Author: Dose

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The relationship between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson is tense.

Things are not going well for the Vancouver Canucks right now.

The team has only two wins in its last eight games (2-3-3) despite J.T. Miller returning to play six games ago. As a result, the Canucks have only one point ahead of the Dallas Stars and the last playoff spot.

And like problems rarely come alone, several rumors are resurfacing about the tense relationship between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson.

The two star players have had a difficult relationship for some time now, according to Bruce Boudreau, who coached the Canucks for two seasons before being fired in January 2024.

According to the former coach, the problems between the two players date back before he arrived at the helm of the team, as they have been teammates since the 2019-20 season.

Of course, both players deny the rumors and claim that there is no problem between them.

However, it is rare to see professionals air their dirty laundry in public, and since there is rarely smoke without fire, it is not hard to see that something is off in the Vancouver locker room.

And it is not only the team’s performance that suffers, but also that of the two players.

Since Miller’s return to play, Pettersson has no points in six games after maintaining a pace of nearly a point per game since the start of the season (26 points in 27 games).

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On Miller’s side, it is slightly better with four points since his return, but only one in his last four games.

However, if the British Columbia club wants to ensure its participation in the spring tournament and make some progress, they need to make sure that their two star players are happy and ready to give their best performance.

So, it is a problem that the organization needs to resolve quickly before it becomes a real distraction, but what is the solution?

Can current coach Rick Tocchet resolve the conflict between the two players? Or should the management sacrifice one of the two players via a trade, and in that case, might they risk losing on the potential return of a transaction because of the current situation?

In short, another interesting story to follow.

In brief

– Never easy to learn.

– Hutson fifth in assists.

– First for Kakko with the Kraken.

– How to make your former team regret it!

– Hyman is on fire.

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Hockey: A fierce battle between a father and his son

Hockey is an intense sport. Physical contact and the speed of the game can sometimes lead to certain outbursts of violence. For example, dropping the gloves against your father or son who plays for the opposing team during an amateur hockey match…

What, huh? Yes, you read that right! Earlier in the day, a father, Chris Ewen, and his son, Tyler Driedger, fought each other during a game in the senior league of Saskatchewan.

This lovely scene of familial love was offered to us when the two men, aged 47 and 27 respectively, engaged in a furious fight exchanging several solid punches.

Unfortunately, we do not see what led to the fight in the video excerpt. Was it overly intense gameplay or just an outburst or lingering family issues on the ice?

Because it seems like someone possibly had a chip on their shoulder, but we can only speculate here.

In any case, it’s likely to make for a somewhat awkward Christmas gathering. Maybe not someone to invite over for the evening…

We can also question the woman in the unfortunate position of being the wife and mother who might be caught in this strange conflict.

Or maybe it’s a “normal” situation in the Ewen family, one that’s already behind them and what happens at the rink stays at the rink.

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Because, let’s face it, while it’s not common to see a father and son face off in a sporting competition, regardless of the level, it’s downright weird to witness a father-son fight, even in hockey.

And a tad disturbing.

It seems to me that in life, one should never be able to say the phrase: “I fought with my dad/my kid” in a healthy father-son relationship…

And usually, angry parents are in the stands, not on the ice.

In short, I recommend resolving your dad/son issues with a good discussion or a therapist, but not by dropping the gloves on the ice!

In Brief

– Vlad far from a deal.

– The Panthers win the battle of Florida.

– Speaking of father-son relations.

– Second win for the Bills.

– Victory at home for the Raiders.

– And the Dolphins

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Dans les coulisses

It’s worrying to see Logan Mailloux on the second power play.

LAVAL, QC - OCTOBER 18: A view of Laval Rocket defenseman Logan Mailloux (24) during the game between the Rochester Americans and the Laval Rocket on October 18, 2023, at Place Bell in Laval, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Several supporters of the Montreal Canadiens place a lot of hope in Logan Mailloux.

His first season in the professional ranks last year impressed many.

He scored no less than 14 goals and totaled 47 points in 72 games.

This season, he did well with the big club (three points in five games) but had to return to the AHL.

He started the season very well down there, like the rest of the Rocket, who kept winning.

However, it has been much tough for the young defenseman lately.

He is currently going through a tough stretch, having only recorded one assist in his last 11 games, including this afternoon’s game.

Quite different performance when comparing this to his 12 points in his first seven games with Laval.

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On this Sunday afternoon, the Rocket hosted the Springfield Thunderbirds, and the Rocket completely dominated their opponents.

Pascal Vincent’s team ultimately won the game 3-1.

Sean Farrell opened the scoring in the first period, while Joshua Roy doubled the lead in the third.

Matt Luff quickly narrowed the gap before Laurent Dauphin secured the victory into an empty net.

Joshua Roy earned his second point of the game on the third goal, and Connor Hughes was solid again in front of his net.

During this match, Anthony Marcotte thought that Logan Mailloux had been removed from both waves of the power play.

He quickly corrected himself upon seeing Mailloux finally join the second wave.

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However, this should not be taken lightly in the case of the right-shot defenseman.

To see a defenseman who scored 14 goals last year as a rookie being demoted to the second PP does not bode well…

It is newcomer Noel Hoefenmayer, acquired in the Jacob Perreault trade, who has taken over the first unit of the PP.

Mailloux needs to bounce back quickly, as his future in Montreal could be more complex than he thinks.

Speaking of Montreal, with the current team, there is not much room for Mailloux to play up top, hoping that he finds his wings.

The power play is currently doing well and as long as Hutson and Matheson are there, there will be no space for Mailloux on the power play.

Additionally, the defensive brigade is well stocked with the recent acquisition of Alexandre Carrier.

If anything, Carrier could also be tried on the PP one day, as he handles the puck very well and makes smart decisions.

He has a certain offensive flair that could come in handy if Martin St-Louis ever wanted to make changes to his second wave.

In short, Mailloux needs to get his act together quickly; otherwise, his development could take a hit, and that’s not good for anyone.

In brief

– Very interesting. What do you think?

– Incredible: a father and son come to blows in Saskatchewan

– That’s good

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Dans les coulisses

Matt Rempe suspended for eight games.

The verdict has been announced: Matt Rempe is suspended for eight games for his action against Miro Heiskanen.

This is what Frank Seravalli reported.

More details to come…

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Contract negotiations with the CH: “still nothing,” says Jake Evans

Last season, the special teams were truly a problem for the Montreal Canadiens.

Both the power play and the penalty kill struggled, practically in every game.

Fortunately, this season, the special teams are no longer an issue, and on the contrary, they represent an asset for the Habs.

Indeed, the Tricolore is doing very well in both departments, and more often than not, they manage to win games thanks to their special teams.

For the power play, the recent star is obviously Patrik Laine, and if we look at the penalty kill, well, there is also a star, and this player has been one since the start of the season.

I’m talking about Jake Evans.

The 28-year-old forward from the Habs excels in shorthanded situations this season, and he is truly the main reason why the Habs find themselves in the NHL’s top 10 with an 82.4% effectiveness in penalty killing this season.

Evans defends extremely well, and he often manages to break up plays and kill time while maintaining possession of the puck.

Thus, Evans is a very important cog in the team defensively, and even offensively, well, this season, he is on track to achieve his best point total in his career.

His 19 points, including seven goals, in 33 games would project him to 47 points over 82 games, which would be much better than his 29 points from 2020-2021.

In short, there are plenty of reasons for the Canadiens to consider re-signing Evans, whose contract expires at the end of the season, but as of yet, no negotiations have begun, according to Jake Evans.

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Indeed, Jake Evans stated yesterday after the game that there had still been no discussions regarding his next contract.

Evans, who is in the last year of his three-year contract worth $1.7 million annually, will clearly be asking for a significant raise, as he is currently having his best season at age 28, just before the potential best seasons of his career.

Obviously, the logic would be for the Habs to keep Evans and grant him a new contract, but it’s not always that simple in the NHL.

There is a business side as well, and it’s clear that the Habs’ management knows very well that Evans’ value will be very high on the trade market by the trade deadline.

With his excellent current performances, his depth role, and his low salary with only one year remaining, Evans could fetch a substantial return for the Habs in a trade.

Thus, there is clearly a big decision to make.

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And the fact that the Habs have not yet communicated with Evans about a potential contract extension shows that they are not quite sure yet about the direction they want to take with the 28-year-old center.

Personally, I believe that keeping Evans would be ideal, as it would solidify the “bottom-6” center positions.

Evans was drafted and developed by the Habs, and he is finally reaching his prime, so why would we want to start all over with a new young player like Owen Beck or Oliver Kapanen?

Veterans are needed, and Evans would be perfect for the future of the Habs.

In short, the Canadiens will need to make their decision soon because the longer time goes on, the more Evans builds his case with his excellent performances to demand more money.

Evans’ agent must be licking his chops right now,

A 4-5 year contract worth at least $3.5 million would definitely be a good starting point.

Evans will have the chance to get the biggest contract of his career as he enters his prime years, and thus, he may not want to sign for less to stay in Montreal.

In Brief

– Interesting.

– What do you think?

– Another victory for La Victoire.

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Emil Heineman is ranked 3rd in goals among rookies

The two victories in two evenings of the Montreal Canadiens against the Detroit Red Wings have really been enjoyable to watch.

They brought a lot of joy to Canadiens fans, which hasn’t always been the case this season.

The players of the Tricolore truly provided us with a dream week with excellent performances, and above all, a lot of goals.

Besides Patrik Laine, who has been on fire with five goals in three games this week, other players have really stood out, including of course the members of the fourth line.

Once again last night, Jake Evans, Emil Heineman, and Joel Armia were excellent in each of their shifts.

And if we focus more on Heineman, well, for the first time in his career, he scored in two consecutive games.

With this streak, the Swedish rookie now has eight goals this season, which quietly places him 3rd in the rookie scoring race.

(Credit: NHL.com)

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Indeed, with eight goals this season, Heineman is doing very well for a rookie, as he is only three goals behind the two star rookies, Matvei Michkov and Macklin Celebrini.

And even when looking at points, the Canadiens rookie ranks 6th among rookies with his 13 points in 32 games.

In short, even with his very limited ice time, Heineman manages to stand out and earn points at a very good pace for a fourth-line player.

He plays inspired hockey in each of his shifts, and he is currently very confident.

Heineman has an excellent work ethic, he is extremely intense, he plays very physically, and he has an excellent wrist shot.

In short, many elements point to an improved and younger version of Brendan Gallagher.

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Heineman is currently on pace for 20 goals and 32 points, which is quite respectable for a rookie with an average ice time of about ten minutes per game.

Per 60 minutes, Heineman is scoring goals at a rate similar to that of Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews this season.

In short, Heineman is truly a nice revelation this season for the Canadiens, and I believe no one would be against seeing him get a chance in the CH’s top-6, perhaps alongside Patrik Laine, for instance.

This would be a great opportunity for Heineman, and maybe he would allow Laine to stand out more at five-on-five than with Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach.

If Heineman’s trial in the top-6 doesn’t work out, well, we can always put him back in his third/fourth line winger spot, where he’s doing very well.

Seriously, I believe that at 23 years old, Heineman will be an important cog for the Tricolore in the coming years.

In Brief

– The Rocket will be in action this afternoon.

– Summary of the performances of the various Habs prospects.

– To be continued.

– Reading material.

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Dans les coulisses

Goals in the NHL in December: Patrik Laine has more by himself than 26 NHL teams.

The Montreal Canadiens truly could not have given us a better week of hockey than the one they just delivered right before Christmas.

The Tricolor secured three victories, including two total dominations, scored 14 goals, allowed only five, and provided us with some wonderful emotions throughout the week.

It was really enjoyable and fun to watch the Habs this week, as the team played some excellent hockey.

Well, I know it was against the Buffalo Sabres and the Detroit Red Wings (twice), but still, the Habs won those matches.

Last night, the beautiful 5-1 victory of the Habs against the Red Wings allowed Martin St-Louis’s group to climb to 6th place in their division and get within seven points of the Ottawa Senators, who are in the last playoff spot.

However, what captures attention, well before the standings among Habs fans, are the performances and individual statistics of the players.

And the ones that stand out the most are those concerning a certain Patrik Laine.

With his 8th power-play goal last night, the Finnish sharpshooter now ranks 2nd in the entire NHL for power-play goals since the start of the season.

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Only Brayden Point has more than Laine with 11, and three players (Andrei Svechnikov, Brady Tkachuk, and Kyle Connor) also have eight, tied with number 92 of the Habs.

It’s completely crazy that Laine is already 2nd, considering he has only played nine games this season.

If he keeps up this pace, he will catch Brayden Point fairly quickly and take the lead in this statistic.

What is even crazier with Laine is that all his goals have been scored this month, in December.

In fact, for the entire month, practically all NHL teams haven’t scored as many power-play goals as Laine has.

Indeed, with eight goals, Laine has more power-play goals in December than 26 NHL teams.

(Credit: NHL.com)

In 3rd place, we can replace “Montreal Canadiens” with Patrik Laine, given that Laine counts all the power-play goals for the Habs since he returned to play.

In short, Laine has completely changed the Tricolor and brought a breath of fresh air into the locker room.

You can see on the players’ faces how impressed they are by Laine and how happy they are when he scores.

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What also helps a lot is that Laine seems very humble. He doesn’t get a big head and just does his job by scoring goals.

In fact, yesterday, he was more focused on feeding his teammates than anything else during the five-on-five play.

On his goal, he was clearly looking to connect with Juraj Slafkovsky, but Ben Chiarot deflected the puck just before.

And later in the game, Laine tried the same pass for Slaf again while also looking for Cole Caufield throughout the power play.

You can see that Laine doesn’t want to steal the spotlight from anyone, and above all, he respects the fact that Caufield was the team’s scorer before he returned to play.

Laine took Caufield’s place on the left side of the power play, and since Laine’s return, Caufield has only scored one goal in nine games.

Nonetheless, Caufield has eight points during that same stretch.

In short, Laine clearly wanted to see Caufield score, but that will be for another time, hoping that Caufield will start finding the net again soon.

In Brief

– We wish Anthony Marcotte a speedy recovery.

– Bravo!

– Ouch.

– Indeed.

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Dans les coulisses

Top-5: Leon Draisaitl scores his 24th goal of the season and 4th game-winning goal in overtime.

Yesterday, we had 11 games in the National Hockey League, with 22 teams in action.

In addition to the impressive 5 to 1 victory of the Montreal Canadiens against the Detroit Red Wings, other events caught the attention.

Here is a summary of the highlights from that day.

1. A 24ᵉ goal and a 4ᵉ game-winning goal in overtime for Draisaitl

Leon Draisaitl, as in every season, finds himself at the top of the NHL in almost all possible offensive statistics.

Once again this season, Draisaitl is living up to his reputation, as he currently leads the NHL overall in goals with 24 to his credit.

In fact, it was last night that Draisaitl scored his 24ᵉ goal of the campaign, while netting his 4ᵉ game-winning goal in overtime of the season.

To have already scored four game-winning goals in overtime at this point in the season is really impressive, and it shows how important and “clutch” Draisaitl is as a player.

Thanks to this goal, the Edmonton Oilers narrowly escaped against the San Jose Sharks with a score of 3 to 2.

It’s unfortunate for Yaroslav Askarov, who stopped 39 of the 42 shots directed at him.

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2. Lou Lamoriello closely monitors Alexander Romanov

The general manager of the New York Islanders is known for being quite special across the National Hockey League.

Whether it’s the prohibition of wearing a beard or having hair that is too long, Lamoriello upholds several such rules for his team.

And he isn’t just special when it comes to rules, but also in his way of acting.

For instance, last night, while former Canadiens defenseman Alexander Romanov was preparing for his game by visualizing from the bench, one could spot, a bit further away, a certain Lou Lamoriello intensely watching his Russian defender.

It’s really funny to see Lamoriello so intense in his stares, as it genuinely looks like he is spying on Romanov.

Fortunately for Romy, he had a very strong game, as he recorded two assists in a 6 to 3 victory for the Islanders against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

It’s worth noting that Islanders defenseman Isaiah George, who hails from the Toronto area, scored his first goal in the NHL last night.

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3. Connor Hellebuyck leads the NHL with a 4ᵉ shutout this season

One of the main reasons behind the Winnipeg Jets’ success this season can be found between the two posts in front of the net.

Indeed, Connor Hellebuyck has been truly sensational since the start of the season, and he proved it again last night by achieving his 4ᵉ shutout of the season.

The Jets won 5 to 0 against the Minnesota Wild, who thus suffered their 4ᵉ consecutive defeat.

This 4th shutout for Hellebuyck allows him to take the lead in the NHL in this category.

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4. Jonathan Huberdeau has fun against the Blackhawks

Since joining the Calgary Flames, things have been much more challenging for Jonathan Huberdeau.

He has not been able to regain the production rhythm he had with the Florida Panthers, which is detrimental to his reputation across the NHL.

However, this season, even though he hasn’t returned to the same level, Huberdeau is performing well and especially better than during the last two seasons.

Indeed, he has 25 points, including 13 goals, in 34 games, a pace that will likely allow him to register his best season with the Flames.

In fact, 13 goals is already one more than the 12 scored by the Quebecer in 81 games last season.

Huberdeau scored his 13ᵉ goal of the season last night with a magnificent solitary breakthrough against the Chicago Blackhawks in a 6 to 4 victory.

In short, things are going well for Huberdeau this season, and that’s great.

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5. Huge victory for the Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators are currently situated in a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference standings.

This is an unusual situation for the Senators, who have been at the bottom for several seasons now.

Ottawa is currently on a very good streak, and this continued yesterday, as the Senators secured a very significant overtime victory of 5 to 4 against the Canucks in Vancouver.

These two significant points have allowed the Senators to remain firmly in 8ᵉ place in the East, three points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Overtime

– Here are all the results from the previous day.

– Here are the top scorers from the previous day.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– On today’s agenda in the NHL: six games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
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Dans les coulisses

Martin St-Louis is furious after a question about Cayden Primeau.

Clearly, talking about Cayden Primeau is not one of the coach’s favorite topics.

Before the game, Martin St-Louis was addressing the media and suddenly left the press conference after a journalist asked him a question about Cayden Primeau.

He responded with this before leaving: “I’m focusing on coaching a game.”

Another journalist didn’t even have the time to say a word before St-Louis was already walking towards the exit.

And we even heard him curse at the end of the video above.

The coach is clearly very upset about the situation with the goalies. However, it was a fairly innocent question from the journalist. It wasn’t out of line or inappropriate, in my opinion.

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The situation with Cayden Primeau is starting to weigh heavily, not just for the media and fans. It’s frustrating for St-Louis, who has been receiving the same questions for several weeks now. The American has not started a game since December 1.

Tonight, Samuel Montembeault, who will be in net if you haven’t figured it out yet, will make his ninth consecutive start. Primeau came in briefly during the December 12 game, but that’s about it.

There are only two games left, including tonight’s, before the holiday break. Don’t expect to see Primeau start on Monday’s game in Columbus…

Will Jakub Dobes, who is back in the game, get called up after the holidays? It’s possible. My colleague Félix Forget actually talked about this possibility earlier in the day.

Overtime

No changes will be made to the lineup for tonight’s game.

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Dans les coulisses

Alex Carrier: a first-round pick if he had been an inch taller, according to Benoit Groulx.

Being from the Gatineau region, I am very happy about the acquisition of Alex Carrier, the former captain of the Olympiques.

To say that Kent Hughes managed to get him for Justin Barron is a home run in my eyes. It’s worth mentioning that in Nashville, the Quebecer was a good defender. He didn’t sign a three-year/$11.25 million contract for nothing… This trade was also praised by Simon Boisvert at BPM Sports.

What you need to know is that during his draft year, his family was very confident in his abilities. In 2015, Éric Leblanc (RDS) wrote about Carrier and quoted his father and brother. Bernard and Samuel, both of whom reached the QMJHL, said that Alexandre would be the first player in the family to reach the NHL. They were ultimately right.

To return to Leblanc’s comments from several years ago, the right-handed player could have easily been drafted before the fourth round.

He was just missing an inch.

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Indeed, according to Benoit Groulx, current coach of the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) and former coach of the Gatineau Olympiques, if Alex had an inch more, he would have been a first-round pick. Nothing less!

What a job by Jean-Philippe Glaude, who recently praised his former protege despite his stature, who helped select the young player in the fourth round nearly 10 years ago.

Because at 5 feet 11 inches, even if he’s not the tallest, he’s clearly not the shortest. And he is one of those who prove that you can play in the NHL below six feet. His teammate Lane Hutson (5 feet 9) is also a good example.

According to Leblanc in his article from several years ago, Carrier liked to compare himself to Jared Spurgeon at the time. Now his coach in Montreal, Stéphane Robidas was also a comparison for Carrier.

They are certainly two leaders, a quality that Carrier has had for a long time. At only 21 years old, he already had an “A” stitched on his jersey. And as Grant McCagg said, that doesn’t happen often.

In brief

– Samuel Montembeault will be in net for the second time in as many nights.

– Justin Barron did not play.

– The heart and soul of the team.

– Victory of Victory.

– Unless a miracle occurs, the Chiefs will finish first in the AFC.