Author: Dose

Categories
Uncategorized

John Tortorella: not the right coach to let Matvei Michkov express himself

When it comes time to talk about Matvei Michkov and John Tortorella, his coach, everyone has an opinion on the matter.

Is the fiery head coach, who likes to break his players and be quite authoritative, the right coach for the rookie to become what is expected of her?

Because Michkov is going through a more difficult period and missed his turn earlier this season, the question arises.

On this subject, Nikita Zadorov (who addressed the topic in an interview published on RG Media) has his opinion as well. The Bruins player knows how Tortorella operates and, in his eyes, Michkov does not have enough room to fully express himself.

And be careful: when I say “express himself” talking about Michkov, I am not talking about speaking. I am talking about expressing himself on the ice.

I think playing in Philadelphia under John Tortorella is a tough place to showcase your talent.

He is the kind of coach who demands 100% predictability at all times, and because of that, you may not have enough space and time with the puck. – Nikita Zadorov.

According to Zadorov, who has faced Michkov a few times as a member of the Bruins, it is possible that Michkov may miss out on the Rookie of the Year title because of this.

It will depend on his end of season… but it is indeed a possibility.

It is clear that Michkov’s strength lies in not being too predictable and being creative with the puck. Under Tortorella, this limits his ability to change the game.

Let’s remember that Martin St-Louis, who loved playing for Tortorella, is more the type to let the puck carrier do what he wants because his concepts revolve around how the other four guys – the future – will position themselves. Good for Ivan Demidov, then…

In Brief

– Mikko Rantanen: what does he want?

– The Gaudreaus support the Eagles.

– Interesting.

Categories
Uncategorized

«David Reinbacher is progressing faster than he believed»

You probably saw it, but earlier this morning, David Reinbacher practiced with his teammates from the Canadiens.

This wasn’t the first time he skated since his knee surgery, but it was the first time he trained with the rest of the team since his operation in the fall of 2024.

Obviously, he wasn’t wearing a jersey that allowed him to take contact… but that’s normal.

What’s crazy is that it has been less than four months since he was operated on. And without saying he is close to returning to play, let’s just say that on the ice, Reinbacher looks good.

Clearly, he is able to test his knee.

In the original diagnosis from October 1st, the Canadiens were talking about five to six months. Five months is March 1st… and six months is April 1st. And the way he skates, he doesn’t look like a guy who will have to wait until April 1st.

Setbacks can always occur in his rehabilitation, of course, but still.

What we learn through Patrik Bexell is that during the holidays, Reinbacher told a source of Bexell that he was progressing faster than he thought. So can we expect to see him return to play in February, if all goes well?

Maybe. In any case, today’s images are hopeful.

If I had told you, after the preseason game where Patrik Laine and David Reinbacher got injured, that we would be here (Laine scoring like crazy and Reinbacher skating fluidly) on January 27, would you have believed me?

But yet…

In Brief

– For now, we are only talking about two preseason games – without the help of the government.

– For fans of CF Montreal.

– Interesting.

Categories
Uncategorized

Canadian: David Reinbacher trained with the group

In recent days (on January 22, to be precise), several players were absent from the Canadiens’ practice. We are talking about Josh Anderson, Joel Armia, Kaiden Guhle, Patrik Laine, and David Savard.

Despite that, all five players played this week.

On Saturday, there was uncertainty about whether Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher would be able to play… but in the end, they participated in the game against the Devils, leaving Rafaël Harvey-Pinard in the stands.

This is to say that there are a few players with uncertain health statuses within the team at the moment.

This morning, about thirty hours before the next game, two players were unable to practice due to receiving treatment: Josh Anderson and Kaiden Guhle.

Should we expect to see them play tomorrow? Probably, yes. A day of treatment is not unusual in the course of a season for players like them.

It is too early to worry.

However, regarding the practice itself, it is interesting to note that the centers practiced with Marc Bureau, the CH specialist, in the faceoff circle.

Juraj Slafkovsky was also there.

But what stands out the most is the fact that David Reinbacher practiced with the other Canadiens players for the first time since his major knee injury.

In recent days, he has tested his operated knee solo, but not in a group. So this is a step in the right direction.

We know that Reinbacher is in the Canadiens’ environment during his rehabilitation process. He is doing his conditioning with the CH, so it is normal to see him return to the ice with the main team – and not, for now, in the Rocket’s environment.

It should be noted that he is wearing a jersey that prohibits him from receiving contact. But despite that, he seemed comfortable.

Let’s remember that the plan will be to send him back to Laval, if all goes well, to finish the season strongly. And if he practices with the group in January, the club can hope that in a few weeks, he will be ready.

To be continued.

In Brief

– Oh yeah?

– Carey Price stays informed about what’s happening with the CH. [JdeM]

– The Sens are making progress.

Categories
Uncategorized

Confirmed: the Canadiens will play in Quebec on September 30th

Yesterday, there were discussions regarding the presence of the Ottawa Senators in Quebec, on the sidelines of the training camp.

And now everything is confirmed: the Sens will face the New Jersey Devils on September 28 in the Quebec capital. And two days later, on the evening of September 30, the Flanelle will be in Quebec.

It’s a Tuesday, for those wondering.

The Ottawa Senators will, like the Kings in 2024, spend a few days (four) in Quebec. There will be training, games, and community activities.

Ironically, considering there have already been rumors about the Sens relocating to Quebec.

It would have been even more special if the team had hired Patrick Roy as coach last season – but that’s a completely separate issue.

The Senators will thus be at home for these games, which will result in fewer preseason games in Kanata.

For the CH, this is a good thing: it allows for a game close to home, but without losing a home preseason game. I expect the CH to play at least four preseason games at home, one in Quebec… and one or two more in Ontario.

This is great news for the people of Quebec, who will get to see NHL hockey. It’s not like it’s the Nordiques, but at least, it’s NHL hockey coming to town.

In Brief

– Four nations: Drew Doughty’s name keeps coming up.

– Life is good for Carey Price. [JdeM]

– Noteworthy.

Categories
Uncategorized

Carrier – Guhle: the first pair of Canadiens currently

The Canadiens had a challenging schedule last week, facing the Lightning, the Red Wings, and the Devils, two teams currently in the top eight in the East and another just a few points behind.

The Montreal team started poorly in each of their games, as they found themselves down 0-2, 0-3, and 0-3… but they still managed to grab three points out of a possible six. We avoided the worst.

However, a worrying trend – which seemed to have vanished for a month – has returned: the Canadiens are once again being completely outplayed by their opponents in terms of shots on goal.

35-22 against the Lightning on Tuesday, 45-29 against the Red Wings on Thursday, and 44-32 against the Devils on Saturday. Let’s remember that two of the three games were held at the Bell Centre.

In their last five games, the Tricolore has given up 7, 4, 2, 4, and 4 goals. The team’s defensive play is problematic once again.

Yet, the arrival of Alexandre Carrier, linked to the departure of Justin Barron, had seemed to solve everything…

Not Carrier’s fault
I was listening to Anthony Marcotte this morning on BPM Sports and he made a good point: only the pairing of Carrier – Guhle is reliable defensively. Hutson and Matheson are always a bit risky, while the duo Xhekaj – Savard cannot handle 20 minutes per game anymore.

On Saturday night, the top four defensemen each played more than 22m57 on the ice, while Xhekaj and Savard had to settle for 13m56 and 12m37 respectively. Does Savard still have juice left in the tank?

Alexandre Carrier has not finished a single one of his last seven games in the negatives. The same goes for Kaiden Guhle.

Alexandre Carrier and Kaiden Guhle form the best defensive duo of the Canadiens in recent games.
(Credit: Getty Images)

Carrier has three points in his last five games, while Guhle has four.

Since joining the Canadiens, Carrier has collected 10 points in 18 games (compared to just 7 points in 28 games in Nashville). Not bad for a defenseman who’s considered mainly defensive…

On his side, Lane Hutson has been held scoreless in his last two games and has a cumulative differential of minus-8 since the game against the Leafs, which is since the beginning of the stretch where the Canadiens are allowing too many shots (and too many goals).

Matheson has not scored a single point in six games, also showing a differential of minus-4 last week.

You can see where I’m going with this?

It seems obvious to me that for the past few games, the most useful, effective, and best pairing on the Canadiens has been the one formed by Guhle and Carrier, not Hutson and Matheson.

Guhle and Carrier are genuinely performing like a first pair right now.

Beware! This is not to throw stones at Lane Hutson and Mike Matheson (many of you are already doing that for the BAD pass he received from Patrik Laine in overtime on Saturday), but rather to applaud Alexandre Carrier and Kaiden Guhle.

To think we got Carrier in return for Justin Barron, who has only three points in 13 games in Nashville, faced criticism from some teammates and journalists, and has a differential of minus-2 there.

At least, things seem to be turning around for him recently. Good for him!

Overtime

The Canadiens will host the Jets (Tuesday) and the Wild (Thursday), before heading west afterwards. The two weekday games will actually take place at 10:30 PM next week…

We should expect to see Jayden Struble recalled as the seventh defenseman.

But will Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Michael Pezzetta really be the 12th and 13th forwards on this trip? Will Emil Heineman be ready to return, which would likely send RHP back to Laval?

The next few days will be interesting for the Canadiens.

Looking forward to seeing if the pairing Guhle – Carrier will once again be the most complete and effective.

If so, we’ll have to start talking about them as the first pairing…

Categories
Uncategorized

Alex Pietrangelo: 24 minutes on the ice after saying no to Team Canada

Yesterday, we learned that Alex Pietrangelo would have to skip his turn for the Four Nations showdown scheduled for next month.

According to what the Golden Knights announced publicly, it is to “treat an illness” that the Canadian defenseman will not be present at the Four Nations confrontation.

These things happen. But…

But when you look at his last month (I could have said his year in general, too), it is clear that the Knights’ general is capable of playing. He hasn’t missed a single game and plays over 23 minutes per game in 2025.

Just yesterday, we’re talking about 24:22 of ice time.

But clearly, there must be something going on. The Golden Knights surely couldn’t pull him from there if he were at 100% of his health—oh no, never mind: we’re talking about the club that asks Mark Stone not to finish regular seasons to come back and play in the playoffs.

Will the Knights’ decision have an impact on other players who might decide to do the same? No idea. We will see in due time.

But more seriously, it is clear that Pietrangelo, who has clearly something going on, is opening the door for other players to do the same. Many clubs would prefer to see their players rest, two months before the playoffs, than to send them to Montreal and Boston.

So I expect that Pietrangelo will not be an isolated case.

If there are other players saying no to their team, perhaps that could open doors for Nick Suzuki and/or Cole Caufield, who are playing like guys who could stand out at the tournament.

But Pietrangelo is not a forward—and he is not American, in Caufield’s case. It will take another situation to open doors for both forwards from the Canadiens.

In our case, the name Mike Matheson could be circulating. After all, he is a Canadian defenseman and he can be a very good defenseman on the ice.

And that’s even if it has been more difficult these days… and many people are keen to remind that.

But because Matheson is a lefty and has his ups and downs, he is probably not the first candidate on Team Canada’s list. At least, this morning, Elliotte Friedman (32 Thoughts) did not mention him in his podcast when it came time to raise names.

Drew Doughty, MacKenzie Weegar, Brandon Montour, and Chris Tanev are names that Friedman raised.

Lastly, it is worth noting that Friedman claimed to have talked to people who confirmed to him that the Four Nations is like an All-Star Game: if you’re healthy, you must go.

Will Pietrangelo be penalized if he doesn’t go and continues to play? Can he prove that he is “just injured enough” to play with Vegas, but not take on more with Canada? We’ll see.

In brief

– To be continued.

– Things are going well for Pascal Vincent’s club.

– Indeed.

– Well done.

Categories
Uncategorized

Top 5: Big victory for the Sens that allows them to reach 3rd place in the Atlantic

Five games were presented in the NHL on Sunday.

Martin Necas played his second game with the Avalanche, the Sens had a good challenge on the table…

Let’s see how it went:

1: Big Win for the Sens

The Senators had a great opportunity against André Tourigny’s team.

And the players understood it, especially in the third period.

Claude Giroux and Brady Tkachuk scored in the final twenty to allow the Sens to claim a 3-1 victory:

A goal that feels good for Tkachuk, who hadn’t scored in his last eleven games…

But where it gets interesting is when we look at the standings.

With their victory, the Sens climb to 3rd place in the Atlantic:

(Credit: NHL.com)

It’s ultra-tight in the standings in the East and that’s why the Canadiens must continue to win their games.

The moment is crucial right now!

2: Martin Necas Makes New Friends

The trade involving Martin Necas and Mikko Rantanen caused quite a stir over the weekend.

Yesterday, Necas showed that he can help his new team with his vision of the game.

He collected two assists in his team’s victory (5-4) in New York:

Cale Makar also stood out in his team’s victory with his three points scored.

On the Rangers’ side, Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck were the club’s top scorers in the game. They each recorded a goal and an assist.

Big performance for the Avalanche, who achieved only their fourth victory in their last ten games.

3: Gabriel Vilardi Takes Care of the Flames

Gabriel Vilardi is a very good hockey player.

The one who was acquired in the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade helped the Jets defeat the Flames last night by scoring two goals:

Vilardi scored two goals… But he also collected two assists in the Jets’ victory (5-2).

Connor Hellebuyck enjoyed a rare night off: it was Eric Comrie who got the start for the Jets and he did relatively well.

He stopped 20 of the 22 shots directed at him to achieve only his fourth win of the season.

Comrie worked hard in his team’s victory:

4: The Golden Knights are Too Good for the Panthers

Do you miss Tanner Pearson?

Yeah, neither do I…

The former Canadien stood out last night in the game between the Panthers and the Golden Knights by scoring a beautiful goal:

The Panthers were trailing 2-0 at the start of the third period, but Anton Lundell scored to give his team a chance.

However, when it was 2-1, Jack Eichel stepped up and the Knights never looked back:

The Vegas team ultimately won the game by a score of 4-1.

It is also worth noting that Tomas Hertl recorded a point in his 9th consecutive game.

5: The Wild Win in Chicago

At first glance, a game between the Wild and the Blackhawks… This isn’t the most exciting thing on earth.

But last night’s clash between the two clubs still provided a good show.

The Wild led 3-0 in the third period and the Hawks tried to mount a comeback:

Frank Nazar scored a few minutes after Seth Jones to bring the score to 3-2… But on Nazar’s goal, what stood out was what happened afterward.

Zach Bogosian jumped on Ryan Donato immediately after Nazar’s goal:

I imagine that it took the wind out of the Hawks’ sails because they were never able to complete their comeback.

The Wild won the game by a score of 4-2. Marcus Foligno scored into an empty net.

Overtime

– I love it.

– Oh. Things are heating up!

– The top scorers of the night:

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Five games this evening in the NHL:

(Credit: Google)
Categories
Uncategorized

Rumor: the Canadiens against the Senators (without public funds) in Quebec

There will (probably) be NHL hockey this fall in the Old Capital.

According to Bruce Garrioch, tomorrow, the Ottawa Senators are expected to announce that they will play one or two games in Quebec City during the preseason schedule for the upcoming season.

The Canadiens should also announce in a few days the presentation of a game at the Videotron Centre during the upcoming training camp.

One of their two games is expected to involve a matchup between the two teams, and it will once again be a good opportunity for the city to show its interest in NHL hockey.

The arrival of the Sens and the Habs in Quebec should also cause much less controversy compared to when the Los Angeles Kings received a grant of 5 to 7 million dollars from the CAQ to come play two preseason games at the Videotron Centre on October 3 and 5.

The Kings had faced the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers, respectively.

Many had questioned the usefulness of giving state money to the Kings to come play in Quebec, while the Canadiens were ready to do so (and have often done so in the past) at their own expense without any subsidy.

Although the two games were a success, it remains a difficult decision to justify in such a context.

Let’s say that the arrival of the team from the federal capital in the provincial capital is likely to be less contested in public opinion.

It will also be interesting to see who the Senators’ second opponent will be for their second game at the Videotron Centre.

Moreover, the city of Quebec should contact teams geographically close like Boston, Buffalo, and even Pittsburgh to potentially present several preseason games, of course at their own expense.

If it manages to present four or five preseason games each year with respectable crowds and possibly add some festivities around the event, it’s definitely a good opportunity to demonstrate the viability of hockey in the Old Capital.

But hey, it’s just an idea thrown out like that, and by then, we should have more details about this announcement soon.

In Brief

– Beautiful goal from the Canadiens’ prospect!

– The Rocket loves playing against the Bruins.

– Zadorov’s comments regarding Michkov and Dandonov.

– Already 20 home wins!

– The Chiefs in the Superbowl!

– The table is set.

Categories
Uncategorized

Cayden Primeau is undefeated in seven starts with the Rocket

Cayden Primeau has been on fire since his return to Laval. The goalie has won every one of the seven games so far with the Rocket.

He notably helped his team win all three matches of the week, including a 3-2 overtime victory this afternoon thanks to a goal from Logan Mailloux.

Primeau is at the heart of the recent successes of the Rocket, which, after a somewhat difficult stretch, is back on top of its division, having only suffered one loss in regulation in its last ten games (8-1-1).

Since his arrival in Laval, the young goalie has a goals-against average of 1.83, a save percentage of .925, and one shutout.

This is a solid turnaround for the young netminder, who had been having a disastrous season so far with the Canadiens. Primeau had only two wins in 11 starts, a glaring average of 4.70, and a save percentage of .836.

In the weeks leading up to his demotion, the organization had clearly lost confidence in him as the backup goalie while he finishes the third year of a three-year contract worth $2.67 million.

Although Primeau had to go through waivers, no team claimed him, and many wondered if his career was over.

However, it seems that the Michigan native has taken this opportunity to bounce back and regain his confidence with the Rocket.

However, the problem for Primeau is that Jakub Dobes continues to perform well with the Canadiens. Although he experienced his first loss in overtime last night, absolutely nothing would justify his demotion.

Furthermore, I don’t believe that the CH wants to relive the three-goaltender situation by recalling Primeau.

What should the Canadiens do with Primeau? If the goalie continues on his current path, could he interest other teams and become a trade asset by the end of the transaction period?

It’s hard to say when just a month ago, 31 teams passed over the opportunity to acquire him for nothing, but often things can change quickly in professional sports.

In short, for now, let’s hope Primeau continues his momentum with the Rocket while waiting to see how this situation unfolds.

In Brief

– Suzuki IS a number one center!

– The Rocket has the best win ratio.

– Things are going well for Davidson.

– The Eagles are heading to the Super Bowl!

– Movement coming?

– The end?

Categories
Uncategorized

Logan Mailloux gives the victory to the Rocket in overtime

We can’t deny it, Logan Mailloux is not having a season that meets expectations.

It has been very difficult for him for most of the season, with only a few games where he performed well.

Recently, things have been going very well for the young right-handed defenseman.

In the last game on Friday night, he scored two goals and had an assist, securing the victory for his team with a goal at the end of the 3rd period.

On this Sunday afternoon, as the Rocket faced the Providence Bruins, Mailloux struck again with another winning goal. This time, it was in overtime.

Here is his goal (9th of the season) from this afternoon:

He positioned himself well in front of the net to wait for the pass from Laurent Dauphin.

This goal will do him a world of good, and we might finally see the Logan Mailloux we all expected this season.

With the Rocket still at the top of the Northern Division, having Mailloux in top form will only help them aim for great honors.

Aside from Mailloux’s goal, two Quebecers also stood out in the victory.

First, Alex Barré-Boulet collected one goal and two assists in this 3-2 victory for Laval.

Laurent Dauphin won the faceoff. Riley Kidney then passed to ABB, who surprised the Bruins’ goalie with a quick shot.

Speaking of Dauphin, he also had quite a game.

Not only was he credited with an assist on Mailloux’s goal and Barré-Boulet’s goal, but he was also involved in the first goal of the match.

Noel Hoefenmayer opened the scoring early in the first period, taking advantage of a power play.

Cayden Primeau was stellar again, remaining undefeated with the Rocket this season.

This victory was very important for Pascal Vincent’s squad, especially against Providence, which is one of the forces in the Eastern Conference.

Let’s hope that Mailloux and Primeau can continue on this good momentum and help the Rocket in the playoffs.

In Brief

– Pietrangelo withdraws from the Four Nations Tournament due to an injury.

– Incredible.

– Don’t miss: Taylor Swift and the Kansas City Chiefs against the Buffalo Bills.