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When your best player gets taken down (illegally) and the reaction looks like this…

This afternoon, the Buffalo Sabres hosted the Devils at home.

They had a close call but ultimately won the game by a score of 4-3. They were leading 3-0 at one point in the game.

What I take away from this game is the nonexistent response from the Sabres in defense of their best player, Tage Thompson. The American, who collected the 300th point of his career in the game, was solidly hit (illegally) by Stefan Noesen, and the Buffalo players didn’t seem interested in avenging their teammate.

It’s reminiscent of Jeff Petry’s “vengeance” a few years ago when Samuel Montembeault was manhandled by Zack Kassian…

But anyway. In Noesen’s case, he received a game misconduct, but Thompson’s teammates didn’t seem interested in penalizing Noesen beyond that…

There is clearly a lack of leadership in Buffalo, and I’m not going to place the team’s miserable season solely on this lack of leadership, but it certainly doesn’t help.

Fortunately, Thompson, who has 48 points, including 26 goals, in 47 games this season, is doing well, and according to his head coach Lindy Ruff, “he has passed all the tests.”

Despite their third consecutive victory and their 21st of the season, the Sabres are still in last place in the East with a total of 47 points in 52 games. They are five points behind the Penguins and one spot above the last place in the conference.

Their playoff drought will likely continue for at least one more season.

In brief

– Another victory. Montreal hasn’t lost since mid-January.

– Linus Ullmark is back.

– Too bad.

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Islanders: Adam Boqvist played with Anthony Beauvillier’s gloves last night

I don’t know if the New York Islanders keep the gear of all the players who have played for the club throughout its history, but evidently, Anthony Beauvillier’s gloves have been kept by the organization.

I imagine he left a mark on the organization during his time…

I’m saying this because it’s with his gloves that the newcomer Adam Boqvist participated in the game. And he even scored.

Let’s just say the defender won’t be in a rush to change his pair of gloves.

The equipment managers kept some of the pieces of his gear for a reason, I imagine…

Beauvillier, even though he spent seven seasons with the Islanders and had his best career moments in New York, has not played for the club since the 2022-2023 season. Since then, he has played in Vancouver, Chicago, Nashville, and Pittsburgh.

Since leaving New York, he has never produced as he did for the Islanders.

As for Boqvist, he was just claimed off waivers for the team and right from his first game, he found the back of the net. He is a right-handed defenseman who is very good offensively, but defensively, he leaves something to be desired.

Some Canadiens fans might have wished that Kent Hughes had claimed him.

To those who wanted him in Montreal, I’ll say this: the CH does not need another Justin Barron.

In Brief

– Oh really.

– Not good.

– He is having a good season.

– Could the Canadiens have a return similar to the Sharks for David Savard and Jake Evans?

– Patrick Kane is back.

– It’s clear.

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Jacob Fowler did not play on Friday because he is injured

Jacob Fowler’s team was in action on Friday night.

But the Canadian’s hope – for a rare time this season – was not in front of his net.

His assistant, Jan Korec, got only his 2nd start of the season. The other time he started a game was due to Fowler’s suspension.

But there is a reason why Fowler did not play on Friday.

And that reason is relatively simple. The goalie is injured:

Boston College head coach Greg Brown states that the injury is not extremely serious.

Fowler is evaluated on a day-to-day basis… And his return should be imminent.

Note that his team will play its next game tomorrow against Northeastern University (Beanpot tournament).

Will he be able to participate in the match? Unfortunately, we will have to wait until tomorrow for an answer to that question. Did the coaches give him the day off on Friday so he would be 100% ready for tomorrow? That’s possible, too.

On the other hand, knowing that his injury is minor… That’s all that is important in this story.

It would have been disappointing to see Fowler get injured: he is having a dream season in the NCAA and he is progressing rapidly.

His numbers this season are exceptional:

  • Record of 17-3-1
  • Goals against average of 1.63
  • Save percentage of .938

With Reinbacher already missing part of the season, the Canadiens could not afford to see another of their excellent prospects get seriously injured.

Fowler seems to have avoided the worst and that is a good thing.

In Brief

— He is on fire.

— Yes!

— It works.

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Anthony Davis against Luka Doncic: We thought the Rantanen / Necas trade was big…

When the Avalanche traded Mikko Rantanen to acquire Martin Necas, NHL fans were in shock.

And rightly so!

It is rare, after all, to see a top-10 NHL player being traded… Especially mid-season. The trade had a bombshell effect across the league, and we can all agree that it’s understandable.

Several criticized the Avalanche’s decision because Mikko Rantanen has the talent that we know.

He is part of the NHL elite, and nobody could have predicted a few months ago that he would be traded.

That said, we saw another trade last night – how can I say it – more impressive in the NBA.

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks surprised everyone by trading two of the top 10 players in the world!

Here’s what you need to know.

Luka Doncic, who is already one of the most talented players in the NBA at just 25 years old, is heading to Los Angeles.

We are talking about a player who was named to the first All-Star team and has participated in the All-Star Game five times, won the Rookie of the Year title, is one of the best scorers (per game) in NBA history, ranks 7th all-time for most career triple-doubles, who…

You get the idea. And let’s not forget he is only 25 years old:

On the other hand, Anthony Davis is going to Dallas, and for those less familiar with the NBA, he is also one of the most dominant players in the world.

He is in the top-10 in the MVP race this season, averaging 27 points per game since the start of the campaign, has been in the top-4 for Defensive Player of the Year four times, and has been an All-Star nine times…

On the NBA TV panel, nobody understood what had just happened last night.

This might be the biggest trade in the history of the sports world:

Even though both are among the top 10 players on the planet, there is still a significant difference that should not be overlooked.

Luka Doncic is 25 years old. Anthony Davis, on the other hand, will celebrate his 32nd birthday in a little over a month (March 11)…

That’s why in general, it’s difficult to understand why the Mavericks decided to part ways with the face of their organization. Adding to that is the fact that Davis is often injured (he has only three seasons with 75 games or more in his career in the NBA) and it’s even harder to explain Dallas’ decision…

It’s like the Avalanche trading Cale Makar to Tampa Bay for Victor Hedman. It’s illogical!

But hey. In Los Angeles, everyone is happy: Doncic is coming to join LeBron James, and the ultimate goal is to win a championship before the latter retires.

If it doesn’t work out, the Lakers can bank on Doncic in the future. That’s the interesting aspect of trading him from the Lakers’ perspective.

Oh, and now we have the two best athletes from Slovenia in the world in Los Angeles.

Let’s not forget Anze Kopitar:

All that to say, the Necas/Rantanen trade… it’s nothing compared to what we saw last night in the NBA.

Good for them: it gives a good show to the fans and it’s a nice change from what we’ve seen in recent years.

In brief

– Speaking of the trade, indeed.

– Makes sense.

– Attention interested parties:

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Here is the man behind the AI Deepseek

The success of the Chinese “chatbot” DeepSeek has shaken the artificial intelligence (AI) industry.

Its previously discreet CEO, Liang Wenfeng, is now seated alongside China’s political elite.

CCTV

The launch of DeepSeek took place on January 20, the same day as Donald Trump’s inauguration. Its immediate success caused a significant drop in the stock prices of several American AI giants, such as OpenAI, Nvidia, Meta, and SoftBank.

The free chatbot has since become the most downloaded app on the App Store.

Now considered a national hero, Liang Wenfeng was received by Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang last week. He is the only AI leader who participated in the meeting with the country’s top officials. After sharing his vision regarding his area of expertise, they stated that Beijing “will focus on advancements in key technologies and cutting-edge technologies.”

The head of DeepSeek, a 40-year-old man according to Chinese media, sought neither glory nor fortune, according to his colleagues, but he always hoped to make an impact on the technology world, dominated by the United States. With the ambition to create human-level AI, Mr. Wenfeng shared his plans with colleagues early in his career but faced their skepticism, particularly reported by the Daily Mail.

Mr. Wenfeng holds a bachelor’s degree in electronic information engineering and a master’s degree in information and communication engineering from the prestigious Zhejiang University. After graduating, the engineer ventured into finance.

In 2015, he founded High-Flyer, a company that uses AI and algorithms to identify patterns likely to influence stock prices. The company became one of China’s leading hedge funds, which would have allowed him to accumulate wealth.

He then gathered his best employees and hired many recent graduates from top Chinese universities to create DeepSeek in 2023.

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Overview of the hopes of the CH: three points for Michael Hage

Honestly, I never would have thought that a rebuild would be so easy to live through when we were in 2021 after the Stanley Cup Final.

Yes, it’s difficult to see the Montreal Canadiens lose and be far from the playoffs for a few years, but seriously, following the prospects of the Habs makes it all so much easier to digest.

Watching and analyzing the performances of the various prospects of the Tricolore is really enjoyable and exciting for the upcoming seasons, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do once again today.

Michael Hage – Center – 18 years old

Even though he’s overshadowed by Demidov in everything he does, Hage is truly a very important prospect in the Montreal Canadiens’ pipeline.

The management holds him in high regard, and rightly so when we see his performances this season in the NCAA as a freshman.

Hage quickly established himself as one of the cornerstones of one of the great NCAA universities, namely the University of Michigan, as he produces at a rate of over a point per game.

In fact, last night, Hage added to that, scoring three points, including a goal, in a 7-3 victory for the University of Michigan against Penn State University.

With this performance, Hage now has 28 points (12 goals and 16 assists) in 25 games, placing him in the top 20 of NCAA scoring. He is also the top scorer among 18-year-olds right now, ahead of a certain James Hagens.

Let’s not forget that Hage missed a few games due to injury.

In short, Hage is developing very well and is having a season above expectations for an 18-year-old prospect, and it will be very interesting to see him dominate even more next season when he turns 19.

Tyler Thorpe – Right winger – 19 years old

Here’s someone who made a very good impression at the Habs training camp at the beginning of the season and thus found a way to make a name for himself within the Canadiens’ prospect pool.

The Habs fans really liked him at training camp because of his size (6 feet 4 and 215 pounds) and his good shot.

Since then, Thorpe has been doing well in the WHL with the Vancouver Giants, producing at a similar rate to last season.

In fact, yesterday, Thorpe scored his 20th goal of the campaign in a 9-2 victory for the Vancouver Giants against the Kamloops Blazers.

The Habs prospect now has 39 points (20 goals and 19 assists) in 48 games, which is a respectable pace, just below his pace of 44 points in 51 games last season.

Thorpe represents a nice project for the Habs, and he will be one to watch in the coming years, especially when he makes the jump to Laval with the Rocket.

Here are some other notable performances from the various Habs prospects.

In a Flash

– The break will do some good.

– Must read.

– Wow!

– Stay tuned.

– Let’s see.

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Phillip Danault has only five goals this season

When the former management led by Marc Bergevin let Phillip Danault go to free agency during the summer of 2021, the majority of Montreal Canadiens fans were disappointed and frustrated.

Why?

Because the Los Angeles Kings managed to sign Danault for $5.5 million per year until 2027, an annual amount that was only $500,000 higher than what Bergevin had offered Danault.

The pride of the former general manager of the Habs weighed too heavily in the balance, as he had refused to give a little more to the Quebec center.

Here we are now four years later, and even though Danault may have been somewhat missed by the team in the early years of the rebuild, one could say that today, the Quebec player wouldn’t really have a prime spot in Montreal.

Especially when we compare Danault’s production this season to that of Jake Evans.

Indeed, this season, Phillip Danault has only scored five goals (he scored his 5th last night), while Jake Evans has 11.

There is still a big difference between the two players, even though they both have 25 points.

Today, I would pick Evans over Danault for my team any day.

Evans is three years younger (28 vs 31), and on top of that, he earns much less per year ($1.7 million vs $5.5 million) to do the same job as Danault.

Obviously, Evans does not have a contract for the next season, but if he re-signs with the Habs, it will never be for $5.5 million.

The Canadiens will surely offer him something around $3.5 million per year at most.

In short, even if Danault could have very well helped the Habs in the early years of their rebuild, he would have quickly become a contract falling into the same category as Josh Anderson’s, namely a contract that one looks forward to ending.

Without Danault, Evans was able to develop better and has become a solid two-way forward who excels on the penalty kill today.

So, many have blamed Marc Bergevin, but in the end, today, no one would take Danault and his five goals before Jake Evans.

In Brief

– To be closely followed today.

– Indeed.

– That would be great.

– A truly ridiculous gesture.

– Ryan Suzuki is already heading back to the American League.

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Big comeback from the Rocket: Florian Xhekaj is really a “clutch” player

The Laval Rocket is truly impressive this season under the guidance of Pascal Vincent.

The team is dominant, sitting at the top of its division, the North Division, while also leading the entire American League in terms of points percentage.

All the players of the Rocket contribute to the team’s success, and once again yesterday, they proved it.

Indeed, for a second consecutive game in two days, the Rocket won against the Hartford Wolf Pack.

After winning 3 to 1 on Friday, Laval also secured victory yesterday, winning 5 to 4 in overtime.

It was a significant match that required a major comeback from three goals down at home in front of its fans at Place Bell.

The Rocket demonstrated great character by coming back from behind after being down 3 to 0 and 4 to 1 in the match.

In the end, as on Friday, it was Florian Xhekaj who played the hero by scoring the winning goal for a second consecutive game.

Arber’s brother is having a great time currently with Laval and is progressing very quickly.

Pascal Vincent praised Xhekaj’s development and progression on Friday.

In short, Florian Xhekaj clearly has that “clutch” player DNA, and that’s very likely what will allow him to make a career in the NHL one day.

If you only look at his production, which is 14 points (10 goals and four assists) in 39 games, there is nothing impressive about it.

But Xhekaj is much more than just the points, as he executes the small details very well while being a very physical and dangerous player for the opposing team.

Seriously, the Canadiens are very lucky to have him in their ranks, as he could become a luxury fourth-line player in Montreal very soon.

After all, he is only 20 years old.

If we look at the rest of the game, Jared Davidson also had a very good game with a goal and an assist, leading one to wonder why he didn’t get his chance to be recalled by the Canadiens instead of Owen Beck.

Davidson is the kind of player who resembles Emil Heineman much more than Owen Beck, which would have helped the Canadiens better cope with the absence of the Swede.

At 22 years old, Davidson is having a great season with 27 points (15 goals and 12 assists) in 39 games and clearly deserves his chance up top.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning Cayden Primeau, who remains perfect since his return to Laval, as he earned his ninth win in as many games.

He has a record of 9-0 with an average goals allowed per game of 1.96 and a save percentage of .923.

Let’s see if that will be enough for him to earn a recall.

In Brief

– Crazy trade in the NBA.

– Indeed.

– Happy birthday Christian!

– To listen.

– It will be followed.

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Top-5: The American national anthem was strongly booed in Ottawa and Calgary

There were nine games yesterday in the National Hockey League.

Several highlights caught attention and made the rounds in the hockey world.

Here’s a summary.

1. Ottawa and Calgary fans boo the American national anthem

Upon his return to the presidency of the United States, Donald Trump has already made a few decisions that clearly do not please everyone, one of which is the imposition of tariffs on Canada.

In this context, Jean-Marc Léger stated yesterday that he would like to hear the American national anthem being booed at the Bell Centre, which would clearly not solve the problem.

But nonetheless, booing the American national anthem would do the Canadians good and allow them to release some frustration.

In fact, last night, in Ottawa, and then in Calgary, the American national anthem was heavily booed at the beginning and the end.

In short, Canadian fans expressed their dissatisfaction.

As for the hockey games themselves, well, in Calgary, the Flames lost 3 to 1 against the Detroit Red Wings, and in Ottawa, the Senators crushed the Minnesota Wild by a score of 6 to 0.

The Senators’ fans did not boo their American captain Brady Tkachuk when he scored a goal in this game.

It is also worth noting that in this game, Ryan Hartman was ejected for a disgusting act against Tim Stützle during a faceoff.

See Stützle’s bloodied head at the end of the video above.

2. Joseph Woll makes one of the saves of the year at the end of the game

We witnessed quite a match between the two best Canadian teams in the NHL as the Maple Leafs faced the Edmonton Oilers.

The Leafs came out on top with a score of 4 to 3, and they can really say a huge thank you to their goalie, Joseph Woll, who not only turned away 45 of the 48 shots from the Oilers but also made one of the saves of the year in the final seconds of the game.

Indeed, Woll robbed Corey Perry on the last play of the game, which could have sent the game into overtime.

In short, the Leafs finally seem to have a good goalie, which could be scary for the playoffs.

3. Two goals for J.T. Miller in his first game back with the Rangers

Of course, in his first game back with the New York Rangers, J.T. Miller made his mark by scoring two goals in the Rangers’ 6 to 3 loss against the Boston Bruins.

In short, Miller did not waste time distinguishing himself and feeling comfortable with the Rangers, despite the loss.

He will clearly have a great renaissance with the Rangers.

4. Seventh consecutive win for the Islanders by Tony DeAngelo

Things are going very well for Patrick Roy and his team right now, as the Islanders recorded a seventh consecutive victory last night.

Indeed, by winning 3 to 2 in overtime against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Islanders are back in the thick of the playoff race, just three points away from the final playoff spot held by the Lightning.

What’s even cooler for the Islanders is that last night, it was the team’s newest signing, Tony DeAngelo, who scored the winning goal in overtime.

It was his first goal of the season and first as a member of the Islanders.

5. A crazy game between the two best teams in the NHL

Last night, there was a very big game to closely watch as the best team in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Capitals, faced off against the best team in the Western Conference, the Winnipeg Jets.

So we could expect quite a hockey game, and that’s exactly what we got.

The match ended in overtime as Josh Morrissey gave the Jets a 5 to 4 victory with his second goal of the game.

The Jets thus sit atop the league with this victory, but the Caps, who are just two points behind, still have two games in hand.

Notably, in the loss, Alex Ovechkin scored the equalizing goal in the third period, bringing him within 18 goals of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s goal record.

In Brief

– The Chicago Blackhawks score the fastest goal in their history to start a game. Landon Slaggert found the back of the net after seven seconds.

– Here are all the results from the previous day.

– Here are the top scorers from the previous day.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– On the agenda today in the NHL: nine games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
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Patrik Laine admits it: he still plays video games

Patrik Laine, once again, opened up about several sensitive topics in an interview with the Finnish media Helsingin Sanomat.

My colleague Félix Forget discussed earlier today the player’s regrets regarding his comments before the Columbus Blue Jackets game on December 23.

And we learn more about the Finnish interview in an article published today on TVA Sports.

First of all, the forward confirms what many have known for a long time: it was an addiction to video games, more specifically to the game Call of Duty.

Laine played enough to reach a competitive level and win tournaments. This generally requires a considerable investment of time in a game, a type of hobby that does not fit well with the career of a professional athlete.

The problem for Laine is that video games became a refuge when things started to go poorly for him on the ice and in his personal life.

The loss of his father and his disinterest in hockey created a vicious circle where the hockey player began to excessively game to the point of losing interest even in video games.

Moreover, gaming was not the only excess, as the Finn also owned a Ferrari, a Lamborghini, and a McLaren.

Since then, Laine is doing much better and seems to have regained his passion for playing hockey as well as a certain balance in his life. He still plays video games, but in a healthier and more reasonable way.

He has also gotten rid of his three luxury cars.

Additionally, religion helps him a lot and now plays a more significant role in his daily life, as he prays before each game and takes advantage of the offseason to attend church on Sundays.

It is interesting and refreshing to see Laine open up on topics often considered taboo in the world of professional sports.

Not only do several athletes have to face mental health issues like depression and anxiety, but they also have to protect themselves against the risks of excess that come with professional athletes’ salaries.

More players should open up about this topic and share their experiences to help break the taboos surrounding various mental disorders in professional sports.

In Brief

– Clash at the top!

– Ovi’s 877th!

– The Sens crush the Wild!

– The Leafs hang in there.

– Four consecutive games with at least one goal for Crosby.

– 900th points for Brent Burns!