Author: Dose

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Samuel Montembeault to face Bruins tomorrow night

To say that the Canadiens had a tough week would be an understatement. The club got clobbered against the Kings on Tuesday… before getting clobbered even more by the Stars last night.

And both times, it happened at the Bell Centre. Oh, and he also lost Alex Newhook yesterday.

That said, life goes on and now we have to think about what’s coming. And what’s coming up is tomorrow night’s game against the mighty Boston Bruins.

We were wondering who would get the start… and to no one’s surprise, it’s Samuel Montembeault who will be the Habs’ go-to guy.

It would have been surprising to see Jakub Dobes back after his difficult night last night.

What is clear, though, is that the club will really, really need a big Monty outing. It’ll be a duel with a division rival… who’s also at the top of the Atlantic.

It’s still early to talk about the standings, we agree. But the Habs need to rack up points as quickly as possible, especially against division rivals.

Montembeault will have the task of having a big game despite his club’s difficult week, with confidence seriously dented at the moment. That said, in what is likely to be an emotional game, the Habs have a chance to get back on track with a big win.

But to do so, Montembeault will need to have a solid one in his pads. Let’s see if he does.

Extension

It’s worth noting that since his arrival in Montreal, Montembeault hasn’t enjoyed a ton of success against the Bruins. We’re talking about a 2-5-1 record, a 3.76 goals-against average and a 0.879 save percentage.

But if he comes out strong tomorrow, he can put all those numbers behind him.

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Optional practice: No Rocket guys on the ice

In the wake of the Canadiens’ crushing 7-0 loss to the Dallas Stars, it was to be expected that things would get a little shaky at practice this morning.

But… that’s not what happened. The Habs changed their practice to an optional one, and only a few players decided to jump on the ice.

Of the lot? Brendan Gallagher and Jake Evans, who skated before the others earlier this morning. Both guys worked with Adam Nicholas.

Zachary Bolduc, Ivan Demidov, Oliver Kapanen and Lane Hutson also skated this morning.

They too were under the supervision of Adam Nicholas. On the menu? Puck handling, shots on net, skate drills…

But the real news is that none of the Rocket players were there this morning. So there was no recall for tomorrow’s game today… even though Alex Newhook was injured last night.

That said, it makes sense that there wasn’t a guy recalled this morning. Here’s why:

1. It was pointless in a way because there was no regular practice this morning. The recalled guy wouldn’t have been able to practice with the full group, and he wouldn’t have been able to complete the drills with the rest of the guys.

2. The Rocket isn’t playing tonight… and there was no point in recalling a guy today and paying him for another 24 hours. The Canadiens will recall a player tomorrow, and the guy in question will be able to practice with the team in the morning before the game against the Bruins.

It remains to be seen, however, who will be recalled from Laval. If we’re going by merit, it would be logical to believe that Jared Davidson deserves his chance… because he’s tied with two other guys for first place in the AHL in goals scored so far this season.

I’d like to see him get the opportunity to shine. Because I’d be curious to see what he’s got…

Overtime

– Good point.

– Good news for the Sens… not so good news for the Habs.

– Wow!

– A true Dogg.

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Where are you, Lane?

Lane Hutson is one of the Canadiens’ best players, and that’s nothing new.

He became really important to the team the moment he arrived in town because the defenseman was quickly able to enjoy success in the National League. Especially offensively.

After all, he did win the Calder in 24-25. And God knows, that’s quite a feat for a player who plays on the blue line.

Except that for the past week and a half, he’s been unrecognizable.

The main man has just one meagre assist in his last four games… and his minus-8 differential during that period is dreadful.

In fact, he’s minus-7 in his last two games. Yesterday, he finished the game against the Stars at minus-4… and the advanced statistics show that he was the Canadiens’ worst defensive player.

It’s not even close.

Pierre McGuire summed it up well on Tony Marinaro’s Sick Podcast: right now, we’re not seeing the Lane Hutson we usually see. Why not? That’s a good question.

But it’s true that he’s having a tougher time on the ice. His defensive shortcomings have attracted a lot of attention in recent games, and he’s not been as effective offensively either.

Which begs the question: Where are you, Lane?

The good news is that we know this problem isn’t due to his level of effort.

The little defenseman is always the first to jump on the ice before practice, and it’s not uncommon for him to be the last one off the ice either. At this level, there’s nothing to worry about… and we see him giving a lot of effort in games too.

That said, it may just be a bad patch… but it’s still a very bad patch. He’s got to get his rhythm back, he’s got to start trusting his skills again… and indirectly, he’s also got to be more careful when he’s in his zone, because it hasn’t been great lately.

But he knows that. And it’s up to him to take action to get things back on track.

Overtime

– Of note.

– Reminder: the Penguins and Preds meet today… in Sweden!

– Love this.

– Really?

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7-0: the worst defeat in the club’s history at the Bell Centre

It’s been a tough week for the Canadiens, who have just thawed out twice in a row in front of their fans at the Bell Centre: 5-1 against the Kings, then 7-0 against the Stars. Combined, we’re talking about a collective and cumulative differential of minus-11 in two games.

The Habs players aren’t shooting enough, their goalies aren’t getting the job done, and when faced with big, experienced teams, the coaching staff can’t find a solution.

Yes, the Canadiens are still first in the Atlantic Division, but they’re also on a four-game losing streak. And they’ve won just one of their six games this season against a team that made the playoffs last year.

Yesterday, nothing was going right. Lane Hutson was probably the Habs’ worst player, with a minus-7 differential so far this week.

Hutson is having trouble playing against the big teams in the league. Perhaps it’s time to move him back to the left, rather than the right?

Worst defeat in Bell Centre history
The Bell Centre was inaugurated on March 16, 1996. The Habs have been playing their home games there for some thirty years.

However, it had never suffered a defeat as bad as yesterday’s against the Stars.

Historically, this is the worst defeat in the Habs’ history at the Bell Centre. That’s no mean feat!

The club’s worst-ever home loss came on December 2, 1995, when a certain Patrick Roy was playing his last game with the Habs. But that game was played at the Montreal Forum, as were those of January 19, 1974 (8-0 to the Bruins) and November 15, 1947 (9-1 to the Bruins).

It’s worth noting that the Habs also suffered a 9-2 drubbing at the hands of the Penguins on December 12 in front of their home fans, but StatMuse ‘s statistics consider a 7-0 loss to be worse than a 9-2 defeat.

Of course, the Habs have already been beaten 10-0 in Columbus, but I’m talking about home losses this morning.

How will the Canadiens bounce back tomorrow against the Bruins… at the Bell Centre? We’ll see.

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David Kampf: Elliotte Friedman’s turn to link him to the Canadiens

It’s a real shame for Alex Newhook.

We don’t know how much time he’ll have to miss after yesterday’s fall… but on the face of it, it’s not a good sign. He wasn’t able to put any weight on his leg when he left the rink, and we saw how much he was hurting.

Again, it’s a real shame, because he’d had a (very) good start to the season. It’s never pleasant to see a player injured like that…

Injury to #15 changes the game. Newhook occupied an important role on the team’s top-9 and it’s going to hurt if he has to miss several games due to his injury.

That said…

There’s one name that’s starting to circulate around the NHL and that’s David Kampf. The forward was linked to the Canadiens earlier this week and Elliotte Friedman did the same in the latest episode of his podcast, which was filmed after Newhook’s injury last night.

Friedman really wonders if there can be a fit for Kampf in Montreal… especially in the context that we’re talking about a left-handed center who can bring depth to a top-9.

The forward was placed on waivers yesterday and will be free as a bird as of 2pm today.

He’ll have the opportunity to sign with the team of his choice… and there will be clubs interested in him because we’re talking about a reliable player on the ice. I have a feeling that the Canadiens will be one of them, because having seen Newhook go down in battle changes things for the Canadiens.

So it remains to be seen. But to see Elliotte Friedman talking about the Habs in the case of the forward is still an interesting sign.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire… Right?

Overtime

– He’s a comedian.

– He’s right.

– Go les Moineaux!

– Happy reading.

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Monty, Dobes… it doesn’t matter: The goalkeepers aren’t doing the job at the moment

Losing 7-0 at home is…[insert whatever word you like].

I’d like to say it’s insulting. Humiliating.

Yesterday, the Canadiens really let it slip against the Stars. Martin St-Louis’ men got off to a good start, playing some good hockey in the first period. But things went sour pretty quickly after that…

Clearly, Jakub Dobes’ performance had to be mentioned. The big goalie allowed five goals on 13 shots… which is really atrocious. Samuel Montembeault started the third period and he didn’t do much better either… because he gave away two goals on six shots.

As for Monty, I’m ready to give him a pass. It’s never easy, coming in cold in the middle of a game and at 5-0, it’s like it’s already over in a way.

But with the Québécois’ recent failures and last night’s Dobes game, it’s easy to come to a conclusion. There’s no controversy in front of the net… because both guys have been struggling to get the job done for some time.

And it makes you wonder – jokingly – if Jacob Fowler is ready to face the music.

So, what do we do tomorrow against the Bruins? Actually, the question is this:

Who deserves to play between Monty and Dobes?

I’ve got a feeling we’ll be going back to Montembeault because it’s a Saturday night game at the Bell Centre. Usually, it’s the #1 goaltender who gets to play in these circumstances.

And anyway, it’s not as if Dobes has proven that he really deserves to play tomorrow. I can’t wait to see what happens next…

The performance of the two goalkeepers wasn’t exceptional, but that’s far from being the only thing that went wrong in this match.

There are some things to remember, after all…

1. In the dressing room, we saw that the defeat hurt.

Mike Matheson, in good veteran fashion, rose to address the situation – as we’ve seen him do in the past. In the defender’s eyes, the club’s performance was embarrassing… and it’s true that it’s a shame for the fans who were on hand.

Matheson wasn’t too happy after the game and that’s normal in a way. We know how proud he is, playing for the Canadiens.

And we know how much he takes the club’s success to heart. To be washed out like that at the Bell Centre must be frustrating…

2. Only three forwards finished the game with a 0 differential.

Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield… and Juraj Slafkovsky. The first line wasn’t bad defensively, but didn’t create many chances offensively either.

When the first line isn’t rolling and the other units are struggling to contribute… this is what happens.

3. The Canadiens’ powerplay has been on a tear for four games now.

In fact…

The Canadiens haven’t scored on the powerplay in four games now. That’s not ideal: just yesterday, the Habs were 0 for 3 with the man advantage.

That’s got to change. And the guys have got to stop complicating themselves by looking for the perfect game…

4. Martin St-Louis, seeing his club being picked off, tried a few new things in the third period.

Zachary Bolduc, Kirby Dach and Ivan Demidov made a few appearances together. It’s a small sample, but I liked what I saw of the three guys on the same line.

5. For the first time all season, the Canadiens face a lot of adversity.

It’s not going great: the club is playing better teams and has only one small win in its last five games. That’s where we see that there may be a certain lack of maturity within the group… and it’ll be interesting to see how the guys bounce back in the coming weeks.

Because if the Canadiens keep losing, it’s going to be a lot less fun around town.

6. Once again, Martin St-Louis’s men failed to get many shots on target.

just 24 shots… not nearly enough. We really need to find a way of correcting this aspect, because to win in the NHL, you have to score goals. And to score goals, you have to shoot.

It should also be noted that the 7-0 shutout defeat was one of the worst thaws in the Canadiens’ history when playing at home. You can’t make this stuff up:

Extension

Today, at 11:30 a.m., the Canadiens will practice in Brossard.

It will be interesting to see if any players are recalled for tomorrow’s game against the Bruins… because Alex Newhook’s injury complicates things a bit.

Besides, I’m probably not the only one who was really disappointed to see him go down last night…

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Top-5: 1000 points for Brad Marchand (and a photo with Alex Ovechkin)

There was plenty of action in the National League last night.

The Habs, taking on the Stars at the Bell Centre, ate a hearty one. More on that later…

Let’s take a look at what happened elsewhere in the NHL, though:

1: 1000 points for Brad Marchand

Hate him all you want… but Brad Marchand is one hell of a hockey player.

The Panthers’ little pest reached the 1,000-point plateau yesterday in his club’s 6-3 win over the Washington Capitals. It was truly a momentous occasion for Marchand… and his teammates were there to congratulate him.

Well done, Brad.

After the game, Marchand and Alex Ovechkin met in the hallways of the Panthers arena.

The two guys took a photo together and exchanged jerseys: it made for a great photo.

Also of note was Sam Reinhart’s performance in the game, who finished his night’s work with a fine two goals and one assist.

It was a second straight win for the Panthers.

2: Martin Necas takes care of the Sabres

Martin Necas is able to use his speed to create things offensively.

Yesterday, it took… 52 seconds to see him use his skate to get all alone in front of the Sabres goalie. And, just like that, it was 1-0 to the Avalanche:

The Sabres were no match for the best team in the National League last night.

Colorado won 6-3 and can thank Necas, who scored four points in the club’s victory. And hats off to Nathan MacKinnon, who always finds a way to put in a good word for himself:

MacKinnon (33 points) and Necas (24 points) have been on fire all season. They form one of the best duos in the National League… and the Avalanche don’t seem to miss Mikko Rantanen too much right now.

Ironic to say, but there you go…

3: A shutout… for the Flames?

Yes, you read that right.

The Flames, who had won only four of their first 18 games of the season, beat the Sharks last night by a score of 2-0.

Dustin Wolf, who has had a truly catastrophic start to the season (like the rest of his club), only had to make 16 saves to earn his first shutout of the campaign.

I imagine this win will do Calgary a world of good.

I wonder if this can whip the Flames into shape going forward.

The club has been truly atrocious so far this season, as evidenced by their 5-12-2 record. The Flames have the worst differential in the NHL at minus-18, and it’s hard to imagine that a simple win over the Sharks will get the club back on the winning track on a consistent basis…

4: Shea Theodore scores a magnificent goal

Shea Theodore is such an underrated player.

We don’t often talk about him because he plays in the West… but damn is he good. And this sequence is proof of that:

Wow!

A defenseman scoring a goal like that, you don’t see that every day. Not really, in fact.

Note that the game between the Golden Knights and the Islanders was close, really close… and that overtime was necessary to determine a winner between the two clubs.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau was the hero for the Isles, who won 4-3:

The Islanders have been surprising so far this season.

They’re 9-6-2… and they’d be in the playoffs if it started tonight in the NHL. I didn’t have that on my bingo card before the campaign started.

5: Another defeat for the Leafs

The Leafs have been inconsistent since the start of the campaign.

They just can’t seem to find success on a regular basis… and we saw the club lose again last night. The Leafs had the lead in the third period, but the Kings tied it with just under seven minutes left in the game.

Great.

The game went into overtime… and it was Quinton Byfield who stood up.

Byfield, who was born in Ontario, spoiled himself by scoring a magnificent goal to give his team the win (4-3) :

The Kings have now won their last three games… while it’s a fourth straight loss for the Leafs.

Will Toronto ever get back on track?

Prolongation

– Bang.

– Whew.

– Nice goal.

– Great night for Shane Pinto.

– Top scorers of the night :

(Credit: Screenshot / NHL.com)

– Four games tonight in the league :

(Credit: Screenshot / Google)
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Brendan Gallahgher: “We’ll be playing without Alex Newhook for a while”

Tonight, the Canadiens took a beating .

Losing 7-0 to the Stars hurts. Even more so when you consider that the Canadiens have lost four of their last five games.

And on top of that, there have been two thaws in a row.

(Credit: NHL.com)

But what hurts the most is Alex Newhook’s injury. The Canadiens player left the game after suffering a worrying injury. Kirby Dach was also hurt, but remained in the game.

What we do know is that Newhook (who had made a good start to the season) was unable to finish his team’s game and had to be assessed following his injury.

That’s what the Canadiens announced during the game – and Martin St-Louis didn’t really give much more info on the subject when he met the press (calmly, without looking too angry) after the game.

But hey: it looked… painful.

However, it should be noted that Brendan Gallagher mentioned, after the defeat, that the club would have to cope without Newhook for quite some time.

No surprises here.

extension

By necessity, there are three questions that must be asked on the heels of Alex Newhook’s injury, which marks the first real negative turning point in the Habs’ season.

1. Who will be recalled to take his place? At present, the Canadiens have only 11 healthy forwards.

2. Who will take his place with Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov? It’s possible that Martin St-Louis will be shuffling his cards more intensely: that remains to be seen.

3. Does this put pressure on Kent Hughes to make a move?

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It’s a good thing the Habs don’t play in the West…

After the worst setback of the season on Tuesday against the Kings, the Habs wanted to get back to winning ways tonight against the Stars.

Jakub Dobes was back in net.

Here are the line-ups:

Despite an excellent first period by the Habs, it was the Stars who scored the only goal of the period.

Wyatt Johnston scored his 11th goal of the season, his eighth on the powerplay.

It was also his 100th career goal.

Again in the second, Montreal didn’t play badly, but lacked opportunism.

The Stars were not lacking in opportunism. They scored four times and took a five-goal lead.

Worst of all: Alex Newhook got hurt.

He never returned to the game.

In the third period, Samuel Montembeault took his young teammate’s place

Different goalie, same result: goal.

Final score: 7-0 Dallas, who added a late goal.

The Canadiens host the Bruins Saturday night at the Bell Centre, looking to snap a two-game losing streak.

Extended

– Already a 300th game for Martin St-Louis.

– Scouts on site.

– Yup.

– Difficult for Lane against big Western teams.

– When things go wrong.

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Jonathan Marchessault: the Habs were not among the two finalists in 2024, according to Jeff Marek

It’s no secret that Jonathan Marchessault has talked to the Habs and would have liked to play for his childhood club.

However, money (and taxes) talks, and he ultimately chose Nashville, a choice that, for the moment, is proving disastrous.

The Preds may already be looking at their options to trade him. He’s established in Nashville and has a partial no-trade clause. He therefore has a say in his next destination.

Would he come to Montreal, which once made him an offer? I’m not sure.

One thing’s for sure, the Habs weren’t among the two finalist clubs to acquire him on the free agent market in 2024, contrary to popular belief. Jeff Marek broke the news on Morning Cuppa Hockey.

Indeed, according to Marek, it was a race between the Ducks and Preds at the end. Does that mean the Canadiens were his third choice?

And in the end, he chose the tax-free state. In California, taxes are much higher than in Nevada and Tennessee, that’s for sure.

In hindsight, I wonder if the Québécois regrets his choice not to go with the Ducks, who are excellent this season and for years to come. The Habs are in the same boat as the Ducks.

In 15 games this season, the Québécois has four goals and two assists. He’s clearly not a shadow of the man who signed for five years/$5.5 million less than two years ago.

Will any team want to acquire a 34-year-old who doesn’t play good hockey? Nashville and Barry Trotz won’t do other teams any favors by handing him over on a silver platter. Unless this team wants to take 100% of his salary for the next three and a half years…

Overtime

– Of course.

– Nice!

– Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani the MVPs, no surprise there.