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In numbers: the Habs will face one of the worst goalies in the NHL tonight

To quote Martin St-Louis, the habs are about to play their most important game of the season tonight.

It takes a win to improve the chances of participating in the playoffs and it takes a good effort from all players because the Panthers have a good team on paper.

The habs will have a great opportunity to take advantage of this… because they will be facing one of the worst goalies in the NHL tonight.

Paul Maurice will trust Vitek Vanecek for the game.

The goalkeeper will play his fourth game with the Panthers since the transaction that allowed him to leave San Jose.

But even if Vanecek has proven himself in the past, his numbers this season are really… awful.

And I’m not exaggerating.

Among the 72 NHL goalies who have played at least 10 games this season, Vanecek finds himself… :

  • In 62nd place for efficiency rate (.884)
  • In 70th place for average goals allowed (3.75)
  • In 64th place for wins (4)

In fact, he’s having a miserable season.

And the habs will have to find a way to take advantage of this situation. It would also allow the habs to sweep the series against the Panthers this season :

This is really a crucial game for the habs tonight.

The Blue Jackets will face the poor Predators, the Sens will face the miserable Sabres, the Islanders will face the Lightning…

For the habs to be able to think about the playoffs, they must win games regularly from now until the end of the season.

And again, the Panthers are giving the habs a nice gift by sending Vanecek to the net tonight.

The moment would be perfect for the habs to climb to 79 points in the Eastern standings :

(Credit: LNH.com )

I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.

The important thing will be to build on the win on Sunday afternoon in Florida and it’s a good thing because the habs know their opponents well.

Overtime

– The Golden Knights are having fun.

– Hum


– Good news for the Oilers.

– Too funny.

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David Reinbacher will not be joining the Rocket on the road

David Reinbacher’s last game with the Rocket was on March 21. He hasn’t played since then, and it will be a while before he returns.

At least, the Rocket announced that the defenseman did not accompany the team on their road trip this week. And no, it’s not because he was recalled by the Canadiens.

Note that the Rocket also says Reinbacher is being “evaluated daily”, which isn’t very clear.

The Rocket plays tonight in Manitoba and will play a second game in as many days tomorrow, again against the Moose.

There are also two games scheduled for the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) against the Abbotsford Canucks. Then, the Rocket will play on Friday, April 11 (in Rochester) and Saturday, April 12 (in Syracuse), but Reinbacher could possibly return to the game on April 11 because there are four days between the game against the Canucks and the one against the Americans.

This means the defenseman should miss at least the next four games of his team. Again, we know the Canadiens organization wants to be cautious in his case, but we don’t know what’s going on with him.

And it’s normal to worry about his health status. Did he aggravate his knee injury?

David Reinbacher returned to the game on February 19 and has played eight games this season with the Rocket.

And since his return, the Canadiens’ affiliate team has played 16 games.

This means the defenseman has only participated in 50% of his team’s games since he was given the green light by the doctors to start playing again.

What’s unclear is that neither the Rocket nor the Canadiens are sharing concrete news about Reinbacher.

The organization wants to respect “the protocol” in his case, but still: it’s really unclear right now when it comes to Reinbacher.

We need to pay attention to this case.

The defenseman was seriously injured at the start of the season, he returned to the game faster than expected, and now it seems more complicated.

Hoping it’s not too serious.

In Overtime

– Adam Engström won’t play tonight either. But he is on the road trip, unlike Reinbacher.

– Good point.

– Oops!

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Oliver Kapanen : negotiations with the Canadiens today

Oliver Kapanen is not the big name to watch among the Canadiens’ prospects right now: it’s Jacob Fowler. We wonder if he will sign his entry-level contract soon.

But Kapanen is still worth watching.

With the end of his season in Sweden, the Canadiens’ prospect is free to finish the season in Quebec, either with the Laval Rocket or the Montreal Canadiens.

What will this bring?

Kapanen, who could switch between the two teams, was a strong candidate to go to Laval. But with what’s happening in Montreal and the 12th forward spot, Kapanen becomes a serious option in town.

In addition, he already knows the guys, considering he started the season in town.

Kapanen’s agent will chat with GM Kent Hughes today, according to Nicolas Cloutier, to see where his client might finish the season. They won’t be discussing a contract since he already has one, but rather what’s best for the Habs and the young player.

As long as Joshua Roy (who would be useful in Laval) is doing nothing in town, Kapanen could bring depth to the center and rejoin his group from the start of the season.

Aside from Alexandre Carrier and Jakub Dobes, he has played with the others.

Let’s remember that today, Michael Pezzetta will still be in uniform. This shows, more than ever, that the Canadiens need help for the playoff run.

We’ll see what happens.

Overtime

– It’s really good.

– Ryan Leonard will make his debut in the NHL tonight.

– And he will be well surrounded:

– Jimmy Snuggerud will also play his first NHL game tonight.

– Eh boy


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Arber Xhekaj will not be fighting Niko Mikkola tonight because he will not be playing

The Canadiens practiced this morning at the Bell Centre in preparation for their game tonight against the Panthers.

Kirby Dach was there to watch the practice.

TVA Sports cameras caught him chatting with his coach, Martin St-Louis. And Kirby looked in good spirits :

After practice, the Canadiens’ pilot spoke with reporters on site and provided details about the lineup he will use against the Panthers tonight.

And it’s not complicated: there will be no changes to the lineup.

So Arber Xhekaj will (again) sit out, just like Joshua Roy.

And that also means Michael Pezzetta will be in uniform. Emil Heineman will keep his spot on the second unit :

Clearly, Joshua Roy has lost points in the eyes of his coach and the organization.

Because if Martin St-Louis has more confidence in Pezzetta – who doesn’t play much when he’s in uniform -, it says a lot.

Especially in the context where the Habs coach is talking about tonight’s game as the most important of the season.

This sends a message (important) to Roy, but also to Xhekaj


Since there will be no changes to the lineup, you’ll understand that Samuel Montembeault will get the start against the Panthers.

Monty did well on Saturday in Florida: he stopped 24 of 26 shots directed at him and earned his 26th win of the season.

It’s up to him to keep going tonight to help his team earn important points in the standings.

Overtime

Let’s recall that at the end of Saturday’s game, Niko Mikkola shot at the Canadiens’ net with only a few seconds left on the clock.

It started to stir… and it was logical to think that Xhekaj would play tonight to send him a message. #TheFamousCode

But Xhekaj won’t be able to fight the Panthers’ defenseman since he won’t be playing.

That being said, will we see Pezz drop the gloves tonight?

If I had an old $2 to bet, I’d say the answer to that question is yes


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Tony Marinaro pulled off the prank of the year by “resigning” on air

Tony Marinaro always does things more intensely than others. Calling Boston, calling funeral homes, calling mothers, calling… everyone.

And there, on this April 1st, he has the April fool of the year.

During his show, he talked about his future at the professional level. We saw him become emotional and leave the studio saying that it wasn’t working and that he had done what he could to make it work.

Of course, since it’s April 1st, there were doubts.

However, the fact that it lasted a long time (about 30 minutes), that Alexandre LanctĂŽt started hosting the show, and that almost no one inside knew what was happening made it quite believable.

But finally, he returned and announced it was a joke. Alexandre LanctĂŽt, who was hosting in the meantime, described the scene of his return live to everyone who was listening.

I imagine that the fact that almost no one in the box knew about it made a lot of people nervous internally. After all, there’s a good chance we’ll see him elsewhere next season.

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Jacob Fowler: burning a year of contract could backfire on him

Last year, when Lane Hutson was eliminated in the NCAA, it took less than 24 hours for him to sign with the Habs.

This year, when Ryan Leonard and Gabriel Perreault were eliminated in the NCAA, they also needed less than 24 hours to sign with Washington and New York.

These cases happen quickly. After all, we know that these guys are going to burn a year of their contract in the NHL.

But Jacob Fowler’s case is different. We’re not sure if the goalie, who’s moving on to the pros, will finish his season in Laval or Montreal, in the National League.

And he may not be able to switch from one league to another this season: it’s one or the other.

In an ideal world, Fowler would go to Laval. He would have more playing time (the level is less strong and the Rocket is already assured of making the playoffs) and the Rocket’s season should last longer than the Canadiens.

The Canadiens wouldn’t have to deal with a goalie who is excellent, but still green in the pros.

It’s not said that he wouldn’t have playing time in Montreal, but we know that Fowler, who should start next season in Laval, would have more playing time in the minors in the coming weeks.

And as Marc Antoine Godin reminded us, a goalie always takes more time to develop.

However, there is a path where Fowler, who is a top prospect, could ask to burn a year of his contract directly by signing his entry-level contract so that it can be activated immediately.

He wouldn’t even need to play for the first year of the contract to be burned… but Vincent Damphousse would still play him.

All this to say that if Fowler insists on burning a year of his contract, it could explain why nothing has been announced yet – but maybe it has nothing to do with it.

Godin, in his article on the Radio-Canada website, reminds us that a skater can benefit from burning a year of contract (like Lane Hutson), but a goalie needs more time to develop.

In the past, goalies who have been patient have been rewarded and goalies who have burned a year of contract have signed smaller second contracts than expected. The extra year helps the goalie to get more money and develop better on their entry-level contract.

Would Fowler be in a good situation by joining the Canadiens now? Who knows.

As the season won’t end tomorrow morning, there’s still time. But I imagine Kent Hughes would like to see him finish the season with the Rocket and not with the Canadiens.

To be continued, then.

in Overtime

– A machine on the road.

– The Habs will practice at 10:30 am this morning.

– $100 million?

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2021 Finals: Carey Price gave his helmet to Marc Bergevin to thank him

Marc Bergevin has spoken little to the media since he lost his job as GM of the Canadiens in November 2021.

He spoke to a few English-language media outlets last year in what was seen as an attempt to get his name out there for a potential GM position across the National Hockey League.

But he hasn’t spoken to French-language media here.

And now, for only the second time since he left Montreal, Bergevin has spoken publicly – without really knowing why he said yes this time. This time, he did it on the podcast of Cam Janssen and Andy Strickland, namely the Cam and Strick Podcast.

This is what it gives.

For nearly an hour, the former GM of the Canadiens and current employee of the Los Angeles Kings generously discussed his work, his years as a player, and his time as GM of the Canadiens.

What do I take away from all this?

1. On several occasions, we felt that the GM job in Montreal weighed heavily on Bergevin. Nobody here is surprised, but clearly, we feel that he really thinks what he says when he claims that being a GM in Montreal is harder than elsewhere due to media pressure.

Throughout the interview, the role of the media kept coming back. He clearly doesn’t seem to miss that right now as an assistant in L.A.

2. Bergevin said he had a good relationship with his players (without often interfering in their locker room), including Brendan Gallagher and Shea Weber, but we clearly feel that the Price family has a special place in his heart.

I say this because Price, after he retired, gave Bergevin the helmet he wore in the Stanley Cup final in 2021. He told him that this one was for him.

This is not nothing, considering he only went to the finals once and a helmet like that doesn’t exist in 18,261 different copies.

Let’s recall that it was Bergevin who gave him his big contract (which is not yet over) and that Angela Price, after Bergevin’s departure, said she felt like her family had lost a big ally.

3. Still on the theme of the Stanley Cup final, we have to mention that the GM of the team obviously knew that Shea Weber was injured during the playoffs, but he didn’t know to what extent. Weber wasn’t the type to complain during the playoffs.

Bergevin really believes that Weber changed the culture of the Canadiens.

4. The former head of the Canadiens claims to be passionate about hockey and didn’t make transactions based on emotions. It’s rather the passion that sometimes came into play – in addition to his rational side, of course.

And he didn’t want to answer precisely what transaction he regrets. Good call from his point of view.

5. In his interview where anecdotes from his past came up, Bergevin opened the door to becoming a GM again. He would like that to happen, but if not, he’s doing well in L.A. with Luc Robitaille and Rob Blake.

We’ll see if he gets the chance to go for an interview soon.

Overtime

– Ouch.

– To listen.

– Ayoye.

– Trey Augustine stays in the NCAA.

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Top-4 : Another big performance by Matvei Michkov

Last night in the NHL, eight teams were in action.

None of these games really had any importance for the Canadiens.

Here are the results and highlights anyway:

1. Another big performance from Matvei Michkov

Last night, the Preds were visiting Philadelphia to face the Flyers, who were still undefeated under their new interim head coach.

And with a 2-1 win, Philly remained undefeated (3-0-0). In the win, Matvei Michkov was brilliant again, collecting two assists.

In three games under the orders of Brad Shaw, he has seven points. But his successes date back to well before Shaw’s arrival. In his last six games, he has 11 points.

The Russian (58) is now just one point away from Lane Hutson (59) and the top spot among NHL rookie scorers.

Macklin Celebrini is close behind with 53 points.

(Credit: Statmuse)

With this win, Philadelphia is now six points away from the playoffs.

Here’s an overview of the standings in the East.

(Credit: NHL.com )

2. A 110th point for Nathan MacKinnon

The Avalanche hosted the Calgary Flames and despite taking a 2-0 lead at one point in the game, Colorado lost in a shootout.

To take the two teams to overtime, the Flames scored twice in 32 seconds.

Brock Nelson almost won the game for his team in overtime, but…

Calgary picked up a big point in the shootout.

They are now five points away from the playoffs, with two games in hand over the Blues.

(Credit: NHL.com)

In the loss, Nathan MacKinnon extended his home point streak to 25 games with an assist on Cale Makar’s beautiful goal.

He also became the first player this season to reach the 110-point plateau.

3. Despite Matthew Boldy’s goal in the last minutes, the Devils hold on

In New Jersey, the Devils and the Wild faced off, and like the Flames-Avalanche game, a shootout was needed.

New Jersey, who should have won the game several times, finally held on. When the game was 2-1 in favor of the locals, Matthew Boldy sent everyone into overtime.

It was his 100th career goal.

In overtime, the Devils thought they had won, but the goal was overturned due to an offside call.

This was only a temporary reprieve for the Devils, as in the shootout, Jacob Markstrom, with the help of his post, stopped Matthew Boldy.

4. A Kraken fan wants to trade money for a win

The Seattle Kraken are already eliminated and let’s just say it wasn’t the expected season there.

Last night, in a desperate move, a fan of the team even tried to give money to the Stars to let their team win. Obviously, this move didn’t work: the Stars won 3-1.

In the win, Wyatt Johnston found the back of the net again.

He now has five goals in five games.

Meanwhile, Seattle isn’t playing hockey, but rather hopscotch.

Brandon Montour was ejected for this move.

With this win, Dallas moved within four points of the Jets, the top spot overall, and the top spot in their division.

Overtime

– Ouch!

– A big goal for Luke Hughes.

– The top scorers from last night.

(Credit: NHL.com )

– Some games to watch tonight.

(Credit: Google )
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StĂ©phane Leroux : “Lane Hutson is better than P.K. Subban”

Lane Hutson is currently in the second-to-last season of his entry-level contract in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Habs have time to negotiate with him before reaching an agreement on his new contract.

Thanks to his performances this season, Hutson could already be in a position to receive one of the most lucrative contracts in the history of the Canadiens.

The record belongs to Carey Price with his annual average of $10.5 million, but the bar to be exceeded among defenders is that of P.K. Subban at $9 million per season.

Passing through 98.5 Sports on Monday evening, Stéphane Leroux clearly explained that Lane Hutson is already better than P.K. Subban.

If Lane Hutson is already better than Subban after less than one season in the NHL, it’s clear that he will have a better salary than the latter!

Subban has always been recognized as a great offensive defenseman, but his highest total of points in a season is 60. In his rookie season, Hutson currently has 59 points with nine games still to play.

Leroux prefers Hutson because his popularity is earned through his performance on the ice and by remaining humble.

For now, Leroux believes Hutson could earn between $9 million and $10 million.

Except that it’s if his agent agrees to sign a long-term eight-year agreement. It’s still possible that the Hutson clan decides to wait and sign a bridge contract to take advantage of a better salary cap later.

We must understand that Hutson, before Monday’s games, is the fourth-highest scoring defenseman in the NHL. The only other defensemen with more points than him this season are Cale Makar, Zach Werenski, and Quinn Hughes.

Let’s say he’s in very good company.

Lane Hutson has nine games left to conclude his season in style and maybe more if the Canadiens make the playoffs. If the Canadiens’ defenseman lays hands on the Calder Trophy, it would be surprising to see Kent Hughes give him a contract worth less than $9 million per season.

Overtime

– A tough decision.

– Michkov continues his good work.

– Roy demands a lot from his veterans.

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Kristopher Letang: people who criticize Lane Hutson are “jealous”

The race for the Calder Trophy is nearing its end and Lane Hutson is trying to solidify his position as the favorite to win the rookie of the year award in the National Hockey League (NHL).

For fans of the Habs who see him play every game, the answer is clear: Hutson should win the Calder Trophy. However, fans elsewhere in the NHL do not agree with this statement, often launching criticism at Lane Hutson.

On the TVA Sports show JiC on Monday, Pittsburgh Penguins veteran defenseman Kristopher Letang took the time to set the record straight.

According to him, people who criticize Lane Hutson’s work in the NHL are simply “jealous).

Letang took the time to talk about Hutson’s development. The Habs defenseman has not even played 100 games in the NHL yet and is already receiving criticism from all over.

What Letang wanted to point out was that Hutson’s defensive work will improve, even if it’s not bad at the moment.

The Penguins defenseman did not comment on his choice for the Calder Trophy, but it can be imagined that he has a little idea in mind when he says he finds Hutson “amazing.”

Many people on Twitter/X call Lane Hutson a specialist in secondary passes. That’s all they can find to try to disparage the Habs rookie.

For now, Hutson has 24 primary assists and 30 secondary assists. Just by looking at the statistics, people start pointing that out.

The problem is that Hutson is able to create plays that will lead to goals and he will only get a secondary assist or no points. This goal is the best example.

And meanwhile, Matvei Michkov has 18 primary assists and Macklin Celebrini has 16.

That’s without forgetting that Hutson is six passes away from tying the record for most assists by a rookie defenseman in NHL history.

Fans of opposing teams can say what they want, but as Letang explained, people who criticize Hutson are “jealous.”

Overtime

– It’s starting well, but there’s still work to be done.

– Former Hab is on fire.

– Tavares has increased his contract value with his performances this season.