Author: Dose

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The Canadiens are the luckiest team in the NHL

The Canadiens are the luckiest team in the NHL.

Why do I say that? Because the Habs have the best percentage of shots that turn into goals since the start of the regular season.

14.7% of shots attempted by the Habs turn into goals.

(Credit: ESPN)

As you can see, the NHL’s second-ranked team (the Hawks) is at 13.2%. That’s a difference of 1.5 percentage points, which is no mean feat.

It may not sound like much… but if we continue downwards, we see that if we take 1.5 points off the Blackhawks, we’re at 11.7%. That puts us in 10th place.

In other words?

It’s a tight race between second and tenth place, and the Canadiens are alone on their island with such a high percentage of success.

Is there a reason for this? The Canadiens are more opportunistic than average, given that they don’t take many shots on net, but still score often.

We’ve known for a long time that the Habs need to take more shots on net. It’s been documented.

What you need to know is that maintaining such a high percentage is statistically… improbable. I was going to say impossible, but we’ll leave ourselves a small margin of error.

When a club is this lucky at the start of the season, it can’t sustain that.

In the past, teams haven’t managed to finish at 14.7%: the leaders are more often than not in the 12% range (at most) once the regular season is over.

Remember Jake Evans last year: he started out strong because he had a good shooting percentage… but normalcy quickly returned. Anomalies do exist.

If the percentage is set to fall and the Canadiens, who need to win games, want to score at the same rate, the conclusion is clear: Martin St-Louis’s men need to shoot more often, in order to increase their volume.

In this case, the figures confirm the famous eye test: you have to shoot more.

The Canadiens’ players often make too many passes, even when they’re outnumbered. We see Lane Hutson or Ivan Demidov attempting (superb) passes when they have opportunities to shoot.

Some players will have to be selfish and shoot more often, to help the Habs become a real playoff team in the coming months.

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. – Wayne Gretzky

It’s also worth remembering that, after starting the season against more… catchable opponents, the Canadiens will have some tough duels on the menu in the coming weeks.

Shooting on goal won’t be a luxury if they’re looking for W’s.

overtime

– Interesting.

– Oh…

– All the better.

– Personnel changes in Toronto.

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Shane Pinto at $7.5M: the price of keeping a guy in Ottawa

For months, the Ottawa Senators have been trying to sign Shane Pinto.

And now it’s done: the Senators can announce that Shane Pinto, who would have been a restricted free agent in 2026 and an unrestricted free agent in 2028, has agreed to a four-year contract.

He’ll earn… an average of $7.5 million a year.

It’s understandable that Pinto is progressing year after year and has 14 points in 17 games this season. We understand that salaries are going up in the NHL. We also understand that he’s about to be bought out for two full years.

But Pinto (who was suspended for betting two years ago) remains a player who has been in the league since 2021 and who has historically never passed the 37-point mark in his career.

As a center behind Tim Stutzle and Dylan Cozens, he’s expected to play on a bottom-6. And yet, he’s paid almost as much as Juraj Slafkovsky ($7.6 M per year), who plays on the first line in Montreal.

Slaf also got years of full autonomy in his deal: an important detail to mention.

Yes, prices are going up in the NHL… but it also goes to show that convincing an American to sign in Ottawa doesn’t necessarily come cheap either, you know.

But still: $7.5 million for a third center is something. I’m not saying he only deserved $3M a year either, but it’s still a good amount.

(Credit: Hockey DB)

Pinto, who can refuse to be traded to 10 teams from 2028 to 2030, will certainly stabilize the Sens’ center league in the medium term. This was no doubt part of Steve Staios’ thinking.

Will the Sens be caught flat-footed in a few years’ time? We’ll have to wait and see.

overtime

– Enjoy.

– Wayne Gretzky on the history of the 51st state. [TVAS]

– It got people talking.

– Should we worry about Samuel Montembeault?

– Sad news.

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Top-4: A first NHL hat trick for Simon Nemec

Only four games were on in the NHL last night.

I know, I know… it was a rather quiet evening for hockey fans.

But there were a few things to take away from the evening:

1: Nemec too good for Bedard

The Hawks hosted the Devils last night… and we were keeping an eye on Connor Bedard because he’s been on fire lately.

And sure enough, he opened the scoring with his 10th goal of the season (in just 17 games):

But… in the end, it wasn’t Bedard who stole the show in this game.

Rather, it was Simon Nemec… who ended the game with a hat trick. Three goals for the young Devils defenseman… and his first career hat trick:

Nemec’s three goals really helped his club, as the Devils won the duel 4-3.

Without the defenseman’s three goals, New Jersey would probably have lost the game…

Bedard’s goal gives him 26 points in just 17 games this season. He’s really becoming a star.

2: Nice win for the Mammoth

The Mammoth really needed a win last night. Things had been going badly for the last ten games (seven defeats in 10 games) and they needed to find a way to get back to winning ways.

And just what they needed… because the Mammoth were playing the poor Sabres at home. And they took full advantage, winning 5-2.

In his club’s victory, JJ Peterka scored against his former team:

Nick Schmaltz also contributed to his team’s W by scoring his 10th goal of the campaign. He’s always been a bit underrated, but he’s having a fantastic start to the season.

For the Sabres, it’s a fourth consecutive loss.

Things are bad in Buffalo… and I wonder how surprised we should be. Because it’s always the same story with the Sabres…

3: Four points from Panarin in an offensive festival

Artemi Panarin hasn’t had a great start to the season. We wondered if he’d finally slowed down… and obviously, we can forget about that.

Last night, after all, the Russian picked up four assists in his club’s win over the Lightning. The Rangers scored seven goals (!) to win 7-3, and that could do wonders for the club’s confidence.

The game wasn’t played at the home of the Blue Shirts… but still :

On November 7, Panarin arrived at his team’s game against the Red Wings with a shaved coconut.

The result?

The bread man has collected nine points in four games since having his hair shaved. Is this the miracle solution?

I’m asking for a friend…

4: Defensive match-up between the Oilers and Flyers

Evan Bouchard has been rotten since the start of the season. And I don’t mince my words when I say that.

But yesterday, the Oilers defenseman scored. A beautiful goal at that:

Among the Flyers, there’s one guy who always catches the eye… and you understand here that I’m talking about Matvei Michkov.

The Russian, who hasn’t had a great start to the season, is on a good run right now. Yesterday, he scored in his third game in a row (and you have to wonder if that’s good enough for Sean Couturier):

Overtime was needed in the game to determine a winner between the two clubs… and for the second game in a row, Jack Roslovic stood up for the Oilers.

The Edmonton outfit won 2-1 thanks to his goal :

Extension

– Wow!

– Top scorers of the night :

(Credit: NHL.com)

– 10 games tonight :

(Credit: Screenshot / Google)
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Tage Thompson in Montreal: Renaud Lavoie doesn’t believe in it

Earlier Wednesday, RG Media’s Marco D’Amico reported that the Canadiens had called the Sabres for Tage Thompson, but that Buffalo wasn’t interested in moving their player.

It would appear that this information is not true.

That’s what Renaud Lavoie reported on TVA Sports on Wednesday evening.

Lavoie says he was surprised by RG Media’s information and that he had nothing to do with the story.

The Canadiens would never have called the Sabres to find out if Thompson was available.

Lavoie also added that fans can continue to dream, but that he doesn’t think it’s likely to ever happen.

The argument to back up his words is very interesting. Lavoie doesn’t see star players changing address like that.

He compares Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin to Nick Suzuki and Lane Hutson of the Canadiens. Even if things went badly, the Habs would never agree to trade their best players.

Things would have to be extremely bad in Buffalo to trade a player of Thompson’s calibre. Lavoie is absolutely right on this point.

That said, the Canadiens are still looking for a second-line center. Thompson was a good idea, but it obviously takes two to dance.

Montreal is likely to aim a tad lower in terms of talent for its number-two center. A guy like Thompson would have cost a lot of money.

Overtime

– Good listening.

– Zachary Bolduc has been struggling since he was taken off the first powerplay.

– Nazem Kadri’s name continues to circulate in the rumour mill.

– The Oilers are struggling to improve at the goalie position.

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Jakub Dobes explains why he started crying last week

The scene was memorable last week, when Jakub Dobes wept in front of the media after losing his first game of the season to the Devils.

It caused quite a stir.

But this lunchtime, Dobes went before the media for the first time since the Devils game. And he explained what happened.

The goalkeeper said that when he got on the plane, shortly after talking to the media, he was okay. He doesn’t want us to worry about him: he’s just more emotional than other guys.

His teammates made fun of him (amicably, of course) and everyone moved on.

Dobes recounts that last season he lost a match in similar circumstances. He didn’t want it to happen again… but it did.

He says that, in hindsight, he should have taken a few minutes for himself before showing up in front of the media.

It’s important to note that Dobes will be playing tomorrow against the Stars. This was to be expected because logically, it was his turn to play a game.

The plan hasn’t changed because of Samuel Montembeault’s game yesterday.

Speaking of Monty, he has no choice but to try and recalibrate by cutting himself off from comments about him on social networks.

Dobes said that the Canadiens players in the dressing room trust him because he’s a good goalie. He wasn’t going to say the opposite publicly, but it’s good to hear.

overtime

– Nice.

– Of note.

– Interesting.

– Reminder: the Rocket played early this morning.

– Really?

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Tage Thompson: the Canadiens called the Sabres, according to Marco D’Amico

History repeats itself in Buffalo.

The Sabres have an ugly hockey club, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that 2025-2026 isn’t going to be the year the team finds its way back to respectability.

The club isn’t playing well, there are injuries… and Rasmus Dahlin isn’t with the club to deal with a personal situation.

The result? If the club feels it makes more sense to give itself an early chance to take advantage of the seller’s market and position itself well for the 2026 draft lottery, it could eventually have an impact on the market.

And other teams know this.

Marco D’Amico reports that the Sabres aren’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. But that’s not stopping some clubs from calling to see if Tage Thompson might be available.

Of the lot? Kent Hughes and the Canadiens have called. So have the Canucks… #NoSurprise

I don’t know if Thompson could be traded within the division – as was the case in recent months when Dylan Cozens was traded to Ottawa.

But what we do know is that the Sabres aren’t ready to sell their great player just yet. And that’s even if they’re in last place in the East right now.

Buffalo doesn’t want to panic, then. But D’Amico is talking about February as a potential date to watch, should the Sabres make a move.

Remember, Kent Hughes is a patient guy… even if the Habs have lost three of their last four games.

In 2022-2023, the Sabres’ 6’6 center had 47 goals and as many assists. He’s scored 29 and 44 times in the last two years – and has 12 points, including six goals, in 15 games this year.

What would it cost to get Thompson (and his $7.142 M per year contract until 2030) out of Buffalo? Would the American, who can say no to five teams via his partial no-trade clause, like to come to Montreal? Who knows.

overtime

– Really?

– Good question.

– The Bell Centre: Anze Kopitar’s favourite arena.

– Absolutely.

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“Samuel Montembeault is successful when he has fun”

Things are not going well for Samuel Montembeault. We thought he was back on the road to success after a win against the Mammoth, but everything fell apart against the Kings on Tuesday.

His stats and morale are at an all-time low, and maybe that’s the problem.

Speaking on TVA Sports’ JiC program on Wednesday, Félix Séguin explained his view of the situation. He believes that Montembeault needs to put a smile on his face to start playing well again.

“(Samuel Montembeault) is successful when he has fun” – Félix Séguin

According to Séguin, Montembeault is the kind of player who needs to smile to be successful. He needs to be happy.

A guy like Sidney Crosby is more the type to be serious and focused to be good. For Montembeault, it’s a different story.

With a goals-against average of 3.52 and an efficiency rate of .861, there’s nothing to smile about for the Québécois, but we’ve got to find a way to make him smile again.

What doesn’t help are the fan comments on social networks. The players are mostly on Instagram and Facebook. They see the negative comments about them and it doesn’t put a smile on anyone’s face.

That’s why Montembeault has decided to withdraw from social networks.

Putting a smile on your face before winning games is easier said than done. It’s rare to see a smiling Monty these days.

I think the last time I saw him smile was in his commercials with Mike at Rona.

The Montembeault situation has become so intense that it’s even worrying Michel Bergeron. During an appearance on TVA Sports on Wednesday, Bergeron explained that the goaltending situation was scaring him.

For the time being, the situation remains unclear, but giving Montembeault easy games could be just the thing to put a smile on his face and help him get back on track.

Overtime

– Speaking of Montembeault.

– Oops.

– We’ll have to keep an eye on Dougie Hamilton’s name.

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The Canadiens’ Salary Situation: Envied Across the NHL

Kent Hughes has done an excellent job of signing all his best players to low-cost contracts.

These contracts will help the team improve by adding important new pieces in the future. The Habs’ salary situation is the envy of many across the NHL.

At least, that’s what Harman Dayal reported in a recent piece for The Athletic.

For the past few seasons, the Habs have had to deal with bad contracts. Kent Hughes took care of Carey Price’s contract before the start of the campaign, and another will follow this summer.

Patrik Laine’s contract, worth $8.7 million on the payroll, will disappear. It would be surprising to see him sign a new deal with the Habs, but if he does, it won’t be for a very large sum.

Including the current season, Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson also have two seasons left on their contracts, which have become too big for what they bring to the team.

Funny. It comes just when Kent Hughes needs to offer a new contract to Ivan Demidov, Oliver Kapanen, Jakub Dobes and Alex Newhook.

What’s most impressive about the Canadiens’ situation is that their core is in place by the end of the decade at low cost.

Nick Suzuki is producing at a rate of 100 points this season, and his contract weighs in at just $7.875 million on the Habs’ lot. Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky are also paid less.

On defense, Noah Dobson (average $9.5 million) and Lane Hutson (average $8.85 million) will be paid slightly more than the forwards, but they didn’t ask for the moon either. Kaiden Guhle’s $5.5 million is also attractive for his talent.

Thanks to all these contracts, the Canadiens will have $27.9 million in salary cap space this summer.

Let’s just say that should be enough to extend Mike Matheson, Zachary Bolduc, Kirby Dach and Arber Xhekaj.

Montreal is in an excellent financial position and the situation can only improve over the next few years. This will help us find reinforcements to support our core.

Overtime

– Wow!

– Vincent Trocheck is important to the Rangers.

– It’s about time we won the playoffs.

– Marc-Antoine Dequoy needed a change this season.

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Tomas Kaberle’s advice for the Leafs: “Go take a hit on the road”

The Toronto Maple Leafs are not off to a good start this season. In fact… I’ll start my sentence again.

Maybe the Toronto Maple Leafs thought the loss of Mitch Marner wouldn’t affect the team’s season flow.

At least, not that much. Because it’s true that things are going badly in the Queen City: the Leafs are sitting in 15th place in the East, at the time of writing…

Tomas Kaberle, who played for the Leafs (and the Habs), may have some advice for the guys in Toronto. The former NHL defenseman suggests (again, perhaps) that the players brush off ben as they should on the team’s next road trip.

Note that the Leafs play tomorrow at home against the Kings… and face the Hawks on Saturday in Chicago.

Clearly, Kaberle speaks from experience, and you can sense in his words that he’s been there before in his career. In fact, you can sense that he’s already had a beer with his teammates to sort things out.

And he doesn’t say it in a tourist’s voice, because he really thinks it can help the Leafs get back on the winning track with a more… cohesive group.

It can be a solution off the ice. It can bring the guys closer together in a sense, and it can help improve team chemistry.

But the guys have to give it their all on the ice, too. That seems to be Toronto’s biggest problem at the moment: the players seem to get cr*ssed more often than not.

And it’s nothing new either.

I find it hard to believe that a good brushing between the guys would solve the club’s problem…

Overtime

– That’s right.

– Yes.

– MLB news.

– Nice.

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Worth seeing: Chris Chelios’ seaside home (for sale) listed at US$60m

Interested in buying a home on Malibu’s Paradise Cove beach?

Chris Chelios may be able to help.

As reported in Le Journal de Québec, the former Habs defenseman has put his “shack” up for sale, and frankly, it’s worth seeing (at least) the photos of the property. Because it’s truly, truly magnificent.

Great rooms, splendid scenery…

It’s hard not to fall in love with the house (353 square meters with four bedrooms and five bathrooms spread over three levels) when you see photos like the one below :

(Credit: Photo: Will Myers)

Love the beach and sea views?

Don’t look too far. This place is perfect for you… and the photos show just how dreamy it is.

Nothing less, in fact:

(Credit: Photo: Will Myers)

(Credit: Photo: Will Myers)

The interior of the house is also remarkable. The rooms are beautiful, the color scheme (rather pale) is interesting…

Really, it’s hard not to fall in love with this house:

(Credit: Photo: Will Myers)
(Credit: Photo: Will Myers)

The bad news? The house is on the market for… US$60 million.

Yes, you read that right.

Whose luck? That’s the question I’m asking myself right now. It’s a truly heavenly place… and let’s just say I’d know what I’d be doing if I won the lottery tomorrow morning (hehe).

Overtime

– Interesting.

– MLB news.

– Good.