Ivan Demidov, who plays on the first line of SKA for game #4 of his first-round series, scored in the first period. With good teammates, he can do anything.
It may not be the most beautiful goal of his career, but he was well-placed. Nick Suzuki, yesterday, did not score the most beautiful goal of his career in the third, but he knew where to place himself.
Yesterday, the Laval Rocket was in Manitoba on the heels of a match against the Moose. The Canadiens’ affiliate team won with a score of 3-2.
Alex Barré-Boulet (I wonder how he feels about not having had his chance in the NHL for a few months), Florian Xhekaj, and Sean Farrell found the back of the net.
The Rocket is consolidating its position at the top of its division more and more.
(Credit: The AHL)
But what we need to note from this match against Pascal Vincent’s old team is the fact that Xhekaj scored his 20th goal of the season. That’s really something.
After all, the rookie is a newcomer to the pros, and Arber’s brother plays on a bottom-6 line. Seeing him score 20 goals this season was not expected at all.
Only four rookie players have 20 goals in the AHL at the time of writing. And mentioning Xhekaj among them is unexpected.
In terms of goals, the best rookie in Rocket history had scored 16. And Xhekaj, through his style of play, is increasingly attracting the attention of the Montreal Canadiens. I’m certain of it.
At this point, it’s interesting to wonder what he’ll be able to accomplish in the NHL. Does he have what it takes to be an excellent player on a robust fourth line with some offense?
Can he dominate the game with his brother on the ice? He’d like to become a Tom Wilson and draw inspiration from the Tkachuks.
«The evening when the Tkachuks dominated Canada on the ice at the Bell Centre, Arber texted me: “Hey, man, did you see that?” I replied: “It was crazy! We’ll get there”.»
Florian Xhekaj wants to become the Tom Wilson of the Habs.
Between you and me, it’s not utopian to think that Florian could allow the Canadiens to let Arber go. The two have similar strengths and maybe the defenseman’s time is counted in the city.
NHL-NHLPA officially began CBA extension talks Tuesday. Gary Bettman had said at the GM meetings a few weeks ago that talks would begin this week, and they indeed have.
It’s almost a full house here at practice. Herbers, Vilsaint, Neal, Vrioni, Synchuk, Clark, and Saliba are all with the group to start the session. Only Opoku is missing, who got hit yesterday.
Why do the young goalies of the Canadiens experience success in the American League, but not in the NHL?
Why do they all seem to be excellent goalies with the Rocket, but not with the Canadiens?
Why do they seem to be in perfect control of their abilities when they arrive in Montreal, but not two or three weeks later?
Why do they consistently regain their quality play when they return to Laval?
Cayden Primeau was one of the worst goalies in the entire NHL before being sent back to the Rocket earlier this season (4.70 goals against average and .836 save percentage). In Laval, he looks like a goalie who is too good for the league and should be called up because he has no business being there (2.07, .921 and 18-2-1 record).
Jakub Dobes was burning up the American League before being called up by the Canadiens. When he arrived in Montreal, he continued his excellent work for about a month, and then the chain fell apart. So much so that there is hesitation to put him in front of the net now, preferring to use Samuel Montembeault (a goalie whose statistics are good, but no more).
Dobes has only completed two of his last eight games with a save percentage above .900.
Of course, it must be noted that the level of competition in the American League is lower than in the NHL. Guys like Primeau and Dobes benefit from the extra fraction of a second in executing plays.
But how can we explain the fact that the chain falls apart so much – often after a few weeks – when they are called upon to play in Montreal?
People close to the Habs told me that the most logical explanation is possibly the identity of the goalie coach in Laval and Montreal. Here is the segment where I report what I heard, a segment from the latest episode of Stanley25 :
In Laval, it’s Marco Marciano who takes care of the goalies, and has been doing so since 2017. Before that, he was with the IceCaps of St. John’s and the Hamilton Bulldogs. In short, he has been with the Habs’ affiliate team for over 10 years.
He is 43 years old, his teaching methods are in sync with the young players of the Generation Z who are currently playing professional hockey, and he is up to date with all the things to teach a young goalie. He is also very focused on communication, understanding, and respect.
In Montreal, the goalie coach is Éric Raymond, a 52-year-old man who joined the Canadiens in 2021, a few months before Dominique Ducharme was fired. Initially, he was Ducharme’s guy, with whom he had worked at Halifax (QMJHL).
Martin St-Louis kept him on staff…
Éric Raymond knows his hockey, don’t get me wrong, but he has a more traditional/conservative approach. His way of doing things is not always in line with how the young players of the new generation expect things to happen.
Let’s just say that communication is not his greatest professional quality, unlike Dominique Ducharme Martin St-Louis.
Moreover, how can we explain that goalies who move from Laval to Montreal seem to lose all their landmarks?
According to what I’m told, Éric Raymond teaches different things than Marciano, and in trying to change the way the young goalies from Laval play, he sometimes confuses them more than anything else.
Certain goalies who have left the organization are not kind to Raymond when questioned about him.
Where am I going with this?
We are on Wednesday, April 2, and at the time of writing these lines, Jacob Fowler has still not signed his entry-level contract.
He would have the chance to play minutes, but also to work with Marco Marciano, and not Éric Raymond.
I don’t know Raymond. I also don’t know the job of a goalie coach at a level as high as the NHL…
But according to what I hear, working in Laval would currently be more formative for Fowler than working in Montreal. Even if it’s less lucrative for him in the short term, it could be more lucrative in the long term. Especially since next season, Fowler should be the Rocket’s number one goalie. It would be just as well to start that right away…
Extension
I imagine that one day, the Canadiens will evaluate the option of promoting Marco Marciano to Montreal. His goalies have been successful in Laval regardless of the identity of the head coach (J-F Houle or Pascal Vincent). Kasimir Kaskisuo… Connor Hughes…
Except that I have no information about this; I’m just thinking out loud.
The Canadiens announced that Oliver Kapanen is back with the club. In fact, he will be joining the formation “later today” to help the club in the push towards the playoffs.
This was expected.
Forward Oliver Kapanen is scheduled to rejoin the Canadiens later today.
Since yesterday, the case of Jacob Fowler has been a topic of conversation.
He has the chance to return to university… but it seems like real negotiation tactics are being used to ensure the young man gets what he wants.
And what he wants, is probably to finish the season in Montreal instead of Laval.
However, Pierre LeBrun just tweeted that there is no reason to worry and that there’s a good chance of seeing Fowler not return to Boston for the next season.
And still according to LeBrun, the most probable scenario is that he won’t burn a year of contract and will finish the season in Laval.
No reason for Habs fans to be stressing about not having a Jacob Fowler decision yet. I think it’s unlikely he stays in school for another year. Likeliest option is to join AHL Laval for rest of the season. But with Laval out West right now, there’s no urgency.
As the Laval Rocket is in the West for the next few days, it’s logical to think that GM Kent Hughes, assistant Jeff Gorton, and Fowler’s agent have time to think about all of this.
Lane Hutson collected three points yesterday. In a 3-2 win, it made a bit of a difference.
Lane Hutson now has 62 points this season in 74 games. He only has five goals, but it’s clear: the guy knows how to generate offense like few defensemen in the league can.
And it’s making a difference this season.
For the 10th time in history and for the first time since Nicklas Lindstrom in 1991-1992, a rookie defenseman has reached 60 points in a season. Calder Trophy, anyone?
With 57 assists, Hutson holds the record for most assists by a rookie defenseman in the history of the habs (Chris Chelios had 55), which is no small feat.
We could sing his praises until tomorrow morning.
Right now, Hutson is at the top of the rookie scorers. And when looking at defensemen, only Cale Makar, Zack Werenski, and Quinn Hughes are ahead of him.
(Credit: NHL.com)
Want to put things into perspective?
In 2014-2015, P.K. Subban was a finalist for the Norris Trophy, given to the defenseman of the year. He had 60 points, two fewer than Lane Hutson – and Hutson’s season isn’t over yet.
In 2017-2018, his second season in Nashville? Norris finalist… with 59 points.
Of course, the NHL has changed since then, as in 2015, Jamie Benn was the top scorer in the NHL with 87 points. And Subban was six points behind Erik Karlsson at the top of the scoring list for defensemen.
It’s also worth mentioning that Subban had a better shot than Lane Hutson and hit the ice a lot more.
But it still puts things into perspective to remind us that what Lane Hutson is doing as a rookie (and keeping in mind that his season isn’t over) is really, really noteworthy – and worthy of a Calder.
Martin St-Louis’ men may not have managed to win in 60 minutes (an important aspect for the standings), but they went and got two points when we thought it was all over.
And that’s really the most important thing since the club remains in control of its destiny.
(Credit: Sportsnet)
We’re going to say it: even if the club played well, it was easy not to believe in them at some point. When you take a faceoff in your territory with 30 seconds left, it’s possible you’ll lose the game.
But Lane Hutson worked his magic and Nick Suzuki was in the right place at the right time.
This propelled the Canadiens into overtime and once again, the duo Lane Hutson and Nick Suzuki (who is three points away from the 82 mark) worked their magic at the right time.
Without these guys, the Habs wouldn’t be in such a good position in the standings. Since the Confrontation of the four nations, the captain has really put the club on his shoulders, no doubt about it.
Questioned after the game, Martin St-Louis was happy to have won his biggest game as a coach. He couldn’t hide his emotions too much since we saw him being emotional after his captain’s goal in overtime.
St-Louis even mentioned that it was possible his mother, who passed away in 2014, helped him from above.
Emotional end of game: « I’m sure my mother is helping me from above »https://t.co/corhBn3iZ0
Clearly, something is happening with this team. Even Nick Suzuki, who is normally very calm, allowed himself to (soberly) ask the crowd to make some noise.
He’s really looking forward to doing the playoffs again someday and it shows when you watch him play.
But anyway. It’s not just Nick Suzuki who caught attention during the game – even if it’s clearly deserved to talk about the one who earned the first star of the game.
What do I retain?
1. The Canadiens faced the Panthers (the reigning champions, news has it) four times this season. And all four times, the Habs came out on top against their division rivals.
That’s worth noting.
2. Lane Hutson had three assists for a second game in a row against the Panthers. He has five goals and 57 assists this season, good for third place among the Habs’ point scorers.
And for the first time since 1992, a rookie defenseman in the NHL has reached 60 points in a season.
Lane Hutson is the first to reach this mark since Nicklas Lidstrom
3. Samuel Montembeault, for a second game in a row, only allowed two goals against his former team. He was an important element in his team’s victory yesterday.
The Saturday (in Florida) and Monday breaks probably did him some good.
4. Nikko Mikkola was a marked man yesterday. And even if Arber Xhekaj wasn’t in uniform to fight him, the guys on the ice took care of sending him a message.
Even if Mikkola scored, the Habs had the last word on the game’s result… and on that, notably.
5. This has nothing to do with yesterday’s game, but just imagine what the Habs will look like if Kent Hughes adds a top center this summer. The team will be even more dangerous.
And that’s without counting Ivan Demidov.
overtime
On the menu today? An optional practice at 11:30 am in Brossard. We can expect to see Lane Hutson be there, I imagine… because that’s his style.
In the coming days, the Bruins, the Flyers, and the Preds (in Nashville) are on the menu. Theoretically, these are beatable opponents.
If Anthony Duclair thought joining Patrick Roy with the Islanders would give him special treatment… he was wrong.
Last night, the Islanders lost 4-1 to the Lightning and Roy ripped his player after the game.
Roy explained that Duclair played only a little over 12 minutes because he was “awful”.
The Isles’ coach even said Duclair was lucky to be in the lineup…
Ouch:
Here are Patrick Roy’s full comments on Anthony Duclair, who played just 12 minutes in tonight’s loss.
“He was god awful. He had a bad game. That’s why I didn’t play him a lot. And he’s lucky to be in the lineup. Sorry if I lose it on him right now, but that’s how I feel.” pic.twitter.com/vSNziOpQiQ
TORONTO, ON: Actor Val Kilmer participates in a press conference for the film "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" during the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival premiere on September 9, 2005 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images)
Sad news, as we learn of the death of Val Kilmer, a truly iconic actor.
Kilmer has captivated more than one generation of moviegoers, whether through his roles in Top Gun, Heat, or as Jim Morrison in The Doors.
Val Kilmer had been battling serious health issues for many years, but had appeared in Top Gun 2, alongside Tom Cruise, among other projects, in recent years.
Brendan Gallagher has lost his mother in recent weeks, who passed away from cancer.
On the occasion, Brendan’s sister, Bree, will run a marathon to raise funds to support brain cancer research at the USC Brain Tumor Center.
The habs players have shown their support for the family by making donations.
Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach, Nick Suzuki, David Savard, Michael Pezzetta, Josh Anderson, Juraj Slafkovsky (and many more)…
The guys wanted to support their teammate in their own way by helping the cause.
It’s worth mentioning. If you want to make a donation to the cause, the link can be found by clicking here.
It’s also worth noting that several players made a donation of $1111 to represent Brendan Gallagher’s #11 jersey. But Patrik Laine gave $5000. That’s generous of him.
The guys wanted to be there for him in a difficult moment in his life… and they’re still supporting him in their own way by making donations to help his sister with brain cancer research at the USC Brain Tumor Center.
It’s an admirable gesture.
But again, it shows the strong team spirit.
The players are there for each other on and off the ice, and it proves that the team spirit is strong.
It’s nice to see, especially given that Gallagher is an important player for the Canadiens.
And his teammates know it, apparently.
We love Gally… But his teammates love him too.
Overtime
– Florian Xhekaj’s excellent season continues with his 20th goal of the season.
