Category: Uncategorized

Categories
Uncategorized

The Canadiens win a game of crucial importance against the Senators

Tonight, the Habs played one of their most important games of the regular season in years, as they welcomed the Senators to the Bell Centre.

In a context where both teams are at the height of the playoff race (and where there’s a rivalry at play), we were expecting a big game.

For the occasion, Martin St-Louis kept his winning recipe: the lineup was the same as in the last game.

From the Senators’ side, Linus Ullmark was in front of the net for this important duel.

Here is the visitors’ lineup:

The Habs played this game in front of a packed Bell Centre… and after only two minutes, Christian Dvorak gave them a reason to celebrate.

He scored what is possibly his most beautiful goal since he’s been playing for the Habs, completely deking Linus Ullmark.

That being said, the Senators kept fighting during the first period… and at the very end of the period, they took advantage of a powerplay.

And Drake Batherson brought the two teams back to square one with a major league shot.

After 20 minutes, the score was 1-1.

In the second period, we saw more good hockey between the two teams… but the Senators were the ones who scored.

Michael Amadio scored a weird goal that Samuel Montembeault should have stopped.

After 40 minutes, the Senators were leading 2-1.

But it was a mistake to think the Habs would give up.

Lane Hutson surprised Linus Ullmark with a good shot to tie the game.

The Senators, however, took advantage of an opportunity in the opponent’s zone shortly after… and a not-so-threatening shot by Travis Hamonic beat Montembeault.

Once again, the goalie should have stopped that puck.

But the Habs didn’t let the Senators reclaim the momentum: a great effort by Josh Anderson allowed the team to tie the game.

This team never gives up.

And a few minutes later, while the Habs were on a powerplay, Nick Suzuki took advantage of some chaos in front of the net to give his team the lead.

A huge goal from the captain.

And while the Senators had pulled Linus Ullmark in the final minutes of the game to try to tie the score, Josh Anderson put an end to the debate with a goal in an empty net.

Brendan Gallagher did the same shortly after… and the Habs came out with a big win in a game of capital importance.

Final score: 6-3 Montréal

The Habs will be back in action on Thursday night, as they face off against Patrick Roy’s Islanders. The game will be at 7:30 PM (not 7:00 PM).

Overtime

– Samuel Montembeault and the Habs’ first line did not have a great night in a game where the team really needed its best players. Nevertheless, not only did the Habs manage to get the two points, but they also prevented the Senators from getting one. This team finds ways to win, and it’s really beautiful to see.

– The atmosphere is incredible. And these fans, more than ever, believe in playoff hockey in Montréal this season.

– Christian Dvorak’s line was incredible tonight. Dvorak was very solid, but Anderson, who’s playing hurt, was perhaps even more so. That goal in an empty net to seal the win, he deserved it, and not just a little.

– It could have been catastrophic. It’s perhaps the first time this season that Anderson has been lucky with an injury.

Categories
Uncategorized

The plan is to integrate David Reinbacher in Montreal next year

David Reinbacher didn’t have the 2024-25 season he had hoped for. The defenseman, who was supposed to get some minutes in Laval for his first year in North America, instead suffered a serious knee injury at training camp that kept him out for several months.

Because even if we remember the Laine/Paré incident, it’s also the night Reinbacher got seriously hurt.

The good news, however, is that Reinbacher returned to play a bit earlier than expected. The habs are being cautious with their defenseman (who is with the Rocket) since his return to play, but despite some recent concerns over a few missed games, he could be back in uniform as early as tomorrow.

The question, however, is how the Canadiens will handle their defenseman’s situation next year. We know the plan was to have him play in Laval this season and, if all went well, to have him graduate to full-time in 2025-26… but we wondered if his injury would change things.

Well, on the airwaves of BPM Sports tonight, Mathias Brunet talked about all this… and apparently, they’re considering sticking to the original plan:

The plan is to integrate David Reinbacher into Montreal next year. – Mathias Brunet

We can wonder if the Habs just don’t want to change their initial plan or if it’s mostly that they’re reassured to see Reinbacher being solid since his return to play. Because, after all, if he continues to play a lot of games in Laval until the end of the year and the team makes a bit of a run in the playoffs, it could give him around thirty games on the counter… which would save his season a bit.

The other question we have to ask ourselves is what this means for the current brigade. The team already has five NHL defensemen under contract for next year (Matheson, Guhle, Hutson, Carrier, and Xhekaj), and Jayden Struble, a restricted free agent, will also be back.

And that’s not counting the possibility of seeing David Savard sign a new contract in town this summer.

We can think that the first four have already secured their spots… and if the plan is really to see Reinbacher play full-time in Montreal, Xhekaj and Struble will have to arrive ready at camp, because there might only be one spot available.

Let’s see how all this evolves over the next few months, then.

Overtime

– I love it.

– Justin Carbonneau and Mateo Nobert are having success with the Armada.

– Great read on Sean Farrell.

– Oh well.

Categories
Uncategorized

Cole Caufield and Johnny Gaudreau were very close friends with the American team

The death of Johnny Gaudreau has shaken the entire hockey planet. Cole Caufield was one of the people who was even more affected by this news, as he had a beautiful friendship with the former NHL player.

After Gaudreau’s death, Caufield had announced his number change to wear the number 13 in explaining that he had always seen the former Flames and Blue Jackets player as an idol or role model.

This time, we learn more about the relationship between Caufield and Gaudreau thanks to Meredith, Johnny’s wife. She was a guest on the podcast of Julie Petry and Cat Toffoli (wives of Jeff Petry and Tyler Toffoli) Never Offside With Julie and Cat.

Meredith Gaudreau demonstrated how quickly Johnny Gaudreau and Cole Caufield became great friends while playing together on the American team.

Based on Meredith’s words, we understand that Caufield and Gaudreau spent a lot of time together during the 2024 IIHF World Championship. She remembers exchanging text messages with Johnny, who told her how much he loved Cole Caufield.

The two players were in Ostrava, Czech Republic, and could walk around the city and do activities, but Johnny and Cole decided to stay in their hotel room and play games on their cellphones, giving each other nicknames.

Listening to Meredith Gaudreau’s words, we really understand how much the two players had fun together.

Meredith really believes that this moment brought the two players closer together. She even explained that Johnny “adored” Caufield.

Gaudreau’s wife also revealed that Caufield had Johnny’s number 13 on his stick with the nickname he gave him. Johnny Gaudreau called Caufield “Eloc” (Cole spelled backwards), and it seems to have really touched the Habs player’s mind.

The tragedy of Gaudreau has hurt Cole Caufield a lot, but it’s beautiful to see the Habs forward pay tribute to his friend so often. Whether it’s the number 13 or the hockey card he brought to a game, Caufield will always have Gaudreau’s memory in mind.

Overtime

– We can’t wait to see it.

– It’s not rosy for the Leafs.

– Uncertainty in front of the net in Toronto.

– Artemi Panarin follows in Martin St-Louis’ footsteps.

Categories
Uncategorized

Race for the Calder: sports betting platforms do not believe in Lane Hutson

Lane Hutson is doing everything he can to win the Calder Trophy. His performances are dazzling, but he is on the heels of Macklin Celebrini.

In fact, sports betting platforms all agree that Celebrini has a big lead.

This is what Nicolas Cloutier from TVA Sports discovered by searching on the site of various sports betting platforms.

As Cloutier explains, the worst odds for Hutson are at FanDuel. In fact, the odds for Hutson are at +450. In decimal odds, that’s 5.5. This could become very profitable for some people because 16 NHL experts recently voted for Lane Hutson as their favorite to win the Calder Trophy.

Celebrini’s odds at FanDuel are -280 (1.36). In other words, FanDuel clearly expects Celebrini to win the NHL’s rookie of the year award.

And it’s the same for the three other sports betting platforms found by Nicolas Cloutier. At FanDuel, DraftKings, Sports Interaction, and Odds Shark, Celebrini’s odds are between 1.34 and 1.42. That’s not even enough to win half of your bet!

Hutson’s odds, however, vary much more than Celebrini’s on the different platforms. They are 5.5 at FanDuel, 5 at Sports Interaction, 4.5 at DraftKings, and 3.7 at Odds Shark.

By searching locally, I found the odds for the Calder winner on the Mise-O-Jeu website. It’s the same on the Quebec sports betting platform, as Celebrini’s odds are at 1.40. The only difference is that the site gives Hutson a better chance of winning with odds of 2.75.

His 48 assists even put him above a certain Quinn Hughes in that category!

Without taking anything away from Celebrini, he’s 71st in points among NHL forwards. We understand that there are more forwards than defensemen, but we’re far from the top 10!

Lane Hutson may not win the Calder Trophy. Celebrini is having an excellent season too, but the gap between the two players is not as big as sports betting platforms might suggest.

Overtime

– Too cute.

– There is a rivalry between Montreal and Ottawa, that’s for sure.

– This is not good for Dallas.

– Retirement is approaching for the legendary coach.

Categories
Uncategorized

Series: when Kent Hughes pulls out a Marc Bergevin move

Marc Bergevin said a few notable phrases during his reign as the GM of the Canadiens. My favorite is clearly: if you want loyalty, buy a dog.

But the one that came up most often was that once in the playoffs, anything can happen.

I don’t know if he said it because he didn’t have the means to rebuild from the ground up or if he really believed it, but the GM of the club repeated this phrase often.

When Kent Hughes arrived, he brought a different mentality: that of wanting to build a foundation so solid that one day, the Canadiens will become like the Golden Knights, the Avalanche, or the Panthers, who are all teams that are among the favorites for the Cup year after year.

This mentality has pleased the fan base.

And that’s why I found it a bit ironic to see Kent Hughes, on the heels of the meeting of executives in Florida, say that once in the playoffs, anything can happen.

He pulled out Marc Bergevin’s phrase when he was questioned about his team and their recent successes.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that Hughes has changed his stance on his mentality. In the long term, he still wants to take his time to build a power.

But in 2025, he knows he doesn’t have the tools to be a power.

Despite everything, it’s worth mentioning that Hughes and his team are still there to remind players that even if anything is possible this year, the club hasn’t arrived at its destination. Really not, even.

We’re still aiming for the long term, up to a certain point, in Montreal.

I’m proud of where we are, but we haven’t accomplished anything yet… – Martin St-Louis

Overtime

It’s worth mentioning that Marc Bergevin had his moments with his technique. In 2014, the Habs made it to the conference finals – and without Chris Kreider, they had a chance to go all the way.

And in 2021, the Canadiens made it to the finals.

Categories
Uncategorized

NHL vs KHL: the idea of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin

After the Four Nations Confrontation, we could have the right to a very different duel. The American president, Donald Trump, as well as Russia’s, Vladimir Putin, have discussed an idea for a match pitting National Hockey League (NHL) players against those of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

This is what TVA Sports reported from information announced by the Kremlin.

In fact, Donald Trump would like to see American NHL players face Russian KHL players. We can therefore forget about the Sidney Crosbys, Connor McDavid, and Nathan MacKinnon of this world.

Although we are talking here about a conversation between two presidents of world powers, it remains an idea in their heads. It does not seem that there is yet concrete action taken by either of the two men for such a competition to take place.

This is what the NHL explained in comments reported by Chris Johnston of TSN.

The NHL explained that it would not be appropriate to discuss the situation at this time. We understand that Russia’s geopolitical situation is one of the reasons the NHL would not want to comment.

As TVA Sports reports, it would not be the first time NHL players face KHL players. If we exclude international matches (Russia against the United States at the Olympics, for example), there have been three meetings between NHL and KHL players.

The first dates back to 2008, when the New York Rangers clashed with Metallurg of Magnitogorsk. To everyone’s surprise, the Rangers had only won by one goal.

The Hurricanes and Coyotes have also played against KHL teams. The Hurricanes even lost a game to SKA of Saint-Petersburg in 2010!

As of today, it would be difficult to predict the outcome of a match between an NHL team and a KHL team. On paper, we could believe that the NHL would easily win.

We can take the example of Tony DeAngelo, who completely dominated the KHL with 32 points in 34 games at the start of the season, but who now has respectable statistics with 10 points in 19 games with the Islanders since his return to the NHL.

The difference is not striking, but it’s easy to see that the level of play is clearly higher in the NHL.

If such an event were to occur, it would be a first in several years for Russia. Russian players have not had the opportunity to face Americans in an international match since 2019. Russia is still banned from IIHF international competitions and will remain so for 2025-26.

Overtime

– Connor Hellebuyck could imitate Price.

– It would be a good idea.

– Their strategy is working.

– He did a great job.

Categories
Uncategorized

Record of 15-2-0: Cayden Primeau does everything he can to return to the NHL

The start of the season for Cayden Primeau with the Canadiens was atrocious.

That led to the point where the management got tired. Primeau was sent back to the American League and Jakub Dobes came to take his place in the Habs’ lineup.

But since he’s been back in Laval, there’s not much to complain about in the goalkeeper’s game.

Because if the Rocket is at the top of the overall standings in the AHL, it’s partly because of him.

Primeau is on fire, in fact:

  • 15-2-0 record
  • Average of 2.21 goals allowed
  • .914 save percentage

The 25-year-old goalkeeper – who will turn 26 in August – is doing everything he can to get back to the National League.

We must also remember that his contract will end at the end of the season and he will be a restricted free agent this summer. And with Jacob Fowler expected to make the leap to the pros, maybe there won’t be room for him within the organization and management will choose to move on.

A bit like what happened with Jesse Ylönen last summer with all the recruits who arrived in Laval.

But still, it won’t be surprising to see Primeau come to an agreement with another team if the Habs decide not to offer him a new contract because he’s proving himself in Laval.

However, if he can also help the Rocket have a good run in the playoffs (at the expense of Fowler?), it will give him even more chances.

Overtime

– The Habs won tonight. 5-3!

– Johnny Gaudreau really liked Cole Caufield.

– Well done.

– That would hurt.

– Oh

Categories
Uncategorized

Jayden Struble describes Brady Tkachuk as being a rat on the ice

Then… Are you looking forward to tonight’s game?

I’m asking the question because the Canadiens have to win this game against their big Ontario rivals.

If you’re not excited yet, maybe this segment will give you a little more taste:

In any case… Tony Marinaro, he seems to be quite excited about the game!

I expect the Bell Centre to be on fire – like last Saturday – because games between the Habs and the Senators are always super entertaining.

And now, with both teams fighting for a playoff spot, it’s going to be a great show.

Let’s see if Juraj « Tkachuk » Slafkovsky will be able to impose himself against the Senators’ captain… Hehe.

Speaking of Brady Tkachuk, we know how skilled he is at changing the game on his own.

He hits, he scores… and his greatest specialty is probably his talent for annoying the opponent.

Like his brother, he seems to be so exhausting on the ice.

And that’s a bit why, after the Habs’ practice this morning, Jayden Struble talked about Brady being a pest on the ice.

Promising!

We know it’s going to be a wild ride tonight, and at that level, I wouldn’t be afraid to bet $2 that the Senators’ captain will be at the center of it all.

Two things will be important for the Habs, then.

First, they’ll need to find a way to counter him so he can’t have a great night… and second, the Canadiens players will have to be careful not to fall into his trap.

It’s going to be a great test for Martin St-Louis’ men because the Senators are coming to Montreal on a roll.

The Ottawa team is still undefeated in their last six games… and it seems like everything is working since Dylan Cozens joined the group.

Overtime

– Hello, David!

–

– It’s true.

– Good reading.

– A file to follow in the world of football.

Categories
Uncategorized

Hage is the rookie of the year (Big Ten): One more argument to keep him… or trade him?

It’s done.

Michael Hage has won the freshman of the year title in his conference with 34 points (13 goals) in 33 games.

A nice recognition for the one who was selected 21st overall in the last draft.

It’s deserved since the habs prospect had a great season at 18 years old.

Few players at that age are able to be that productive in the university circuit. And to see that Hage did well like that, it’s interesting.

But beware: just because he won this title doesn’t mean he’ll automatically make the leap to the pros in a few weeks.

Hage still has time to develop and before seeing him move on to the next step, he needs to be able to dominate the university circuit.

Like Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson, and Jacob Fowler did.

I also wonder how much the freshman of the year title affects his value as an NHL prospect.

After all, we can ask the question because Mathias Brunet mentioned yesterday the possibility of seeing Hage being included in a big trade this summer to get a quality second center.

We know that Kent Hughes is open to giving up a lot to improve his team this summer.

But at the same time, we also know that the organization loves Michael Hage.

It’s not for nothing that Kent Hughes traded the 26th, 57th, and 198th picks to move up in the first round. It was Hage who was targeted by the management and the Habs did everything they could to have the opportunity to select him before another team.

That being said, if Hage is really part of a trade this summer, it’s because Kent Hughes will have found what he really wants.

We saw it at the last deadline: the Habs’ GM doesn’t trade his players if he doesn’t like the return offered.

And given Hage’s importance in the eyes of the organization, it’s clear that we’ll want to be satisfied with the return if he’s ever traded.

Overtime

– Note:

– Linus Ullmark will be in goal for the Senators.

– The Canucks still believe in Elias Pettersson.

– Oh well…

– Logical.

Categories
Uncategorized

Nick Suzuki is giving himself a chance to win the Selke Trophy

Nick Suzuki is having a fantastic season.

The captain of the Habs – who is not seen as a first center by some – has more than a point per game and is one of the main reasons for the CH’s recent success.

Right now, it’s really hard to criticize him for anything.

The Canadiens have 16 games left to play before the end of the calendar, and Suzuki is really giving himself a chance to win the Selke Trophy.

He not only has 69 points in 66 games, but he’s also excellent on the defensive side.

And when you look at his stats, there’s also the fact that he’s only taken six minor penalty minutes, which is impressive.

If we compare his season with recent Selke winners, we see how great his campaign is:

  • 2019 – Ryan O’Reilly (77 points, 12 penalty minutes)
  • 2020 – Sean Couturier (59 points, 30 penalty minutes)
  • 2021 – Aleksander Barkov (58 points, 14 penalty minutes)
  • 2022 – Patrice Bergeron (65 points, 32 penalty minutes)
  • 2023 – Patrice Bergeron (58 points, 22 penalty minutes)
  • 2024 – Aleksander Barkov (80 points, 24 penalty minutes)

There’s the Selke Trophy, and there’s also the Lady Byng Trophy in the discussion when talking about the captain.

Again, his six penalty minutes – combined with his point total – put him in a great position.

It’s written in the above tweet, but we’ll also have to watch out for the names of Jack Eichel, Anze Kopitar, and Brayden Point.

Point has a similar production to Suzuki’s (66 points in 62 games), but he only has two penalty minutes on his record.

Eichel is producing even more (80 points in 66 games) and is also able to avoid the penalty box. He has the same number of penalty minutes as the Habs’ captain.

And Kopitar, who has slowed down a bit, still has 53 points in 66 games this season. He’s only been penalized once since the start of the campaign!

But no matter what happens, we have to see Suzuki’s season as a success.

He’s in his prime at 25 years old, and he’s demonstrating to everyone that he’s one of the best players on the planet.

I wonder how much it hurt him not to be called by Team Canada…

After all, the Captain is in the top 25 scorers in the league, he’s 10th among the top-scoring centers in the NHL, and he has a respectable plus-12 differential.

He’s leading the Habs in that category, by the way.

Overtime

– Arthur Kaliyev’s season is over.

– Oh yeah?

– It’s going to be annoying!

– Lane Hutson wants to improve his shot.