Author: Dose

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Top-4: A hat trick for DeBrusk and a franchise record for Hughes

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 29: Jake DeBrusk #74 of the Vancouver Canucks skates back to the bench after scoring a goal against Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen #1 of the Buffalo Sabresduring an NHL game on November 29, 2024 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Chris Conaway Jr./NHLI via Getty Images)

There were five games in the NHL on Sunday.

The Canadiens lost (again) to the Bruins… And the loss is likely to be the talk of the town today.

But let’s take a look at what happened in the other four games:

1: A hat trick for DeBrusk and a franchise record for Hughes

What should we remember about the Canucks-Red Wings game?

Simple: Jake DeBrusk’s performance.

The Canucks forward scored not one, not two… but three goals in his club’s 5-4 victory.

In fact, it was he who put an end to the debate in overtime:

DeBrusk got off to a slow start with his new team, but things are slowly coming together.

He now has 10 goals so far this season. That’s a very acceptable haul.

In the game, Quinn Hughes made history by becoming the Canucks defenseman with the most career assists in Vancouver.

He surpassed Alexander Edler in this respect:

2: A tough game for the Hawks

The longer this goes on, the more logical it is to believe that the Hawks will have the opportunity to draft again with a very good pick in a few months’ time.

The team is having a tough season, after all.

But Connor Bedard tried to put a smile back on his fans’ faces with this goal against the Blue Jackets :

On the Columbus side, there’s one player who’s been on fire since the start of the season: Kent Johnson.

The forward scored again yesterday, so he’s now collected (at least) a point in each of his nine games this season.

Things are going well for him:

The Blue Jackets eventually prevailed by a score of 6-3, but it’s not as if the two goaltenders didn’t try to put on a show.

Elvis Merzlikins and Petr Mrazek offered some real jewels :

3: One of the goals of the year for Mason Marchment

The game between the Stars and Jets had the feel of a playoff game.

The game was tight for most of the way, and the score was 1-1 in the third period.

That’s when Mason Marchment woke up, as the Stars’ forward scored a simply magnificent goal to give his team the lead:

Wow!

That goal was enough to give the Stars a 3-1 win.

Roope Hintz completed the scoring in an empty net.

Things are going well for the Stars: the team is sitting in 3rd place in its division and has a 15-8-0 record so far this season.

4: The Ducks can thank Zegras

Just before going to bed last night, I watched the first period of the game between the Ducks and the Sens.

The score was 1-1 as I was about to turn off the TV… But Jackson Lacombe scored late in the period.

The Ducks returned to the locker room with a one-goal lead:

Oh, I almost forgot…

While we’re on the subject of the first period, I can’t pass up this big check by Radko Gudas, who took down two Senators players :

Overtime was needed in the match to determine a winner between the two sides, but there were no goals.

Trevor Zegras took advantage of the shootout to give his team a 4-3 victory:

In the game, Brady Tkachuk scored two goals, Frank Vatrano collected three points (two goals, one assist) and Troy Terry finished with three assists.

Lukas Dostal was again good in front of his net, stopping 28 of 31 shots.

Overtime

– Oops.

– Love this.

– Ouch!

– Yesterday’s top scorers :

(Credit: NHL.com screenshot)

– Only three games today :

(Credit: Google screenshot)
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Bruins are undefeated in regular time in sixteen games against the Habs

The rivalry between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins is one of the best in professional sports.

Every game against the Bruins has a special cachet, and there’s a lot of animosity between the two teams, from players to journalists to fans.

Although we haven’t faced them in a series since 2014, confrontations with Boston often give way to very physical duels and the occasional outburst.

In short, Boston is the club we love to hate.

However, in recent years, the rivalry has really gone in the favor of the Boston club, which has a 15-0-1 record against the Habs since November 2019. The Canadiens have just one win against their rivals in sixteen games. Ouch!

Indeed, our only triumph over the Bears dates back just over a year, a 3-2 overtime win at the Bell Centre on November 11, 2023.

Since then: losses of 5-2, 9-4, 2-1, 6-4 and 6-3 earlier today. That’s 28 goals allowed against 14 scored in the last five games against our rivals to the south. That’s a very ordinary performance, especially on defense.

However, let’s not forget that the Canadiens didn’t play the Bruins in the 2020-2021 season, when we only played Canadian teams.

What’s more, the current NHL schedule means that we play the Bruins a maximum of four times a season (or three, depending on the year).

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While I don’t much like this format, which doesn’t encourage intra-sectional rivalry, it’s almost a blessing in disguise for the Habs the way they’ve been playing Boston for the past few years.

It’s hard to explain such a performance against our Massachusetts rivals. Yes, the Bruins have performed better than us over the past five years, but generally, these match-ups push the Canadiens’ players to give a little more and play their best hockey, if only out of pride.

That’s part of the reason why we’ve beaten the Bruins so often in the past, both in the season and in the playoffs, even when we’ve looked like the underdogs.

Do our recent performances against the Boston club show a certain lack of character in our current players? It’s hard to say, but it’s about time the Canadiens started winning again against the Big Bad Bruins.

Overtime

– Throwback from the Expos!

– Bills ahead at the half.

– Football in the snow is magical!

– Big mark for King James!

– From downtown!

– Bronze for the Canadiens.

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4 Nations Tournament : With 16 goals, Caufield makes a strong case for his selection

Despite the Montreal Canadiens’ bitter defeat by the Boston Bruins, there was one bright spot in the game.

Cole Caufield scored two more goals to bring his total to 16 in 24 games.

He’s now on pace for 54 goals this season.

Incredible, though, especially considering that after more than a quarter of the season done, the Habs’ diminutive forward finds himself 3rd on the all-time scoring list.

He’s tied with Brayden Point, but only two players are ahead of Caufield at the moment: Sam Reinhart (18) and Leon Draisaitl (17).

Could this be the first time in ages? It’s not often that a Habs player is in the running for the Maurice-Richard Trophy, and if he keeps this up, he’ll be one of the finalists.

If he continues to score at such a high rate, he could also force Team USA ‘s hand for the famous 4 Nations Tournament.

Eric Engels still doesn’t believe there’s room for Caufield in the line-up (and rightly so).

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While the majority of projected U.S. rosters don’t have Caufield, it’s important to understand that this season, Caufield is scoring in spades.

And yes, I know, it takes more than just finesse players in a well-stocked lineup like international lineups.

But the U.S. can count on big men and other players who do well defensively.

Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, Tage Thomson, Matthew Boldy (selected three rows ahead of Caufield in 2019) and J.T. Miller are all players who bring a different dimension than pure talent.

If Team USA‘s Craig Button’s projected line-up is anything to go by, Caufield isn’t on it, but Luke’s brother Alex Tuch is.

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Tuch is a big guy who is capable of putting it in. However, he lacks consistency and has often struggled with injuries

This season, he has 22 points in 24 games, but Cole Caufield has just as many points on an atrocious team and has twice as many goals as Tuch.

16 goals at this stage of the season is nothing to sneeze at.

International games are more often offensive, and in those moments, you need a guy like Caufield who brings an elite shot on one of the last two lines.

Because, obviously, Caufield won’t be in a top-6 role on the U.S. team.

For him to make the roster, you have to make room, and based on Button’s projection, there aren’t many options.

Alex Tuch would be one, but his physical appearance weighs heavily in the balance.

Jake Guentzel is one of the finesse depth players who could make room for CC22 on a bottom-6.

22 points in 23 games is good, but I’d rather have Alex Tuch in a depth role than Jake Guentzel.

I could see Caufield on a fourth line alongside a Matthew Boldy, since they played together with the American development program.

Paired with Dylan Larkin, this would be a very dangerous fourth line.

Overtime

– Impressive.

– Scottie Barnes developed his arsenal well and came very close to recording his 7th career triple-double (which is very impressive for a 23-year-old).

– RJ Barrett is having an excellent season and he proved it again in the game against the Miami Heat, in which he collected 37 points, in addition to seven rebounds and five assists.

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Cayden Primeau: “I felt good all game long”.

Once again, the Montreal Canadiens fell to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.

If Josh Anderson’s comments just before the start of the game were anything to go by, the Habs were hungry for victory…

Needless to say, the Habs must still be hungry as we speak.

In defeat, Cole Caufield was the bright spot, scoring his 15th and 16th goals of the season.

With this performance, he is now on pace to score 54 goals this season.

What stood out most after the game, however, was Cayden Primeau during the post-game press briefing.

The Habs lost 6-3 and Primeau was goaltender for the entire game. He allowed five of the six goals, the last of which was scored in an empty net.

In short, not a great game for Primeau…

However, he didn’t seem to want to blame himself for the defeat.

“It’s hard to come back strong after falling as quickly as that. But I felt good throughout the game.” – Cayden Primeau

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It’s hard to believe, but this match could just be a game where it just didn’t work out.

On the other hand, it’s all too common this season for Primeau not to deliver the goods.

Perhaps it’s time to send him to Laval in favor of Jakub Dobes.

The latter would undoubtedly benefit from a taste of the NHL, and Habs management would see what he has to offer at the highest level.

As for Primeau, he could regain his bearings and confidence, having enjoyed some good times with the Rocket.

It’s a good thought.

Primeau may have been feeling good, but after a result like that against his rivals, he should have chosen different words.

He could have said that he felt good, but that the result was disappointing and that he should have done more… because that’s what he should have done.

Everyone has to take some of the blame in a defeat like this, as HFTV so aptly put it in the tweet above.

Overtime

– Let’s face it, Primeau could have taken a cue from Mike Matheson, who didn’t have a strong game and didn’t hesitate to take the blame.

– So well said. At some point, Primeau is going to have to start making the stops and 2-3 starts a month isn’t going to cut it.

– General managers must be salivating at the prospect of salary cap increases over the next two years.

– It was very beautiful indeed.

– Read more.

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Boston Bruins too strong for the Habs

This Thanksgiving weekend, the Montreal Canadiens played two games in as many days.

Yesterday, Kirby Dach’s late penalty sank the Habs, who lost to the Rangers.

Sunday afternoon and early evening saw the 100th anniversary game of the Boston Bruins, who hosted their Montreal rivals for the occasion.

According to the official schedule, the game was due to start at 3 p.m., but the ceremony lasted a while and the game finally got underway at around 4:15.

Just before the start of the game, we learned that Jayden Struble would be inserted into the lineup at the expense of Justin Barron.

So here’s the final lineup the Habs featured for the Bruins centennial game:

Ken Dryden and Johnny Bucyk were on hand to drop the ceremonial puck.

What’s more, the Canadiens could count on the help of a third goaltender tonight, as Jacob Fowler was present at the game (in the stands).

Maybe it’s just me, but I think Fowler is looking more and more like Kaiden Guhle and I’m also noticing Cole Caufield traits.

Anyway, on to the match.

The first half of the first period was relatively quiet, but it didn’t take long before the Bruins decided to open the machine.

Following Charlie McAvoy’s first goal, the Bruins added two more for a total of three goals in just 70 seconds.

Let’s just say it wasn’t the start Primeau and the Habs had hoped for, and some fans were clamoring for Fowler to make his NHL debut tonight, even though that’s impossible.

Martin St-Louis called timeout to stop the bleeding (temporarily).

It worked for the remainder of the first period, but the Bruins decided to turn the tables, taking the score to 4-0.

Charlie McAvoy scored his second of the game on a short-handed breakaway, following a Mike Matheson turnover.

The veteran had a pretty bad game, especially in the first half.

Not only was Matheson responsible for that 4th goal, but the powerplay in general was atrocious, especially on this occasion.

It’s really pitiful, as my colleague Marc-Olivier Cook so aptly put it.

In short, despite these four unanswered goals, Cole Caufield finally put an end to this rain of goals with his 15th of the season, a few minutes after Boston’s 4th goal.

The play was started by Arber Xhekaj, who gave the Bruins a quick one by discreetly passing the puck in front of the net. The disc was finally deflected by Cole Caufield to close the gap.

Some thought the goal belonged to Xhekaj, but it was the diminutive forward who was credited with the net.

Midway through the second period, there was a bit of a ruckus between the two teams, and of course, Xhekaj and Mark Kastelic were at the heart of it.

It all started with a collision between Kastelic and Lane Hutson, who took out his knee on the Bruins’ tough guy.

Trent Frederic approached Xhekaj, but the Boston player didn’t stay on his feet for long.

Finally Kastelic got involved, went to Xhekaj and a referee was caught between the two toughs. The referee was even punched in the back of the head by Xhekaj…

Watch the sequence for yourself.

The result of the scuffle: two minutes of roughing and 10 minutes of misconduct for Xhekaj and Kastelic, while Hutson found himself on the bench for his knee strike.

For a moment, before learning that Xhekaj and Kastelic would each receive a misconduct, Hutson was in the middle of it all in the penalty box, and he looked out of place.

The second period ended 4-1 in favor of the Bears.

It took a strong third period for the Habs, but it was the Bruins who got the final period underway (quickly) with a goal, thanks to Charlie Coyle’s second of the game.

However, a message was heard after that goal, and the Habs somehow got the ball rolling.

No less than two quick goals.

Emil Heineman got the ball rolling with a fine shot on goal that beat Jeremy Swayman.

Lane Hutson and Jake Evans were credited with assists on the goal.

Only a few minutes later, Cole Caufield also scored his second goal of the game.

That, my friends, is the fruit of a true maverick.

What a shot!

That makes 16 for the diminutive forward this season, while captain Nick Suzuki picked up an assist.

The score was 5-3 to Boston.

Unlike the rest of the game, the remainder of the last twenty minutes was relatively quiet.

Martin St-Louis decided to pull Cayden Primeau with nearly three minutes left in the game, but unfortunately, it wasn’t the right Cole who scored.

Cole Koepke confirmed his team’s victory with a goal in an empty net.

The game ended 6-3.

The Habs next face the New York Islanders on Tuesday night, kicking off a five-game homestand.

Overtime

– Following Emil Heineman’s goal, Marc Denis shared an interesting statistic. Heineman leads all NHL rookies in the number of shots on goal attempted this season.

– During the game, RDS published a statistic concerning the Habs’ poor defense (and goaltending). This was the 13th game out of 24 in which the Habs allowed at least four goals in the same game…

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6 million fine and termination of contract: the NHL is (really) fed up with raiding on July 1

Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images

We all remember how free agent day was.

Many signings were made official immediately after the noon mark on July 1.

We often learned in advance that such-and-such a player was going to sign with such-and-such a team, because there had been talks before July 1.

Elliotte Friedman spoke on Hockey Night in Canada yesterday (Saturday) about the NHL’s announcement of potential tampering penalties.

I invite you to listen to the Saturday Headlines.

The NHL wanted to remind all teams that if they get caught, they will be punished.

Here’s the list of potential penalties :

(Credit: HNIC Sportsnet)

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From what we understand from the image above, it’s that both players and teams will be punished.

As for the teams, they will face these possible penalties:

  • up to $5 million in fines
  • Termination of all signed contracts
  • Forfeiture of draft picks
  • The team caught in default will have to give draft picks or money to the other team in question.

For the last point, basically, the team that owns the rights to such a player’s contract will receive compensation from the other team that tried to talk to the player in question before July 1.

For individuals, their penalties will be a fine of up to $1 million, as well as suspension or expulsion.

As Friedman points out,this reminder is good for everyone, even the entire team: general managers, management, even coaches and employees.

But can we really put the brakes on poaching?

Teams and players will continue to talk to each other, and there’s nothing we can do about that.

The NHL simply wanted to send a reminder, a warning to everyone that the rules are created to be followed, and that last summer seems to have broken the camel’s back of patience.

Everyone will have to sit tight and wait until July 1 to discuss a new contract with a free agent.

Overtime

– I can’t wait to see the final lineup.

– Incroyable.

– What a start to the season.

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“We don’t like what we see”: Alumni no longer want to go to the Bell Centre

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

The Canadiens’ alumni are an important part of the organization.

They’re part of the club’s history, after all.

But now, some of them are worried about the club’s performance…

We know that Serge Savard hasn’t hesitated to criticize the Habs in recent years when things aren’t going so well on the ice.

That said, Jean Perron was on La Poche Bleue this week… And he said that the old-timers are no longer interested in cheering the team on at home.

Why is that?

Because the old-timers “don’t like what they see”, in the words of Jean Perron:

The old-timers don’t want to go to the Bell Centre anymore because we don’t like what we see. – Jean Perron

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Jean Perron explains that alumni don’t always understand Martin St-Louis’ decisions.

For example, Perron would have liked to see the coach call a timeout last Saturday after the Golden Knights’ unanswered 3rd goal.

And he says all the old-timers had the same reaction.

You have to wonder if Marc Bergevin’s interview this week also played a role in all this.

The relationship between the former GM and the alumni isn’t at its best for the reasons we all know, after all, and seeing him give his first interview since leaving to an English-language media outlet caused a lot of chatter.

But at a certain point, it’s normal to know that some old-timers don’t like what they see on the ice from the Canadiens.

It’s different, but they were used to success because the Habs were able to win the Stanley Cup relatively often before the club’s last conquest in 1993, and everyone wants to see the Canadiens return to that path.

And when those who fought for the logo see players dragging their boots on the ice, it sure doesn’t go down well with the board.

Overtime

– Interesting.

– Coming up.

– He’s having a good time.

– Oh.

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Rafaël Harvey-Pinard unclaimed in waivers

MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 02: Look on Montreal Canadiens left wing Rafael Harvey-Pinard (49) during warm-up before the Florida Panthers versus the Montreal Canadiens game on April 02, 2024, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Rafaël Harvey-Pinard’s fate is now known.

He was placed in the Canadiens’ waivers yesterday, and we were waiting to see if any other team would decide to claim him.

In the end, the other clubs decided to ignore him.

The Québécois, who spent the last two weeks in Laval, will continue his season with the Rocket.

I imagine Pascal Vincent will be pleased… Because Rafaël Harvey-Pinard has all the tools in his bag to greatly help the Habs’ club-school:

First and foremost, this isn’t necessarily a big surprise.

I agree that the forward has played in the NHL in the past and has an interesting style of play because of his intensity, but Renaud Lavoie talked about it earlier this week: it’s mainly his salary that’s scary.

At $1.1 million on the payroll, not every team can afford to pay a support player at that price.

So much the better for the Canadiens.

Kent Hughes will have the opportunity to recall Harvey-Pinard should an injury occur, and knowing that there’s a guy down there with experience who’s ready to step up if needed is a good thing.

It now remains to be seen whether HP will be able to find his rhythm in Laval.

He has just one point (one goal) in five games since his return to action, and a -4 rating.

He’s coming back from injury and needs to be given time, but still.

Extension

In closing, let’s not forget that things have been tough for the Rocket lately.

The team lost a third straight game last night and is on a five-game losing streak.

Things need to turn around:

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Claude Julien: “The Bruins hate the Canadiens more than the Canadiens hate the Bruins.

Photo by Jari Pestelacci/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

We have to tell each other the real story.

Canadiens vs Bruins… It’s always special.

At least, I’m always excited when the Habs are about to take on their arch-rivals. And just as well: there’ll be plenty of excitement this afternoon at the TD Garden, as the Bruins celebrate their centennial game.

The two clubs haven’t liked each other for a long time, and this has created some truly unique moments over the years.

That’s why the rivalry is so exciting.

But there’s one man in particular who’s well placed to talk about this rivalry… And his name is Claude Julien.

After all, he’s seen both sides of the coin, coaching both the Bruins and the Habs.

Jonathan Bernier(Journal de Montréal) spoke to him and Julien confided that in Boston, they REALLY hate the Canadiens:

The Bruins hate the Canadiens a lot more than the Habs hate the Bruins. When I was there, it was very tangible. Even with members of senior management. – Claude Julien

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We all have a different way of looking at things.

You can dislike the club for X reason… But you can also hate it for X reason.

For example?

P.K. Subban couldn’t smell the Bruins when he played for the Canadiens.

He wanted to “punch them in the face”, as he told Jonathan Bernier(Journal de Montréal), because in the end, he hated them.

That makes sense… because I imagine the Bruins also hated P.K. and his arrogant nature:

In 2009, the Canadiens celebrated their centennial with a 5-1 win over the Bruins.

I remember it like it was yesterday, because Mike Camallerri (who was my favorite player at the time) scored three goals in the game.

That said, is it the Bruins’ turn to take advantage of the opportunity to beat the Canadiens by a big score?

To be continued…

Overtime

It’s important to note that the game was scheduled for 3pm.

However, the game will start at 4:15 p.m. because there will be a pre-game ceremony to celebrate the Bruins’ 100-year history.

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Overview of Habs prospects: Michael Hage has as many goals as Cole Eiserman

Since the start of the season in the various hockey leagues around the world, there’s one young prospect on the Montreal Canadiens’ side who really stands out from the crowd.

Of course, we follow Ivan Demidov a lot in the KHL, but his performance is inconsistent due to his often very limited ice time.

So I’m talking about Michael Hage, the Habs’ second first-round pick (21ᵉ overall) in the most recent draft.

Indeed, Hage has been simply smoking with the University of Michigan since the start of the NCAA season.

He’s collecting points at an excellent rate, and doing so as an 18-year-old rookie in the best junior league in the United States.

In short, the Habs prospect is impressing this season, and he really makes us understand why the Habs traded up a few spots to get their hands on him.

Last night, Hage was at it again, scoring another superb goal, this time a game-winner in a 2-1 win over rival West Michigan University.

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The goal represented his 9ᵉ of the season, which now makes it 17 points in 13 games.

Nine goals is enough to put Hage in the top-5 of NCAA goal scorers, tied with a certain Cole Eiserman of Boston University.

Obviously, that name rings a bell, given that he was drafted just ahead of Hage at No. 20ᵉ by the New York Islanders in the last draft.

Eiserman had long been seen as one of the top prospects in the draft, but had ultimately slipped considerably, even raising hopes among Habs fans of getting their hands on Demidov AND Eiserman.

Many fans were therefore disappointed when Eiserman was taken just before the Habs’ pick, given that despite falling several spots, he was still seen as the top scorer in the draft.

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Well, here we are a few months later, and Michael Hage seems to be just as good a scorer as Eiserman, at least if the stats are anything to go by.

Hage is scoring superb goals at the same rate as Eiserman, and more points to boot.

Eiserman has played one game more than Hage and has 13 points, including nine goals, in 14 games.

Obviously, this is a very small sample and I’m exaggerating a little when I say that Hage is such a good scorer, but in the end, it’s a noteworthy statistic that shows just how dominant Hage is at every level this season.

In short, young Hage is developing really well in the NCAA right now, and may one day become an excellent top-6 player for the Habs, with even star potential under the following model.

The Habs need offensive and attacking talent, and that’s exactly what Hage has to offer.

Other notable performances by CH prospects

  • Filip Eriksson scored his second goal of the season in Sweden.
  • Sam Harris is still at the top of the NCAA scoring charts.

Overtime

– Indeed.

– Hutson leads all Habs rookies among defensemen after 25 games.

– Help for Guy Boucher.

– The habs checking leaders, while Kiefer Sherwood simply hits everything that moves.

– Brock Neslon could be traded. Vancouver tried to acquire him last season. [Responsible Gambler]