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Top-5: It’s really the team of the hour that the Habs will face tomorrow

Last night, on this beautiful Sunday, 14 teams were in action.

The action did not disappoint.

Here are the results and highlights:

1. The Habs will face the team of the hour tomorrow

It won’t be easy for Montreal. Tomorrow, the club will face the St. Louis Blues, the team of the hour in the NHL.

Last night, the Blues won against the Predators with a score of 4-1. It was their sixth consecutive victory.

And since the return of the Four Nations Face-Off, no team has done better.

St. Louis has a record of 12-2-2 and is in the last playoff spot, just like the Habs.

In the game against the Preds, Jordan Kyrou reached the 30-goal plateau.

This is the third consecutive season he has reached this plateau.

The Quebecers with the first name Zachary took care of the rough stuff.

Bolduc of the Blues and L’Heureux of the Preds left their mark on the game in their own way.

2. A 50th point for Matvei Michkov

In the afternoon, the Flyers visited the Chicago Blackhawks.

This was a very important game for Philadelphia, who wanted to cling to their last hopes of reaching the playoffs. But under pressure, the club collapsed.

Defeat 7-4 against one of the worst clubs in the NHL. In the Hawks’ victory, Connor Bedard found the back of the net for his 20th goal of the season.

Tyler Bertuzzi, for his part, pulled out his Sunday moves.

On the losing side, they were undisciplined.

In this sequence, they got two penalties in a few seconds.

At least, Matvei Michkov collected two assists and thus reached the 50-point plateau this season.

He is the third rookie to do so this year, after Lane Hutson and Macklin Celebrini.

3. The Panthers win in extremis against the Penguins

When you think about the standings, you often look at the teams that have been drafted and the teams in the picture.

But don’t forget about the division title races. Last night, the Panthers were losing 3-1 in the second period against the Penguins, but they won 4-3 in a shootout.

With this win, despite Bryan Rust’s two goals, Florida distanced themselves by two points from the Maple Leafs at the top of the Atlantic.

The winner of this division may face the Ottawa Senators in the first round.

Obviously, many things can change by then.

(Credit: NHL.com )

In the game, Sam Reinhart scored a beautiful coast-to-coast goal.

4. Surprise: The Sabres surprise the Jets

Also during the day, the Sabres were visiting Winnipeg.

An unequal duel in appearance? Think again, it was the Sabres who ran away with the win (5-3).

When the game was tied at the end of the second period, Rasmus Dahlin gave his team the lead.

And in the third period, in front of parents and friends, Tyson Kozak scored the third goal for his team.

While shorthanded, Alex Tuch scored the winning goal.

Meanwhile, James Reimer ensured his team’s lead was preserved.

5. The Kings crush the Bruins

It’s time to face the facts, the Bruins won’t make the playoffs.

They are currently at 69 points, six points away from the playoffs. It’s a steep hill to climb with so few games left in the regular season. Last night, they were crushed 7-2 by the Los Angeles Kings.

Boston has a record of 0-5-1 in their last six games.

In this crazy game, there was almost a goalie fight.

At 4-2 in the third period, the visitors were still in the game.

But that’s when the Kings stopped messing around. Three consecutive goals for the home team, who earned a point at home for the 14th game in a row.

Here’s an overview of the standings in the West:

(Credit: NHL.com )

Overtime

– His debut.

– A first with Chicago for Joe Veleno.

– What a third period for Taylor Hall.

– Beautiful save.

– Quiet day at the office for Ryan McLeod.

(Credit: NHL.com )

– To watch tonight: Jackets-Islanders.

(Credit: Google )
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Christian Dvorak has more goals than Mikko Rantanen since his departure from Colorado

Ahhh, that famous Mikko Rantanen…

We really thought the Finn was one of the best forwards in the NHL, but since his departure from the Colorado Avalanche, it’s been very difficult.

So difficult that we start to think he was seen as one of the best players only because of Nathan MacKinnon.

In hindsight, it’s very logical to say that, since in 20 games since his departure from Colorado, the sniper has only four small goals with the Hurricanes and Stars.

And with only six passes in this period, he has only 10 points…

To say that the Finn has already had two seasons with over 100 points under his belt, including one with 55 goals…

Definitely, Rantanen misses his old team a lot, and many are starting to think he may not be a superstar.

Before his trade, #96 was headed for a 107-point season with the Avalanche, a career high.

Now, in his last 20 games, he scores fewer goals than… Christian Dvorak.

Yes, you read that right, the defensive center of the Montreal Canadiens’ third line has more goals in this period than Mikko Rantanen.

I rubbed my eyes three times to make sure I saw it right.

That’s quite a drop-off from Rantanen when you compare his stats to those of Dvo (without taking anything away from Dvorak).

It must be said that Dvorak is playing excellent hockey these days.

We even saw him being used in shootouts against the Avalanche, he who has a 40% career shootout scoring percentage. For comparison, Patrick Kane is at 40.15% in his career at this level.

He created the equalizer at the end of the game to allow the Habs to collect a very important point.

He now has nine goals this season and is the only regular forward of the Habs who has not reached the 10-goal plateau this year.

In fact, among all Habs forwards who have played at least 18 games in 2024-25, Dvorak is the only one with fewer than 10 goals.

If the American scores another goal before the end of the season, the Habs would reach a very important plateau with 12 forwards having reached the 10-goal mark.

At the beginning of February, the Tricolore had nine and was at the top of the NHL at that time.

12 forwards with at least 10 goals, it doesn’t happen often, and it would be quite exceptional if Dvorak allowed the Habs to reach this plateau.

Overtime

– It would be quite a matchup from the second round.

– A milestone evening for Warren Foegele.

– What a dunk by Shaedon Sharpe on a three-point return.

– A heavy defeat for the Raptors, who lost by 34 points.

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Since the Carrier – Barron trade, the Habs is the 5th best team

Kent Hughes has accustomed us to trades that come out of nowhere.

He doesn’t seem to have a perfect efficiency rate with his acquisitions (think of the Kirby Dach trade, which seemed good until his recent injury).

However, there are others that have proven to be very interesting for the Habs.

The one with Alexandre Carrier is undoubtedly one of his masterstrokes.

Carrier was a bit unknown in Quebec at the time of the trade, but it’s mainly because of his discreet and efficient style.

If you don’t see him, it’s because he’s doing his job very well.

Since his acquisition on December 18, the fans of the Montreal Canadiens know more and more what he brings to the club, and almost everyone is very happy with his contribution.

What’s even more interesting is that since the Habs sent Justin Barron to Nashville for Carrier, the Montreal club has the fifth-best point percentage in the NHL (0.632).

In fact, as can be seen in this article by Arpon Basu, the Habs have a record of 21-11-6 since December 18.

Who here expected this trade to finally become a home run for the Habs?

I loved the trade as such, because we had all somewhat given up on Justin Barron.

And the fact that it was a one-for-one transaction didn’t constitute a big risk.

But definitely, the stability that Carrier brings to the club is much more important than what Barron could have potentially brought.

He is quite mobile, offers a very good first pass while being solid defensively with his stick and sacrificing himself without hesitation to block shots.

Carrier is also 3rd on the Habs for blocked shots per game with the blue, white, and red uniform (2.26), behind David Savard (2.54) and Kaiden Guhle (2.27).

Talking about defensive efficiency, it’s also worth mentioning that the Carrier – Matheson duo was extremely useful at the end of the game on Saturday against the Avalanche, as mentioned by Basu in the same article.

With the Colorado big guns all over the Habs’ zone, Matheson and Carrier were excellent at limiting scoring chances, which allowed them to pick up an important point.

I’m really looking forward to seeing if Kent Hughes’ next trade will be just as beneficial to the club as the Carrier one.

Overtime

– A real legend, this Crosby.

– Incredible.

– Wow…

– In a class of his own, this McKenna.

– A big surprise in the March Madness.

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Cole Caufield didn’t get any points in three games this week

Cole Caufield had a small slump last week.

The forward did not get any points in the Habs’ last three games.

Bad news for the Habs? Not really.

First, because the rest of his line is still working well.

Nick Suzuki had a goal and two assists in his last three games and Juraj Slafkovsky, who has been doing well since the return of the 4 Nations break, got two goals last night against the Colorado Avalanche.

Then, because other Habs players are taking over to ensure the team’s offensive production.

This week, it was the third line that stood out as Brendan Gallagher, whose mother sadly passed away last Thursday, and Christian Dvorak both got two goals and three assists.

Josh Anderson got two goals in the game against the Ottawa Senators, in addition to playing very physical hockey.

The net result is that the Habs managed to get four points out of a possible six this week and could have easily gotten one or two more points without the contribution of their top scorer.

This shows that the Habs have good depth on offense and that the team does not rely solely on the performances of their top line to score goals.

Should we worry about Caufield? Not really either.

The American is no stranger to sequences of a few games without scoring, which alternate with more productive periods.

Especially since after a quieter game against the Senators, Caufield was more threatening with three and six shots in the last two games.

This should unlock soon for the young forward, and I don’t think there’s anything to worry about in his case.

Especially since the Habs will play their next four games on the road, and Caufield has scored 22 of his 33 goals this season on opponents’ ice.

Overtime

– The two comedians together.

– The Lions lost 5-4.

– The Sabres beat the Jets.

– The Hawks’ offense exploded!

– Wow!

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Juraj Slafkovsky is using his shot and physicality a lot more recently

Juraj Slafkovsky is playing big hockey right now as the Habs are in the thick of the playoff race.

Last night, his two goals helped the Habs come back from behind and grab a big point against the Colorado Avalanche.

Since the 4 Nations break, Slaf has been on fire with an average of a point per game, with 13 points, including 8 goals, in 13 games.


Let’s remember that the Habs have only suffered one regulation loss during this sequence (8-1-4).

In fact, we have to go back to the last game before the 4 Nations break to see the start of Slafkovsky’s sequence, when he had an assist in the Habs’ loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

But beyond his offensive production, we can observe several changes in the Slovak’s game.

First, he is much more physically involved and doesn’t hesitate to use his 6-foot-3 frame to hit and check his opponents.

This makes the first line much more effective on the forecheck, as Slafkovsky brings a robust element that Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield don’t have.

But most importantly, Slaf is using one of his best assets: his shot.

Since the 4 Nations break, the forward has 40 shots in 13 games, or an average of 3.1 shots per game, whereas he was only shooting 1.3 times per game (71 shots in 53 games) before the break. It’s day and night.

We’ve been saying it for a long time: Slafkovsky needs to shoot more. In his career, his shooting percentage is 13.1%, and this year it’s 14.4%. It doesn’t take a great statistician to calculate that more shots = more goals.

And we see the result with his 8 goals in 13 games.

Are we finally seeing the emergence of the first overall pick in the 2022 draft?

Let’s hope so, and especially that he can replicate this level of play over the course of a season, because we’ve already seen good sequences from the Slovak player in the past, but without necessarily having consistency.

However, for now, the most important thing is that Slafkovsky has really elevated his game when the Habs needed it most.

Overtime

– What do you think?

– The brackets are announced.

– Wow!

– Sad news.

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Alexis Lafrenière has one goal in his 19 games

Things are not going well for Alexis Lafrenière.

Why do I say that?

Because the Rangers forward has lost his offensive touch. He has not been able to score in 19 games…

It’s not complicated: since February 5, Laffy has only scored once, which was last Saturday, March 15.

He has only one goal in his last 19 games and that’s happening at a bad time because the Rangers are trying to get their ticket to the spring dance.

And in all this, we must not forget one thing. At the beginning of the season, in October, the Québécois came to an agreement with the Rangers on a seven-year contract extension… for a total of $52.15 million.

It’s hard to believe that the management in New York is satisfied with the forward’s production…

(Credit: ESPN)

Is it the signing of this contract that’s playing on his mind right now?

There are chances, yes. Laffy had a good start to the season, but he’s regressing compared to the 23-24 campaign.

Lafrenière is on a pace of 46 points (17 goals) so far this season. That’s not as good as his 28 goals and 57 points in 23-24…

But it seems like that’s often the case with Alexis Lafrenière: we’re talking about a player who has trouble being consistent and can easily find himself in a slump.

And yet, he’s playing on the first line with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck.

It’s not like he’s playing with nobodies, if you know what I mean…

The Rangers are one point behind the Canadiens (with two more games played) and they will need everyone’s help if they want to make the playoffs.

And at this level, it starts with Alexis Lafrenière.

The best players need to be the best for a team to be successful, after all…

In Overtime

– Are the Jackets going to take advantage of this?

– Oh.

– He’s really good, him.

– Not bad for a defenseman!

– It’s a big one.

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Jared Bednar has so much trust in Drouin that he can entrust him with any task

Jonathan Drouin has found a way to revive his career in Colorado.

He is one of the important players in the Avalanche lineup and he has started to produce offensively again.

The former habs player has a total of 89 points in 117 games since his arrival in Denver. Good for him.

But according to Jared Bednar, Drouin is not only helping the team at the offensive level.

The Avalanche coach trusts him to the point of saying (NHL.com) that he can give him “any mission in any situation”, which is not nothing.

Again, this shows his importance in the lineup:

Jonathan Drouin helped his team win last night by collecting an assist on the powerplay.

Bednar also wanted to send him for a shootout… but the player rather advised him to trust Brock Nelson because Drouin knew his teammate had a good deke to beat Samuel Montembeault.

And it worked out in the end:

Clearly, we can feel that leaving Montreal did Jonathan Drouin some good.

He seems to be playing with some freedom, which was not necessarily the case when he played for the Canadiens.

The pressure was perhaps too strong for him (it happens) and in Colorado, he can focus on helping the team without making too much noise. This is exactly what he is able to do and if he continues like this, maybe the management will give him a vote of confidence by offering him a long-term contract this summer.

Because he still has some good hockey to give.

Overtime

– Wow.

– It’s not awful, but it’s not perfect either.

– Good.

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The role of Matheson has changed because of Lane Hutson and that’s okay

The arrival of Lane Hutson has had an impact on the rest of the Montreal Canadiens’ defensive brigade.

For example?

This means that Mike Matheson’s role has changed. He no longer plays on the first powerplay unit, but that doesn’t mean he’s not helping the Habs anymore.

Matheson was still used for over 26 minutes (26:35) last night against the Avalanche. His job was to neutralize Nathan MacKinnon… and since the NHL’s top scorer was held off the score sheet, we can say he succeeded in his mission.

He spoke like a good veteran:

Mike Matheson was on RDS L’Antichambre tonight and he was asked if it was tough when coach Marty replaced him on Habs PP1 with Lane Hutson
byu/Go_Habs_Go31 inHabs

But the arrival of Lane Hutson also has an impact on the rest of the defense.

The young defenseman was used for almost 29 minutes (28:51) because Martin St-Louis can trust him.

This takes away playing time from guys like David Savard and Arber Xhekaj… and that’s okay too. Because we agree that this pair is not the most reliable on the ice: Arber has his weaknesses and it’s crazy how much Savard is slowing down. He’s no longer the David Savard of old…

With Alexandre Carrier excelling and Jayden Struble playing good hockey lately, we’ll have to wonder what Martin St-Louis’ plan will be when Kaiden Guhle returns.

We’ll have to take out a guy… but who will have to sit?

Can the Habs afford to take out a guy like Savard, who’s not afraid to block any shot?

Can the Habs afford to take out a guy like Xhekaj, who brings the element of toughness to the lineup?

It should really come down to these two if we consider that they are the two defensemen with the least impact on the team right now.

But it’s still a nice puzzle…

(Credit: ESPN)

Again, it’s crazy how much the arrival of Lane Hutson changes things.

Lane is so good that Martin St-Louis is forced to use him more than others… But it’s also nice to have Mike Matheson in the lineup because both guys are useful in their respective roles.

It’s interesting what’s happening with the Habs’ defense right now. And it might get even more interesting when Kaiden Guhle returns…

In Overtime

– Well done.

– Oh!

– Good reading.

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Johnathan Kovacevic got scratched by Sheldon Keefe

For a second year in a row, Jack Hughes will have played only 62 games for the New Jersey Devils. Injured after a heavy fall against the boards in a game against the Golden Knights at the beginning of the month, the 23-year-old American will miss another opportunity to participate in the playoffs in 2025.

After a harvest of 112 points in 2022-2023, the Devils had a relatively disastrous season, compared to expectations, the following year, and now find themselves in a decent situation, on the eve of a return to the playoffs, but without their best player.

After losing 6 of their last 10 games, tensions are rising and yesterday, the head coach lashed out at Johnathan Kovacevic.

It’s a rare phenomenon to see a coach throw a player under the bus, but that’s exactly what he did, and it’s hard to understand why when listening to the defenseman’s comments.

“We’re in a battle that, I hope, will bring us into a playoff mindset, 10 or 11 games from the playoffs, which will translate into playoffs. Obviously, the results are tough, but we’ll fight and we won’t give up.”

– Johnathan Kovacevic

Is that okay, so far?

A journalist from New Jersey reported to Sheldon Keefe that his defenseman had wished for the team to adopt a playoff mindset, and he responded with something that looks a lot like “stop talking and play better.” In reality, Keefe simply replied that “Kovacevic should play better, that would help.”

The comment is all the more bizarre since Kovacevic signed a new 5-year, $20 million contract with New Jersey just two weeks ago.

Some Devils fans have also questioned, with reason, where the same attitude is from the coach with other players who are producing. The team may have conceded 16 goals in their last 4 games, but they’ve also only scored 2.5 goals per game.

I don’t listen to Devils games assiduously, but the statistics sheet tells us that the former CH player took a penalty last night and had finished two games at -2 in the last four games. But come on, the guy is still +12 on the season and constantly one of the team’s most stable defensemen.

Here’s the opinion of a journalist on the beat in New Jersey.

In short, the coach is frustrated, and he’s taking a shot at one of his best defensemen.

I’m sure that will help the atmosphere in the locker room.

In Overtime

– Great start to the season for McLaren.

– Xavier Villeneuve in the mold of Lane Hutson, but some humility is needed. [RDS]

– New contract for Alejandro Kirk in Toronto. [PassionMLB]

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4 points in 3 games: Without the three comebacks, the Habs are not in the playoffs

It’s not on a Wednesday night in January that we differentiate good hockey teams from bad ones. A chance, some might say. In extreme cases, a confrontation can give us a good idea. However, it’s in the spring that teams from the series stand out, when hockey becomes more intense and the stakes gain importance. Not all teams in the mix are made for this kind of pressure.

The young Tricolore has repeatedly shown that it has the energy, cohesion, combativeness, and talent to turn the corner.

Despite the two losses, this week has been a perfect example of the fighter character that embodies Martin St-Louis’ team.

Because one thing is clear, and that is the following. If the Canadiens don’t pick themselves up when they lose 3-2 and 4-3 against the Senators, 3-1 against the Islanders, and 4-1 against the Avalanche, all in the third period, Montreal wouldn’t be in the series this sunny and optimistic Sunday morning.

In a parallel universe, the NYI picks up two points in Montreal, the Canadiens don’t force overtime against the Avalanche, and lose to the Sens. Result? A tie with the Blue Jackets at 71 points, while the Rangers and Islanders would be tied at 74.

And for coach Martin St-Louis, the team’s recent comebacks serve as motivation and a benchmark. His comments from last night are like “you’ve done it, you can do it again,” and I imagine the impact must be significant on the team’s confidence.

“I love the combativeness of our guys. I know that after the Avalanche’s fourth goal, almost everyone thought it was over. I reminded the guys after the second period that we scored five goals in the third period against the Ottawa Senators […]. We scored two goals in the third period against the Islanders. We can create plays. […]. It’s a big point. I’m proud of the group and our combativeness.”

— Martin St-Louis after the game

The Habs scored no less than 10 of their 13 goals this week in the third period, including one into an empty net.

For those who like stats, that’s 14% of the goals scored this season in the third period, during only 4% of the games played this season. It’s also more goals in the third period in three games than in the last 13 games. And while we’re at it, fun fact: the Flyers only have 9 goals in the third period over the last two months…

Let’s stay in the NHL.com stats section for one more thing. Without saying it was a problem, the Canadiens hadn’t particularly stood out in the third period until now. Before the game against the Sens, Montreal was 29th in goals scored in the third period, one goal away from the last place in the league, a three-way tie between the Canucks, Oilers, and Preds.

In other words, if it works, so much the better, because it hasn’t always been the team’s strength.

Meanwhile, hats off to Christian Dvorak, Brendan Gallagher, and Josh Anderson, who probably had their best week of the season and thus (perhaps) saved Montreal’s possible participation in the series. 5 points each for D-Vo and Gally, and 2 goals for Andy, and you’ll have guessed it: all, except for Dvorak’s McDavid-like goal against Ottawa, were scored in the last 20 minutes of the game.

In Overtime

– Arber Xhekaj’s comments are going in the same direction.

– The Hutson-Makar duel was appreciated last night.

– Eventful morning in F1.