The Canucks won the game by a score of 5-2, and in the victory, J.T. Miller stood out by scoring a Gordie Howe hat trick (one goal, one assist, and one fight).
Hughes, meanwhile, recorded two assists… And became the first defenseman in Canucks history to have 100 multi-point games in his career:
Oliver Kapanen did not experience the hoped-for start of the season with the Canadiens. He returned to play in Sweden, as planned, and this return has benefited him greatly.
He is increasing his point production from game to game and is also showing excellent development of his skills.
With a haul of 21 points in as many games, he is part of a short list of nine players with at least one point per game this season in the SHL.
Grant McCagg has observed him playing since his return to Sweden and noticed one very important thing that could explain Kapanen’s success.
His skating has significantly improved. Watching his highlights, one might think he glides on the ice. It’s enough to impress many people, including McCagg.
Here are some highlights from Kapanen’s last match, which were collected by McCagg.
Grant McCagg on #GoHabsGo prospect Oliver Kapanen:
“His skating since the start of the year has just gotten better and better… He’s averaging a point-per-game now. One of only 7 in the SHL”
— The Sick Podcast – Recrutes Draftcast (@sickpodnhldraft) January 27, 2025
McCagg noted that Kapanen has developed true confidence on the ice. His streak of seven games with at least one point is likely helping him gain some form of self-confidence.
The craziest thing about it all is that Kapanen is the only player under 24 years old to have at least one point per game in the SHL this season.
Kapanen is progressing very well, to the point where McCagg ranks him as the second-best center in the entire SHL. The only player ahead of him is David Tomasek, a 28-year-old veteran who has scored 46 points in just 34 games.
If Kapanen were still playing in the SHL at 28 years old, one could expect such dominance.
McCagg is also impressed with Kapanen’s work in the faceoff circle. He has won 55.8% of his battles, placing him among the elite in the SHL.
Kapanen scored the only two goals for his team in his last game and his progression is far from finished. Kent Hughes must be rubbing his hands in delight at the quality of play from his prospect.
Canada made its selection at the beginning of December for its roster at the Four Nations Tournament. Samuel Montembeault has been invited alongside Adin Hill and Jordan Binnington.
The Canadian leaders may have made a mistake selecting these goalies. Other Canadian goaltenders have impressed this season, including Logan Thompson.
The Capitals goalie has been nothing short of spectacular, as he finds himself in the top three of the NHL for most goaltending statistics.
Thompson is the only regular goalie (at least 10 games) in the NHL with fewer than three regulation losses this season.
And that’s not all! His save percentage and goals against average per game place him just behind Connor Hellebuyck, who is having an outstanding season.
Logan Thompson is currently in the running for the Vezina Trophy. His statistics are way too impressive!
The Capitals have not wasted any time and have extended his contract for six seasons. The worst part is that his contract will only count for $5.85 million against the Caps’ salary cap.
Returning to the Canadian goalies, Thompson simply dominates all the goalie statistics among Canadian netminders.
With 22 wins, he has three more than his closest competitor, Adin Hill, who has played four fewer games than him.
Hill is the goalie selected by Canada with the best save percentage (.903), but he ranks ninth among Canadian goalies in that category. Eight other regular goalies of Canadian nationality surpass him!
Logan Thompson has a save percentage of .925 and he is closely followed by two other overlooked goalies, Darcy Kuemper (.921) and Mackenzie Blackwood (.915). These three goalies could have been an interesting choice for the tournament.
They are used to playing in front of teams with many talented players, which the Canadian goalie will have to do during the tournament.
It is a source of pride to see Samuel Montembeault represent Canada, but Logan Thompson truly deserves a spot on the national team.
Quick Hits
– The Senators’ executives apologized for the Nordiques jersey.
Sens Fans. For clarity
1. The team is not moving. Period. (other than hopefully downtown)
2. Putting our beloved Sparty in a Sens/Nords jersey was wrong. Today was a good reminder that our logo is sacred. As CEO, I own this one
Playing significant minutes right from his arrival in the NHL can be very exhausting. That is exactly the task that Lane Hutson must accomplish this season.
He is the second most utilized player on the Canadiens, just behind Mike Matheson. Hutson averages 22:37 per game.
Hutson was used to playing important minutes with Boston College and the U.S. team at the Junior World Championship, but he was playing many fewer games.
The excuse of fatigue would be easy for a rookie player to use, but that’s not what he wants to do. In front of the media members, he insists that he has simply not played his best hockey in the last games and that he just needs to be better.
It’s a good thing to see Hutson avoiding easy excuses. It’s exactly the kind of attitude that everyone loves to see in a hockey player.
Hutson even recently mentioned that he would give himself a grade of “C” or “D” for some of his recent games. As Basu explained in his piece, if that is the worst of Lane Hutson, then the games where he gives himself a “B” must be incredible.
The American defenseman has not had his best games in the last two outings of the Canadiens, not registering any points and finishing with a -2 rating, but he has not been the worst player on the ice. Hutson demands a lot from himself.
It is certain that he has flaws, and that is a good thing. Having flaws helps us work on ourselves in a positive way.
For example, Hutson should do a better job of covering the slot. According to data from the NHL’s Edge software shared by François-David Rouleau from the Journal de Montréal, Samuel Montembeault is the goalie who has faced the most high-risk shots in the NHL this season with 291.
The American defenseman was on the ice 121 times out of 291. That is the second highest total on the team behind Mike Matheson’s (149), who is his defensive partner.
Lane Hutson may be going through a rough patch and needs to improve some aspects of his game, but he is aware of it and will evolve with more experience in the NHL. He should be able to find his usual level of play very soon.
In Brief
– The NFL and the Canadiens are popular.
Viewership ratings / Quebec:
NFL: 383,000 people (average per minute) watched the Bills vs Chiefs game last night on RDS. In the afternoon, it was 354,000. We’re talking about numbers that look quite similar to last year.
Tim Peel is a former NHL referee who has experienced his share of scandals.
If you are a regular user of Twitter/X, you have surely seen him share sharp opinions on the platform.
This time, he was a guest of former Canadiens player Chris Nilan, on his podcast The Sick Podcast – Raw Knuckles. One of the topics discussed was former Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien.
Let me tell you that Peel did not have Therrien in his good graces. When a podcast listener asked him which head coach had given him the most trouble during his career, he replied that he hated Michel Therrien and the feeling was mutual.
— The Sick Podcast – Raw Knuckles with Chris Nilan (@sickpodknuckles) January 26, 2025
According to Peel, he and Marc Bergevin were great friends. When he officiated a Canadiens game, he would go out for a drink with the former general manager of the CH.
At one point, Bergevin requested a meeting between Peel and Therrien to bury the hatchet. The two men agreed to meet in the coaching office.
Upon his arrival, Peel was insulted by Therrien, who told him he looked like a limousine driver in his suit and tie.
The former NHL official took the time to chat with Therrien, explaining that they had no reason to hate each other and that they were just doing their jobs on the ice.
The meeting seems to have gone well because, according to Peel, he and Michel Therrien are now friends!
Even though they are now friends, let’s say that Michel Therrien probably had good reasons for not liking Peel. Let’s just say that the end of the referee’s career did not go as planned.
Against all odds, the Canadiens are currently fighting for a playoff spot.
And in the context where the CH needs to win games to solidify their position in the Eastern standings, there is a question that needs to be asked right now.
Why is Michael Pezzetta still playing?
Martin St-Louis praised his player, saying he is a good teammate and behaves like a true pro.
But that’s not an excuse to keep him in the lineup either…
Pezzetta, as of January, claims an average ice time of 4:25 minutes per game. He has been in the lineup since Emil Heineman’s injury, but he doesn’t play much because he often hurts the team.
That said, isn’t there anyone in Laval who could fill a fourth-line role until Heineman is ready to return to the lineup?
Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, who was called up on Saturday, couldn’t have taken Pezzetta’s place in the lineup considering the latter played just seven minutes?
Seeing Pezzetta in the lineup right now is simply illogical… Especially when looking at the Canadiens’ position in the standings:
(Credit: NHL.com)
There are guys in Laval who deserve the chance to be called up.
And here, it makes sense to think of Jared Davidson, who is frankly having a great season in the American League.
He has the qualities to play on a fourth line: Davidson is gritty, he can disrupt the opponent, he has a good skating ability, and he also has strong individual skills… Moreover, we’re talking about the best scorer in the American League in terms of plus/minus.
(Credit: Theahl.com)
In my opinion, it’s Davidson who should have been called up by the Canadiens, not Harvey-Pinard.
RHP hasn’t been impressive since his return to play in Laval, but the CH decided to recall a guy with experience, which is understandable as well.
However, to make use of Harvey-Pinard’s experience, he needs to play… And at this point, it’s really time for the Canadiens to understand that things are not working out with Michael Pezzetta.
In brief
– Oh.
**Breaking News**
In tandem with @emilymkaplan, we’re told the @FenwaySportsGrp are taking the @penguins to market this week to explore a potential sale of a minority ownership stake. While percentage is TBD, FSG expected to retain controlling interest. #HockeyXpic.twitter.com/2vvv8VCSZf
The fans’ anger is palpable, and it’s agreed that it’s normal.
Replacing half of your jersey with that of another team is acceptable if you’re a fan attending a game.
But it doesn’t sit well for a professional organization.
Imagine if the Canadiens published a photo of Youppi! with his big smile wearing half of the jersey in Leafs colors… There would definitely be some unhappy fans in Montreal!
All this to say that the Sens dropped the ball, and it will be interesting to see if the organization does anything to remedy the situation.
His qualities are well known in Montreal, and it’s clear he is a useful player in Martin St-Louis’s lineup, even if he is slowing down a bit.
That’s why the idea of seeing him traded by March 7 is not unanimous in the city. Especially if the Canadiens are still battling for a playoff spot in just over a month!
Speaking of the defender, Arpon Basu (The Athletic) raised a possibility that could make sense to some.
What if the Canadiens traded Savard… to find his replacement for the coming years?
There could even be a scenario where the Canadiens trade Savard as a rental player and acquire a replacement on the right side. – Arpon Basu
This is the first time we’ve heard of this idea:
Athletic subscribers: NHL trade deadline tiers — Buyers, sellers and those in between.
The first: David Savard is no longer the defender he once was, and Kent Hughes could take advantage of that to maximize his value. There is also a chance of seeing the defender leave this summer through the free agent market if he cannot come to terms with the Canadiens on a new contract.
In other words, the CH could lose him for nothing in a few months.
The second: Even though the Quebecer is 34, he is still an extremely important player in Montreal. He wears a letter on his sweater, is one of the big leaders of the team, and enjoys being in a big brother role. He could help the team fight for a playoff spot until the end of the season because of his competitiveness.
Players who are willing to sacrifice themselves like he does are hard to come by:
If I were Kent Hughes, I would definitely listen to offers for Savard. But it would take a lot to let him go.
And there’s the problem, exactly.
It would be surprising to see Savard traded for an excellent draft pick or a great prospect, and it makes one realize that the defender still holds greater value in Montreal.
Because we know how important he is to the Canadiens and that he is willing to do anything to win here.
In Brief
– Another honor for Jacob Fowler. He was notably excellent Saturday night, as my colleague Mathis Therrien pointed out in an article yesterday.
Congrats to Jacob Fowler on being named the Hockey East Player of the Week
He went 2-0 vs BU this past weekend, making 61 saves, while recording one shutout. He allowed zero even-strength goals.
He is only the third goalie to win Hockey East Player of the Week since 2020. pic.twitter.com/lASfqzpK7q
#Isles Transaction: The New York Islanders have acquired defenseman Scott Perunovich from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a conditional 5th round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
For a few weeks now, it’s been less easy for Mike Matheson.
The Quebecer is not placed in an easy situation (he lost his role on the club’s first power play and regularly plays on the penalty kill) in special teams…
But playing with Lane Hutson at even strength also means that at the moment, he is on a duo that is more risky defensively speaking. It’s not as reliable as that of Alexandre Carrier and Kaiden Guhle, let’s say.
But anyway. All that to say that even though Matheson makes mistakes, he remains an important defenseman for the Habs. He eats up big minutes and is placed in situations that are not obvious.
And let’s remember that he does all this without complaining about his role in front of the media.
Many Habs fans are criticizing Matheson these days, and even though several people from the hockey community have come to his defense, nothing carries more weight than the one who just defended Matheson: captain Nick Suzuki.
During his media availability, Suzuki took a moment to defend #8.
#Habs Nick Suzuki came to bat for Mike Matheson: “he plays the hardest minutes on our team against the toughest players. Defense is a position where mistakes get blown up out of proportion; he’s been our top D for the whole season & people are definitely being too hard on him.”
Basically, Suzuki said that Matheson plays big tough minutes against big players. He added that a mistake by a defenseman gets magnified and reminded everyone that he is the best defenseman on the team.
Suzuki added that “people are being too hard” on Matheson.
It was through his fiancée that Suzuki learned that people were criticizing Matheson, which is why the captain felt the need to stand up and speak out. He doesn’t like seeing the defenseman criticized like that.
Suzuki is a good captain on this one – and in general. It was his job to do this and he took his role seriously.
#Habs Nick Suzuki on the criticism Mike Matheson has been receiving following Saturday’s OTL to New Jersey: “I thought he had a really good game then I come home and my fiancé is saying that people are saying unfortunate things about Math – I didn’t like hearing that.”
One thing about the Lightning’s up and down season: they’re 3-9-0 vs. Atlantic Division teams. That has to change for Tampa Bay to get on the run we keep waiting for them to get on. https://t.co/1xNa3DGxrP
Laurent Courtois confirmed to me that none of the injured/absent players concern him.
Iankov has a minor knee issue, Adedokun is in the concussion protocol after a hit to the head on Friday, Clark and Campbell are coming back from their experience with the American team and…
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Detroit native.
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Montreal
