until tomorrow, but I have professional (and personal) obligations.

Expectations
Before the start of the season, I said repeatedly – and got crap for it – that I didn’t believe in the Habs ‘ chances of making the playoffs. I watched the playoffs last spring and the Canadiens were light years away from being able to play that style of hockey.

And it couldn’t be said that the team we saw during the preparatory schedule was any better than last year’s: Dach, Kapanen, Hutson and Heinamen IN, Kovacevic, Allen, Monahan, Pearson and Ylonenv OUT…

In short, I’m not surprised (at all) by the Canadiens’ successive defeats. Although the way we’re taking a lot of these losses is worse than I expected, but hey…

Except that something has changed with the Habs. Martin St-Louis saying he doesn’t want to listen to criticism from people he wouldn’t ask for advice… Juraj Slafkovsky claiming he doesn’t have a solution/explanation, adding to journalists that they’ll probably find it when they write their articles… Cole Caufield implying to Guillaume Lefrançois that the latter can’t really talk about the consequences of shoulder surgery, because he’s never had shoulder surgery…

Clearly, the media and fans have higher expectations this season… and so does the club!

A year after refusing to utter the “P” word , management, coaching staff and players talked in September about at worst being in the mix, and at best making them, the damned playoffs.

Nobody expected the Canadiens to win the Stanley Cup this year (or next), but pretty much everyone expected to see progress, however small. Management’s message wasn’t the same this year.

But right now, we’re not seeing any. And we should still see some, even if Patrik Laine is out of action…

Defensively, in our zone, it’s even worse than last year. And the year before that too…

The problem, in my opinion, is that the organization set the bar too high (too fast) when it talked about a mix last September. The club is still rebuilding and there are still holes everywhere. There are plenty of youngsters to learn, especially at the back, and a number of high-paid veterans are no longer doing anything up front. Thinking we’d make the playoffs with this group was a dream come true.

And believe me, there were plenty of dreams among Montreal fans. If you knew how many people bet on “yes, the Canadiens will make the playoffs” at Mise-o-jeu…

Kent Hughes set the bar too high.
(Credit: Getty Images)

Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton set the bar too high before the start of the campaign with their mix. And the fans, fed up with spending flat evenings in front of their TV sets, or even worse, spending a fortune on one-way games at the Bell Centre, drank the Kool-Aid. It’s normal, sport is emotional/irrational… and they hope for the best for their team.

Except that in sport (as in life), it’s important to set goals that are achievable, but still relatively difficult to reach. If you reach them too easily, you’ll demote yourself. Same thing if you never reach them! That’s what high-level coaches are taught in training courses…

P.R. or poor assessment?
Some people claim that Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton talked about mixes because, at PR level, not doing so would have been a disaster. So they lied or misrepresented the truth in front of the cameras…

Instead, I think the Canadiens’ management believed their team was a little further along than it actually is.

Otherwise, why lie? Every thaw puts a huge (and new) layer of disappointment/pressure on chum Martin behind the bench. Trying to avoid 24-48 hours of disappointment in September, only to have your fan base experience it for six months, isn’t exactly P.R. excellence!

In short, we’re all unfortunately in the same spot as last year: we all want to turn off our TVs before the Habs games are over.

At least youngsters like Slafkovsky, Caufield, Suzuki, Hutson and Guhle are making progress. Lucky them…

What’s next?
Since a number of Habs executives told Pierre LeBrun, Elliotte Friedman and Frank Seravalli that the Canadiens were looking for reinforcements on the blue line (right-handed defenseman), up front (sturdy forward) and in front of the net (experienced goaltender), I agree that no, Habs management isn’t satisfied with their team’s start to the season. They were hoping for better. Which confirms, in my opinion, that it wasn’t just a P.R. move to talk about being in the mix…

There’s a storm brewing around the Canadiens right now, and we’d all like it to stop. The Habs first!

I’m pretty sure Martin St-Louis and his bosses didn’t see their team throwing up all over themselves when they made projections in September.

Since we can’t lower expectations once they’ve been clearly established, Hughes and Gorton will have to find reinforcements, elsewhere or in Laval…

Martin St-Louis will have to adjust his defensive system and start hard coaching. We’re going to have to get rid of the veterans who’ve run out of steam. Otherwise, the culture instilled in the youngsters won’t be the right one…

And the guys are going to have to start playing in a more structured way. And with more conviction and determination…

Because right now, the Canadiens are like the ti-gars who are aiming for 60% on their report card, but got 30% and 40% on their first try. He’s going to have to start studying and stop foxing when it’s sunny in the afternoon (and he has math, French, science or English classes)…

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Martin St-Louis made his boys sweat

Today, the Canadiens had a practice on the menu.

But several minutes before taking to the ice, the club announced that veteran defenseman David Savard would be enjoying a day of treatments in preparation for practice.

It happens a lot to veterans… and yesterday, the Habs were facing shots from Alex Ovechkin. He blocked a few shots.

Obviously, we were all anxious to see how the guys would react after yesterday’s tough game. Was practice going to be intense for Martin St-Louis’ men?

Clearly, the answer is yes. Patrick Friolet reports that defensive retreats were at the heart of practice, and that they got the guys skating.

We also note that Martin St-Louis had his men skate without the pucks a little later. And it wasn’t because the equipment manager had picked up the pucks too quickly, we agree.

So the coach made his guys skate and sweat.

Yesterday, Martin St-Louis talked about vomit to illustrate his displeasure… and this lunchtime, he arranged for the guys to maybe be afraid to throw up a little. He’s probably still angry.

Is that hard coaching I see on the horizon?

Overtime

– What’s your answer?

– Please note.

– CF Montreal: best youth core in all of MLS.

– Still, intense.

– Of course.

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Cayden Primeau: “If this keeps up, you’ll put him in the waivers”

Photo by Rich Gagnon/Getty Images

There are a number of clear observations to be made about the Montreal Canadiens’ performance so far this season.

The one that stands out the most is, of course, the fact that the team is giving up far too many goals.

Only two NHL teams – the Habs’ opponents tonight, the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks – have allowed as many or more goals than the Habs this season.

The Habs have allowed 47 in 11 games, the Penguins 49 in 12 games and the Sharks 47 in 12 games.

In short, it’s clear that Martin St-Louis’s troupe is scoring far too many goals against.

And this is obviously due to defensive shortcomings in a messy, complicated system, but also to the more-than-ordinary performances of the goaltenders.

Apart from Samuel Montembeault’s incredible start to the season, the Habs’ two goalkeepers (Montembeault and Cayden Primeau) don’t often give their team a chance to win, or at least don’t save their defenders’ mistakes.

This leads us to believe that the Habs are currently paying a high price for their goaltenders, and that if things continue to go this way, one of them could end up being Primeau.

In fact, according to Stu Cowan, if Primeau’s situation continues, he should be placed in the waivers.

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Indeed, the hockey analyst made it clear during his appearance on The Sick Podcast recently, when he made it clear that for him, it can’t go on like this.

If Primeau doesn’t deliver the goods and doesn’t give his team a chance to win, he has to be sent to the waivers.

Cowan then adds that yes, it’s a risk, but in the end, if the Habs lose him, well, they lose him and that’s it.

He’s clearly out of patience with Primeau, and for him, it takes an electroshock.

Cowan also explained that, personally, he would have put Primeau in the waivers last year, in order to keep Jake Allen and Samuel Montembeault with the Habs.

For him, losing Allen, an experienced veteran who brought a lot of positive energy to the dressing room, was a mistake.

Primeau has never really delivered consistently in the NHL, and it doesn’t look like that’s about to change.

It’s a shame, but that’s life, and for real, the Habs could get by without Primeau, whereas in the AHL right now, the Laval Rocket can count on an excellent goaltending duo.

Jakub Dobes and Connor Hughes have taken the team on their backs, and are largely responsible for the Rocket’s excellent start to the season (7-1-0).

And let’s not forget Jacob Fowler, who is simply dominant in the NCAA.

In short, all this remains to be seen, but frankly, it’s fair to say that patience is wearing thin in Primeau’s case.

Overtime

– Congratulations!

– Indeed.

– Read more.

– To watch in the MLB.

– Too bad.

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Mike Babcock attended the Rocket game in Laval yesterday

TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 5: Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock returns to the locker room before playing the Los Angeles Kings at the Scotiabank Arena on November 5, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Laval Rocket are off to an incredible start to the season under Pascal Vincent.

After eight games, the Laval team has a record of seven wins and one loss, good for 14 points.

The Rocket is sitting in first place in the North Division, and everything seems to be going perfectly for the club, which is putting on an exciting show for its fans at Place Bell.

Last night, the Rocket won 2-1 against the Providence Bruins at Place Bell thanks to a magnificent performance by goaltender Connor Hughes.

With only 14 shots on net, the Rocket was lucky to escape with both points in regulation time.

We have to believe that the support of the fans and a certain Mike Babcock (yes, yes) propelled the team to victory.

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The former head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets was in attendance at Place Bell last night.

He came to Quebec to see the team of Pascal Vincent, his former colleague with the Columbus Blue Jackets, with whom he spent the early part of the season before being fired.

One wonders whether the two men took the time to talk to each other.

Babcock will have seen a fine Rocket victory, while he must have enjoyed scouting for his own benefit.

It’s clear that the former coach eats hockey, even if he no longer has a job in the NHL.

In fact, one wonders if Babcock will be back at Place Bell this afternoon, when the Rocket are back in action against the same Providence Bruins.

If so, Babcock will once again be treated to a Rocket that’s not 100%.

Alex Barré-Boulet, Filip Mesar, Jakub Dobes, David Reinbacher and now Jared Davidson are all injured.

Davidson will miss this afternoon’s game.

Let’s hope it’s nothing serious in his case, because he’s off to a great start this season with six points, including four goals, in eight games.

– Ouchhhh.

– Very cool.

– Indeed.

– So much the better.

– Well done.

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Arber Xhekaj will take Justin Barron’s place tonight against the Penguins

The Montreal Canadiens are back in action tonight, as the Habs are on the road again, this time to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins.

The Habs will be looking to get back to winning ways after two tough losses this week, an 8-2 defeat by the Seattle Kraken and a 6-3 loss to the Washington Capitals.

In preparation for this game, Martin St-Louis spoke to the media at lunchtime, and took the opportunity to announce a change to the line-up.

Arber Xhekaj will take Justin Barron’s place on defense.

It’s a change that comes as no surprise, given that since the start of the season, there’s been some rotation on defense to allow all the guys to play games and stay in shape.

Obviously, it’s good news for Xhekaj, who will have another opportunity to shine after playing two good games last weekend.

It was obviously more difficult for the sheriff against the Kraken on Tuesday, which cost him his place in the line-up on Thursday against the Caps.

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In short, Xhekaj will still have to prove himself in the line-up tonight if he wants to earn more games and more ice time under Martin St-Louis, who, it should be remembered, doesn’t seem to be his biggest fan.

Otherwise, in net, Samuel Montembeault will get his first start since the thaw against the Kraken on Tuesday.

This will be an important game for Montembeault, who will obviously want to bounce back, and above all regain the confidence he’s really lost in recent games.

In short, let’s hope these changes and Martin St-Louis’s intense practice yesterday will help the team get back on the winning track.

Overtime

– Another game for the Rocket this afternoon.

– Stay tuned.

– Interesting.

– Happy birthday guys!

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Arnaud Gascon-Nadon made a number of shocking revelations on Stanley25.

In life, there are people you’re tired of seeing and hearing…

The same goes for the media.

It seems like every time we turn on the TV or radio, they’re there, talking about sports or politics…

But on the other hand, there are also people who benefit from being known. People who, every time we hear them or meet them, we tell ourselves they should have more space in the media portrait. Arnaud Gascon-Nadon clearly belongs to this second group.

We had Arnaud on the Stanley25 podcast this week, and frankly, he gave a lot more than the client asked for. So much the better!

Arnaud talked about the parties that last at least a week after winning a Grey Cup, the time the Alouettes didn’t keep their word to draft him, how he didn’t give a damn about the CFL (he was all about the NFL), the time he got kicked out of the CFL combine, the reality of being Guy Nadon’s son, a party with Lightning players in Tampa, the reality of being Guy Nadon’s son, a party with Lightning players in Tampa, a hidden party spot in Gatineau, nicotine patches taken by athletes, Henry Burris’s incredible ability to split, anti-inflammatories in sports, Étienne Boulay’s, Tony Marinaro’s, Jean-Charles Lajoie’s, Éric Duhaime’s parties and endless nights at the Bungalow (a bar on Mont-Royal Street) with Canadiens players (Prust, Galchenyuk, Gallagher, Rene Bourque, etc.) the night before CHL games.) the night before Habs games.

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Arnaud also droppped that many hockey players were making powder a few hours before a game, or the day before…

“It’s powder that hockey guys do before they go out to play […] if it’s not before, it’s the night before!”

And that a large majority of football players smoked weed before games in order to relax their bodies and minds.

In closing, Arnaud confessed that 80% of games he didn’t feel like playing. And he wasn’t the only one!

Don’t be put off; go and listen to AGN45 on Stanley25 !

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“The Canadiens allow more goals than in Dominique Ducharme’s worst moments”

MONTREAL, CANADA - APRIL 4: Martin St-Louis head coach of the Montreal Canadiens looks on during the warm-up of the NHL regular season game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Bell Centre on April 4, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Vitor Munhoz/NHLI via Getty Images)

I know it, you know it: things aren’t going very well for the Canadiens these days. They’re getting beaten more often than not, and it’s often because they’re giving away a ton of goals.

Over the past ten days, they’ve lost games in which they’ve allowed seven, eight and six goals. It’s hard to win when your opponent scores so often.

So for a while now, we’ve been talking about the young brigade, the man-to-man system, the goalies who aren’t doing their job and the coaches’ job, for one simple reason: the results are catastrophic on the ice.

And yesterday, at around the 9-minute mark of the podcast Sortie de zone(La Presse, 98.5 FM), Alexandre Pratt made a statement that, at first glance, seems intense:

The Canadiens allow more goals than in Dominique Ducharme’s worst moments. – Alexandre Pratt

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Now, while that may seem like a bit of an exaggeration considering the bad memories of that distant era, it’s not completely untrue either.

In 11 games so far this season, the Habs have allowed 46 goals. That’s appalling, but in reality, the Habs under Ducharme have seen worse: in January 2022 (just before the coaching change), the Canadiens allowed 54 goals in 11 games.

However, to take this last statistic out of context would be a tad dishonest. At the time, the club was completely decimated by injuries, and for a game or two, the COVID-19 forced the Habs to play with a few less players.

The Habs’ 2024-25 edition doesn’t have such excuses. Kaiden Guhle’s absence hurt the club, of course, but apart from a few guys who missed games here and there, the club is generally healthy.

And don’t make me believe that Patrik Laine is making the team concede more goals.

Eventually, Martin St-Louis’ “concepts” will have to translate into results. I’m one of those people who didn’t really believe in the Habs’ chances of making the playoffs this year, and I was expecting a year of misery, but there are ways of losing that are unacceptable.

And since the start of the season, the Canadiens have been finding them one after the other. That’s got to change.

Overtime

– Phew.

– Pierre Houde honored with Hewitt Award. [NHL]

– Hats off.

– Will it happen?

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