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While everyone criticizes each other, Martin St-Louis looks in the mirror

Have you noticed that there’s a lot of criticism in the NHL these days?

We’re obviously talking about Sean Couturier criticizing Matvei Michkov… but there’s more. There’s Connor McDavid, who raised his voice at his team’s practice, and Erik Karlsson, who fired an arrow at Mike Sullivan, his former coach…

And what about Craig Berube, who said publicly that his boys didn’t know how to give enough importance to defensive play since the start of the season?

And meanwhile, in Montreal… that’s not how it goes.

The Canadiens have Nick Suzuki leading by example. He’s been racking up crazy points since February, and he’s putting the club on his shoulders more than ever.

The guy has never taken anything for granted in the hockey world, and his leadership is important.

And when a club is doing well, you even get a coach who doesn’t criticize his players, but rather his own methods. Seeing Martin St-Louis say he needs to improve in terms of managing his guys’ playing time was the talk of the weekend.

It shows that he’s confident and that the club is doing well.

We look at the standings and see that this explains it. If the Canadiens didn’t have only three setbacks on the regular, the coach wouldn’t be making such comments publicly.

(Credit: NHL.com)

Last year, for example, when the Canadiens were off to an ugly start and people wanted the head coach’s head, he couldn’t have said that.

Instead, he’d say that the Habs were throwing up on themselves. We’re not there anymore.

overtime

– Practice at 10:30 this morning.

– Michael Hage: why does he play wing?[RG Media]

– Interesting.

– Worth noting.

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Another controversy for Matvei Michkov: the Canadiens knew what they were doing when they let him through

Yesterday, my colleague Vincent Larue published a piece on Sean Couturier’s comments about Matvei Michkov.

Basically, the Flyers captain mentioned that his young teammate needed to be able to play on 200 feet to become a dominant player in the NHL.

That’s pretty clear.

Clearly, the Canadiens knew what they were doing when they didn’t select Matvei Michkov with their fifth overall pick in the 2023 draft.

The red flags were clearly visible for the man whose father had just passed away under unclear circumstances, just before the draft.

The way I see it, the Canadiens were placed in the same position in 2023 and 2024. The Habs had the fifth overall pick and could draft a crazy-talented Russian from SKA.

In 2023, he passed. And in 2024, they managed to draft a certain Ivan Demidov.

Demidov, who loves hockey and practices instead of getting into trouble, has a great attitude. And Nick Bobrov probably knew that because his father was involved with SKA when Demidov was a draft prospect.

And if the father could talk about Demidov, he could also talk about Mishkov.

Of course, passing on Mishkov may be a good decision to avoid bringing a bad apple into the dressing room. But it still may not be THE perfect decision.

Why not? Because we’re wondering more and more whether, in a strong draft at the top of the pyramid, the Habs drafted the wrong player in David Reinbacher.

I had Reinbacher as a pick in 2023, but it’s clear that his health is the main concern right now. Can he really become the player Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton had in mind?

Because yes, the mistake at No. 5 may have been passing up a Brady Tkachuk 2.0 to draft a little too much on an as-needed basis. #RyanLeonard

overtime

– Oh…

– Read more.

– Donald Trump booed at Commanders game. [JdeM]

– The Habs prospect was animated, on this.

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Top-5: MacKinnon’s five-point game takes him back to the top of the scoring charts

Still, eight games on Sunday in the NHL.

A fine evening of hockey, then.

Here are the results and highlights:

1. MacKinnon’s five-point game returns him to the top of the scoring charts

Not only is Nathan MacKinnon the NHL’s leading scorer, he’s also the top scorer.

Yesterday, he scored two goals and three assists. This puts him back in exclusive first place for goals. With his five points, he now leads the NHL in scoring.

This is his second consecutive game with at least four points.

He’s so good!

He continues to climb the ladder in the Avalanche and Nordiques franchise.

With his goals, he’s now the third-highest scorer in history. He has overtaken Peter Stastny.

Colorado finally won in overtime against the Canucks, 5-4.

Gavin Brindley gave his club the win.

2. Connor Bedard’s three points in Detroit

Prior to the late-night meeting between the Canucks and Avalanche, Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks were in Detroit.

Bedard finished the game with three points, putting him momentarily at the top of the scoring charts. Of course, MacKinnon’s game changed all that.

In a 4-1 Ducks victory, Leo Carlsson, who scored two goals, is tied with Bedard. Macklin Celebrini and William Nylander aren’t too far behind.

As for the Hawks, they won 5-1 against the Wings to make it three in a row. During that stretch, they scored 14 goals and allowed just three.

The Red Wings, meanwhile, have lost four of their last five games.

At the time of writing, they are no longer in a playoff position after a strong start to the season.

(Credit: NHL.com)

3. Leafs escape a two-goal lead

One team that hasn’t had the start to the season they’d hoped for: the Leafs.

I guess losing Mitchell Marner hurts, right?

Yesterday, against the Hurricanes, the Leafs seemed headed for victory, but they let a 4-2 lead slip away.

Even early on, Craig Berube was far from convinced…

Drafted in the fifth round in 2023 by Carolina, Charles-Alexis Legault was playing his eighth NHL game.

He didn’t score a goal or an assist, but he was in the news because of a nasty injury.

On this sequence, he had his hand cut off.

In the win, Logan Stankoven, K’Andre Miller and Nikolaj Ehlers each collected two points.

Toronto has a record of 8-7-1…

All in front of the Hall of Famers.

At least John Tavares is still going strong.

He scored a goal in his 1200th game in the league.

4. The Mammoth has just one win in its last six games

AndrΓ© Tourigny’s Mammoth started the season strong.

But in recent games, things haven’t been going well. After losing in Montreal on Saturday night, Utah also lost to the Ottawa Senators.

That makes five losses in their last six games.

In the Sens victory, Michael Amadio scored.

He has four goals in his last four games.

Then, Cousins combined for a goal.

Dylan to Nick for the winning goal.

Final score: 4-2 Ottawa.

Jordan Spence also scored his first goal as a member of the Sens.

5. Marcus Johansson’s 1,000th game whitewashed

In Minnesota, the Wild hosted the NHL’s worst team, the Calgary Flames.

And, of course, the Wild won by a score of 2-0. A great shutout win in Marcus Johansson’s 1000th NHL game.

The man who pulled off the shutout was Jesper Wallstedt.

He made 36 saves for his 2nd career shutout.

Matthew Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek took care of the forwards.

On the game’s first and winning goal, Boldy scored… on a pass from the birthday boy Johansson, of all people.

Extension

– Sidney Crosby rumors are about to start up again.

– Beautiful moment.

– Ice is slippery.

– 600 points for Kyle Connor.

– Superb.

– MacKinnon obviously leads the charge.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Four games tonight.

(Credit: Google)
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Sean Couturier throws Matvei Michkov under the bus after Flyers defeat

A captain protects his young players. Not the other way around. Following the Philadelphia Flyers’ 3-2 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night, Sean Couturier surprised everyone by criticizing his young teammate Matvei Michkov in front of the media.

The young Russian had scored a big goal to get the Flyers back into the game. But instead of congratulating him, the captain chose to point out what he felt were shortcomings in his game.

“He’s a very talented player, but he needs to find other ways to help the team win when he’s not scoring.” – Sean Couturier

The tone was calm, but the message was clear. Too clear, some would say. Because a captain normally keeps such comments to himself, especially when the youngster in question has just had a good game.

On social networks, reactions were swift and clear-cut.

“A captain doesn’t talk about a teammate like that. Michkov got them back in the game yesterday. Couturier, on the other hand, caused the offside in overtime. Zero responsibility.” – getPucksDeeeeeeep

And that’s where it gets tricky. Not only did Couturier publicly criticize a 20-year-old player, but he himself made the blunder that led to the tiebreaker. It’s hard to set an example under these conditions.

This kind of outburst may seem trivial, but in a locker room full of young players like the Flyers’, the impact is enormous. Youngsters like Matvei Michkov, Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink watch everything. And when the captain takes the liberty of blaming a teammate in front of the cameras, it sends the wrong message: that you’re protecting your image before that of the group.

Sean Couturier’s mission was to embody the stability and new culture advocated by general manager Daniel BriΓ¨re. But this statement scratches that image.

For several years now, the Flyers have been trying to shake off their reputation as a disjointed team with unclear leadership. If this kind of attitude is repeated, it will be difficult to establish a culture based on cohesion and collective responsibility. The dressing room needs a unifying captain, not a leader who points the finger when things go wrong.

This kind of message can make young players want to join the Flyers organization, just as Cutter Gauthier did. Gauthier already has 18 points this season. A statement like this can leave its mark and undermine the confidence of a young talent like Michkov for a long time to come.

A captain doesn’t have to be perfect. But he does need to know when to keep his mouth shut. And last night, Sean Couturier forgot that role.

overtime

– All the new Hall of Famers are at the Maple-Leafs pre-game ceremony against the Hurricanes.

– Goalie Arseny Radkov leaves the game following contact.

– Corey Perry has 7 goals in 10 games.

– Marcus Johansson plays his 1000th game against the Calgary Flames.

– Miro Heiskanen is off to a better start than last season, with 14 points in 16 games.

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Logan Mailloux’s next game is against the Rocket

It’s what we call a perfect scenario for attracting the spotlight. Weeks after being traded by the Canadiens to the St. Louis Blues, Logan Mailloux will play his first AHL game since his move… and it will be against his former team, the Laval Rocket.

The game will take place on Wednesday morning at 10:35 a.m. in Springfield, on the occasion of Remembrance Day. A special atmosphere, an unusual time of day, and a well-known opponent. Everything is in place for an emotional morning.

Anthony Marcotte confirmed the news on X:

But let’s be frank: if Mailloux was sold to Springfield, it wasn’t because of a development strategy. It’s because his start to the season in St. Louis was so difficult. In nine games with the Blues, the young defenseman failed to pick up a single point and posted a differential of -12. Not ideal for a player who hoped to establish himself full-time in the NHL as an offensive defenseman.

His game lacked confidence, and the Blues’ staff felt that a stint in the AHL might allow him to catch his breath. In Springfield, he’ll find a more prominent role, regular ice time and, above all, a chance to rebuild his confidence with the puck.

For the former Rocket defenseman, this game is more than just a rematch, but an opportunity to prove that he still belongs in the Blues’ plans. Every appearance on the ice will count, and a solid performance against Laval could well revive his case in the eyes of St. Louis management. After an up-and-down start, he absolutely must show that he can bounce back.

Ironically, his first game comes against the Rocket, his former team. Logan Mailloux knows the guys in the other locker room, the structure of the game, and even the finer points of the Canadiens’ club-school style. This will be a good way to measure himself against what he knows best.

Remember that in Laval, he had a great season last year, collecting 33 points in 63 games, while establishing himself as an offensive pillar on the blue line. If he can rediscover this level of play with Springfield, the Blues may well give him another chance later this season.

In short, all eyes will be on Springfield on Wednesday morning. Logan Mailloux will have the chance to relaunch his career against the team that helped shape him.

overtime

– 500th career point for Kevin Fiala.

– Third straight win for the Chicago Blackhawks.

– The Kings came out on top against the mighty Penguins.

– Connor Bedard has the same number of points as Patrick Kane after 164 games.

– William Nylander pulls out his Sunday hands against Brandon Bussi.

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Habs success could force Kent Hughes to move

We’re fast approaching the quarter-hour mark of the NHL season. We can already see a few teams moving away from a playoff spot, and who could quickly throw in the towel and move into the sellers’ camp.

American Thanksgiving, which takes place on November 27 this year, is usually a date after which the NHL transaction market gets busy.

Last year, the Canadiens acquired Alexandre Carrier on December 18 in return for Justin Barron, whose arrival solidified the defensive unit and made the team much more competitive.

According to David Pagnotta, Kent Hughes is watching the market very closely right now and could be active in the coming weeks.

It makes sense that, despite their excellent start to the campaign, the Habs are still weak on the center line.

Oliver Kapanen, even though he’s off to a very good start, isn’t necessarily a viable long-term or playoff option.

Because if the Canadiens keep winning, the team will increasingly have to start thinking about not just making the playoffs, but going the distance.

The addition of an established second center could really move the Habs into the contender category.

And Kent Hughes has a lot to offer in the way of a trade, both in picks and especially in prospects.

So it makes a lot of sense to think that the Habs are likely to make a move soon, and maybe go for the big one.

However, I think Hughes should wait a while before making a move.

Right now, only three teams are starting to move away from a playoff spot; the Predators, Blues and Flames, and of those, Calgary is the only one that can really throw in the towel.

These teams have a few veterans who could be an option as Montreal’s second center, such as Nazem Kadrim, Jonathan Marchessault, Ryan O’Reilly, Brayden Schenn and maybe even Steven Stamkos.

However, of these center players, only O’Reilly has an attractive contract with two years still to run at an average annual salary of $4.5 million. The others all have three or four years left on their deals, which could quickly become a problem for the organization to manage.

That’s why I think the Habs should be patient before making a move, because there will be more centers available later in the season when other teams are moving away from a playoff spot.

Overtime

– What a save by the Habs’ prospect.

– Back to reality?

– Heavy loss for the Caps.

– Nice deke!

– Age isn’t slowing him down.

– The QuΓ©bΓ©cois is recalled.

– Indeed!

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The Habs are unstoppable at the Bell Centre

Things are going well for the Habs these days, both collectively and individually.

Montreal has been among the NHL’s elite since the start of the season in terms of total points and in several categories..

The Canadiens have become a tough team to play against, especially when playing at home.

Since the start of the campaign, the team has a record of five wins, one loss and one shootout defeat (.786) in seven games at the Bell Centre.

The Habs’ only regulation-time loss at home this season came on October 18 against the Rangers, when the home side blew a 2-0 lead to lose 4-3 in a game that could easily have gone in our favor.

And the team’s successes haven’t begun this year. You have to go back before the break of the 4 Nations Confrontation to find another regular loss on home ice for the Habs.

Since the tournament, Martin St-Louis’ team has a record of 15-1-3 (.868) in 19 games at home.

This is the best League record since the 4 Nations. Better than clubs known to be difficult to face on home ice like the Avalanche (.816) and Hurricanes (.789).

One wonders whether the Bell Centre won’t regain the top spot among the toughest amphitheatres to play in.

with 19 games for the Habs, that’s almost half a season. It’s not just a “good run” of a few games.

During this period, the Canadiens scored almost four goals per game (3.95 per game) with a total of 75 goals and allowed 46 (2.42 per game) in return for an excellent plus-29 differential.

The Bell Centre has truly become a Habs fortress.

This is all the more a good thing as we have a very young team that copes well with the pressure of playing in a market like Montreal.

On the contrary, our young stars seem to feed off the crowd’s energy to deliver big performances and make spectacular plays night after night.

And as a fan, it’s a lot of fun to watch.

Overtime

– Two players at the top.

– Filip Mesar opens the scoring.

– Connor Bedard leads all scorers.

– Frustration in Edmonton…

– Who will go where?

– Quite a story!

– Match postponed until tomorrow.

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More points for rookies: the Habs top the NHL (with thanks to Kapanen and Demidov)

There’s a lot to remember about the Montreal Canadiens’ start to the season.

The (unrivalled) performance of the goaltenders, the dominance of Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, the blossoming of Alex Newhook, the reliability of the blue line…

But we must also mention, in all this, the contribution of the rookie forwards. Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen are doing a hell of a job right now, and they deserve a lot of credit.

It’s not complicated: Kapanen and Demidov are in the top-3 in rookie scoring so far. The Russian has four goals and nine assists, while the Swede has six goals and four assists.

Together, they have the highest number of points for rookies on the same team. They’re a sight to behold right now.

Demidov was expected to find success quickly. We saw him be really good in his NHL debut last season, and that suggested he had the talent to be productive fairly quickly in Montreal.

But for Kapanen, it’s surprising… and right now, it looks like he just can’t slow down. The kid is on a 33-goal pace so far this season.

And no one could have predicted that before the start of the campaign:

It’s often said that to win, every player on a team has to give some. And when two rookies like Demidov and Kapanen are able to do that, it helps a club reap victories.

That’s what we’re experiencing right now in Montreal. The Canadiens (at the time of writing) are sitting in 3rd place overall in the NHL standings, and Kapanen and Demidov are playing their part.

If they can keep up this pace between now and the end of the season, it’s going to be special. And it’ll probably allow the Habs to get even more W’s…

Overtime

– Wow.

– Fair enough .

– It gets complicated…

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Logan Mailloux in the American League: The Snake was right

In the very first episode of Mathias et le Serpent, Simon Boisvert said something that caused quite a stir. To refresh your memory… :

Unless there are injuries and we’re forced to keep him, in my opinion, by Christmas, Logan Mailloux is in the American League. – Simon Boisvert

The Snake was right. This morning, the Blues decided to send the former Habs defenseman to Springfield to work on his game. It’s only been a month since the start of the NHL season…

Let’s remember one thing.

After practice camp, the Blues told Mailloux to find a place to live in St. Louis. Normally, this means that the club has no intention of sending the player down there… and indirectly, it also means one thing: Mailloux has really disappointed Blues management.

Again, the season is only a month old. And to see Mailloux handed over to his team’s club-school speaks volumes about the player’s complete situation on the ice…

The Blues have obviously sensed that Mailloux is not yet ready to be a regular player in the National League. That’s not to say he’ll never be ready… but the Blues may have misjudged the situation after the team’s practice camp.

At the same time, he had a really good camp in St. Louis…

But Mailloux’s performance adds up to so many negative things right now for the Blues.

The club is 31st overall in the National League, Jordan Kyrou’s name is in several rumours, Jake Neighbours will miss at least the next month of activities, Mailloux is disappointing, Jordan Binnington can’t stop a beach ball (the Blues have the worst defence in the league)…

When things go wrong, they go wrong. And that’s exactly what’s happening right now in St. Louis: nothing seems to be working as it should, and it must be getting heavy within the organization.

Expectations were high even before the season started…

It remains to be seen whether they’ll be able to get back on track. Because if not, we’re likely to be hearing a lot more about Jordan Kyrou in the coming weeks and months.

And it will be interesting to see how Mailloux responds in the AHL…

Overtime

– Reminder: there are eight games today in the NHL.

– Ouch.

– Yeah!

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Projected production: the Habs could have nine 50+ point scorers

Who’d have thought the Montreal Canadiens would get off to such a good start?

Reaching the ten-win plateau after just 15 games is a feat we didn’t necessarily see coming, let’s say.

And what we didn’t see coming was that the Habs players were all performing so well, and more importantly, were all producing at a very good pace.

The Canadiens rank 3rd in the NHL in goals scored this season, with 57 in 15 games, and let’s just say it shows when you look at the individual stats, both within the team and across the NHL as a whole.

In fact, when you look at the Habs’ scoring rankings, you realize that quite a few players are producing at a good pace, so no one really disappoints.

(Credit: NHL.com)

The Habs players are all producing, and that’s all the more impressive when you project it over a full season.

Indeed, over 82 games, if everyone keeps up the same production consistency, the Habs could have no fewer than nine scorers with at least 50 points.

  • Nick Suzuki: pace of 21 goals and 109 points
  • Cole Caufield: pace of 65 goals and 98 points
  • Ivan Demidov: 21-goal, 71-point pace
  • Lane Hutson: pace of 65 assists and 71 points
  • Alex Newhook: 32-goal, 65-point pace
  • Noah Dobson: 54 assists and 60 points
  • Oliver Kapanen: 32-goal, 54-point pace
  • Juraj Slafkovsky: pace of 32 goals and 49 points
  • Mike Matheson: pace of 16 goals and 49 points

Obviously, these are projections made after only 15 games, so the chances are that some players will have a dip in form and not maintain this pace.

However, it’s still very interesting to see that everyone contributes to the Canadiens, and that everyone manages to produce consistently and regularly.

By way of comparison, only four players scored more than 50 points last season for the Habs: Nick Suzuki (89 points), Cole Caufield (70 points), Lane Hutson (66 points) and Juraj Slafkovsky (51 points).

Next up was Brendan Gallagher with just 38 points.

In short, the Habs have clearly improved this season, and it shows on the offensive end, as Martin St-Louis’ team is scoring a lot of goals.

Overtime

– Montembeault last among starting goalies.

– Indeed.

– Things aren’t going well at home for the Rangers.