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Top-3 : Jonathan Drouin scores a 25th point in 28 games this season

We had the right to a quiet evening last night in the National Hockey League, as only three games were scheduled.

Despite everything, a few highlights caught our attention.

Here is a summary.

1. Jonathan Drouin scores a beautiful goal to reach the 25-point plateau

Since he signed with the Colorado Avalanche, Jonathan Drouin is a completely changed player.

He had his best career season with 56 points in 79 games last season, and then re-signed with the Avalanche this season.

And despite his big injury at the beginning of the season, the Quebecer is having a very good campaign, as he is close to a point per game.

In fact, last night, by scoring his seventh goal of the season in a 5-2 victory for the Avalanche over the Minnesota Wild, Drouin reached the 25-point plateau this season in just 28 games.

A very nice goal on a clever pass from Oliver Kylington.

In short, 25 points in 28 games, that’s really excellent, and it’s already more than Patrik Laine (23 points in 31 games), Kirby Dach (22 points in 57 games and whose season is over) and Alex Newhook (20 points in 59 games).

I could name several other Montreal Canadiens players, but I’ll stop there.

2. The Rangers lose two important points against the Leafs

The New York Rangers really shot themselves in the foot this season, as they had a horrible sequence a few weeks ago, which made them slide from a very comfortable position to a position of struggle for the playoffs.

In fact, the Rangers are currently in the middle of the playoff hunt in the Eastern Conference, along with other teams such as the Ottawa Senators, the Boston Bruins, and the Montreal Canadiens.

The Rangers are quietly coming back from their horrible sequence, but to really get back into the playoffs, they need to accumulate as many points as possible.

And last night, they failed to do so, despite dominating the Toronto Maple Leafs.

They lost 3-2, even though they dominated 35-17 in shots on goal.

These are important points lost by the Rangers, who now find themselves four points away from the playoffs and only one point ahead of the Montreal Canadiens.

(Credit: NHL.com)

3. The Stars have fun against the Kings

Two good teams from the Western Conference faced off last night, as the Los Angeles Kings had the opportunity to overtake the Edmonton Oilers in the standings by winning against the Dallas Stars.

However, the opposite happened, as the Kings were dominated by the Stars, who won 6-2.

In fact, the Stars’ big guns had fun, as Roope Hintz scored four assists and Jason Robertson scored three points.

In short, it’s only a postponement for the Kings, who will have other opportunities to come and dethrone the Edmonton Oilers from 2nd place in the Pacific Division.

Overtime

– Here are all the results from last night.

– Here are the top scorers from last night.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Today’s schedule in the NHL: 13 games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
(Credit: Google/NHL)
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I think Jacob Fowler has a good chance of winning a Vezina one day

Tonight, two of the Canadiens’ hopes were in action in the NCAA.

First, the goalkeeper Jacob Fowler.

The young goalkeeper was in front of the net of his team, Boston College, as they faced the University of New Hampshire at home.

The locals won the game with a score of 4 to 1, while Fowler had a notable performance with 25 saves out of 26 shots.

This was already his 23rd win, including six shutouts, in 30 starts so far this season.

The goalkeeper is having an exceptional campaign with his university. Before tonight’s game, his goals-against average was 1.73 and his save percentage was .937.

After a good first season, Fowler is really making a name for himself in the American college circuit.

However, what’s getting the most attention is a statement made by his teammate Gabriel Perreault, the son of former player Yanic Perreault, in an article published today on RDS.

“[Fowler] gets better with each game, every year. He’s really special as a player. When he makes the jump to the NHL, I think he has a good chance of winning a Vézina one day. He’s really special.”

Let’s just say Perreault has high hopes for the Canadiens’ prospect.

Of course, we have to take this statement from a teammate with a grain of salt.

For now, the goalkeeper hasn’t played a single game in the NHL, and as we’ve often seen, a great career in the NCAA doesn’t guarantee a great career among professionals.

But it’s still nice to see Fowler performing like this.

On the other hand, Michael Hage continues to do well with the Wolverines of the University of Michigan.

Today, in a game against their eternal rival Ohio State, the forward made a great play on Terry-Jonathan Hughes’ goal, the third for his team.

Michigan finally won the duel with a score of 3 to 2.

Hage is really doing well in his first season in the university ranks. He has 33 points, including 13 goals in 31 games this season.

I’m really looking forward to seeing these two prospects at the next Canadiens training camp!

In rapid fire

– A game to forget for the Lions

– Big game tomorrow!

– Leafs win.

– An opportunity to seize.

– Pomerleau wins.

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Record: no, Alex Ovechkin will not be left behind abroad

Alex Ovechkin is now just twelve goals away from Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894.

With 23 games left, it’s almost written in the sky that it will happen during the current season.

It will take him barely more than one goal every two games, as the Russian forward is rolling at a pace of 0.70 goals per game (30 goals in 43 games) since the start of the campaign.

As the great number eight chases the record for the greatest scorer of all time, hockey fans are trying to predict the date of the historic moment.

Moreover, we learn today, on Sportsnet in Elliotte Friedman’s 32 Thoughts column, that some fans are worried that the Capitals might bench Ovechkin during away games so he can break the record at home in front of his supporters (thought #17).

As the journalist says: “It won’t happen”.

In fact, it doesn’t make any sense.

If the Russian player continues at the same pace, he should score 12 goals in 17 or 18 games, so the most “probable” moment is either April 10 against the Hurricanes in Carolina, or April 12 against the Blue Jackets in Washington.

Even if Ovy has a little slack in his record chase, it’s logical to think he’ll want to break the mark as quickly as possible and possibly improve it by a few more goals.

Moreover, these two games are part of a three-game home stand in five games, but the Capitals only play four home games in the last 12 games of the season.

With such a schedule and the Caps likely to be in the run for the President’s Trophy, it’s unlikely they’ll give their best attacker a night off.

The only case where it’s possible to see the Russian on the sidelines during a game is if the Capitals are assured of first place and if Ovechkin has broken Gretzky’s record.

In rapid fire

– Extension for Tucker.

– 30 points in one half!

– Dates to circle.

– A great comeback!

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McDonald’s changes the name of two restaurants to McDavid’s

Connor McDavid is a national hero.

Since his overtime goal gave Canada the win in the final last week, the media and fans have been lavishing praise on number 97.

The best player in the world proved that we are the best nation in the world. It was a perfect ending, almost poetic.

And well, the fast food chain McDonald’s has found an original way to highlight the exploit of the Oilers’ captain by temporarily renaming two of its restaurants McDavid’s.

The lettering on the front of the buildings as well as under the legendary golden arches has been changed to show the name McDavid’s instead of the traditional McDonald’s

The two restaurants are located in Edmonton, for obvious reasons, as well as in the town of Newmarket, Ontario, where McDavid grew up.

McDavid’s overtime goal and Canada’s win had also been highlighted on social media by the town’s mayor, John Taylor.

Personally, I love the idea and I think it’s a great way to highlight McDavid’s achievement.

And it’s perhaps more subtle, but I think replacing the first name of the American president, Donald, in McDonald’s with the name of the one who scored the winning goal against the Americans is an extra nod, a little cheesy, but perfect in the current political context.

By the way, this is not the first collaboration between the restaurant chain and McDavid, who recently did a promotion with him and Auston Matthews, where the two players each had their own signature burger.

And if Matthews had scored the winning goal, would we have McMatthews restaurants in Toronto and Arizona?

In short, it’s nice to see McDonald’s going all in to highlight Canada’s victory and McDavid’s goal. We’re talking about considerable costs for this temporary change.

Unfortunately, we don’t know how long the name change will last, so if you’re planning a road trip to Newmarket, don’t wait too long.

In a hurry

– To listen!

– Hage scores!

– Another nice honor.

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Demidov : “I was told that it’s impossible that the team lets him go for free”

Ivan Demidov’s situation in Russia is far from ideal.

The Canadian’s prospect didn’t even have the opportunity to prove himself in yesterday’s game because Roman Rotenberg decided not to use him.

And this, despite the fact that Demidov is ranked 1st among the SKA St. Petersburg’s scorers.

Evidently, there are “political” reasons why Demidov didn’t play yesterday.

It’s easy to think that he refused another contract offer from the SKA… which would like to keep him in their court in Russia. But we know that Demidov is eager to play for the Canadiens…

Georges Laraque talked about this story today on BPM Sports and what he said is really interesting.

According to what he heard, the SKA will do everything to offer him a new contract… with the goal of seeing the Canadiens buy out the contract, as the Flyers did with Matvei Michkov.

The SKA St. Petersburg management doesn’t want to lose him for free:

I was told that it’s impossible for the team to let him go for free. – Georges Laraque

This is so ridiculous.

To fool around with a talented prospect like him, it shouldn’t have a place in professional sports… especially when we know he has the tools to become a great player.

But that’s KHL for you, we get it.

The reputation of this league is no longer to be made because there are countless deplorable stories that we hear. It’s often that we see young players receive inadequate treatment and that’s what’s sad about all this.

Especially since the NHL teams that draft these players have no control over the decisions of the KHL clubs.

It’s not like the Canadiens have the power to change things… even if they visited the SKA in December and “everything went well”.

Anyway. Can’t wait for his arrival in North America as soon as possible…

In rafale

– Special bibs, hehe.

– Well done.

– Oh?

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See Owen Beck finish the season in the top-6: Why not?

Owen Beck played the last two games of the Canadian on the second unit, alongside Patrik Laine and Alex Newhook.

And he did well – even if the sample is small.

He deserves the chance to prove himself again. Beck scored his first point in his NHL career last night and really played a good game.

It’s often said that one person’s misfortune is another person’s good fortune… And that could possibly apply in Owen Beck’s case.

With Kirby Dach’s injury, the Canadian must find another player to evolve at center…

But ultimately, the time would also be well chosen to evaluate him for next season.

And the opportunity is on the table, right now. That being said, why not try Beck at the center of the second unit until the end of the season to see what he’s got?

It’s not like he looked like a tourist during his last two auditions, after all. And it’s not like the Canadian wouldn’t have the opportunity to send him back down when the Rocket starts their playoff run:

Add to that the fact that Jake Evans might leave in the coming days.

The Canadian could quickly find themselves with a big hole at the center position… But no matter: even if Evans stays because Kent Hughes didn’t get his price, I’d like to see Beck get an opportunity like that.

Because again, I really liked the result of his first two games with Newhook and Laine.

He brings speed and intensity to the trio, which wasn’t always the case with Dach.

Beck doesn’t overdo it on the ice, he keeps things simple (that’s always been his identity) and seeing him work hard like we did against the Canes and Sharks, it also pushes Laine to push himself even more.

It’s no coincidence that Laine has four points and Newhook has two since they’ve been paired with the Canadian’s fiery prospect. It’s working for now… And as long as it works, Beck deserves the chance to show off his talent.

It will also allow Kent Hughes to have a better idea of his plan for this summer.

If he sees that Beck is ready to face the music, it could make his job a little easier… But to know that, he has to try the experience.

In a hurry

– Good news for the Senators.

– It makes for nice pictures.

– Oh yeah?

– Noah Juulsen is injured.

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” F…ing wake up ! ” : Martin St-Louis has blown a fuse in training

The Canadian won last night against the Sharks with a score of 4-3 in overtime.

It was a third victory in as many games for the CH since their return from the break.

But clearly, the good sequence doesn’t mean that Martin St-Louis is clearly satisfied with his group right now.

This morning, during training, the Canadian head coach got angry.

He didn’t like what he saw from his players… And he made his message clear by blowing a fuse.

« F…ing wake up ! » – Martin St-Louis

We can clearly hear his comments in the video below, which was shared by RDS on X :

Seeing the Canadian pilot show so much emotion during training when his team has just won three in a row, I find it really interesting.

Because it shows how much it matters to him.

He wants his players to play the right way – whether it’s during training or a match – and he’s finding a way to make it happen.

Ultimately, it starts with training too. You practice like you play, as they say…

That being said, I really wonder if the coach is satisfied with his team’s performance against the Sharks.

The Sharks played relatively well and they deserve credit… But we’re still talking about the worst team in the National League.

The CH should have been able to dominate that game and they should have been able to win in regulation time. Luckily, Cole Caufield was there to play the hero with an exceptional goal… Otherwise, the loss would have really been talked about in town today.

But still. It’s hard to be satisfied with such a performance… despite the fact that the team managed to get the W in the end.

In rafale

– Sacred Slaf.

– It’s going to be a great event!

– I love it.

– Notice to those interested:

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Can we start saying we got screwed in that transaction?

Okay. Obviously… It’s a shame for Kirby Dach.

He won’t play for the rest of the season because he had knee surgery.

Again.

Dach, who played 57 games in 24-25, will therefore miss a total of 25 games this season.

He missed 24 games in his first year with the Canadiens… And he missed 80 games in his second year with the Canadiens.

In three years, Dach has only participated in 117 games out of 246. That’s less than half…

Meanwhile, Romanov (who was used to get the 13th overall pick in 2022 that led to the trade with the Hawks) is shining on Long Island. He plays on the first defensive pair with the Islanders and is the team’s defensive driver.

And in Chicago… Frank Nazar (who was chosen with the 13th overall pick in 2022) is having a better season than Dach, at just 21 years old.

Nazar has 14 points in 30 games. Dach has 22 points in 57 games…

My observation is therefore as follows:

Can we start saying that we got ripped off in this trade?

Kirby Dach’s season is over, again.
(Credit: Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

This is Kent Hughes’ first mistake in my eyes, because the Canadiens knew they were going to get an injury-prone player.

The organization decided to take a risk with a player with great potential… But who had never played a full season since his junior days.

He already had a significant injury history at the age of 21, after all.

What’s too bad is that we all thought the Canadiens had just fixed a pretty big problem at the center position.

They paid a relatively high price in the hope of filling a certain hole… But in the end, we can really start saying that the experience is turning out to be a failure.

Because even when healthy, Dach didn’t look like a real top-6 player this season.

And now, we won’t be able to see him progress because he can’t play…

In a rush

— Too strong.

— Yeah.

— Good read:

— Oh well.

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The season of Kirby Dach is over

They were fearing the worst in the case of Kirby Dach.

And unfortunately… That’s exactly what happened.

The season of the Canadian attacker is over. Dach underwent knee surgery on his right knee.

The Canadian shared the news, also stating that the operation was successfully performed in Montreal by Dr. Thierry Pauyo.

The CH also announced that a full recovery is expected only before the start of the next season.

More details to come…

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“At 150 %, Michael Hage needs another season with us”

The Canadian, in the coming years, wants to make room for young people. But they won’t all arrive at the same time.

In 2024-2025, it was the full-time arrival of Lane Hutson in Montreal. He is performing very well and even has a chance to bring the Calder Trophy home, if all goes well.

Next year? It will be Ivan Demidov’s year.

There are several names that will be added to Demidov in the coming years. But in the very short term, we should not expect Michael Hage’s name to be among them.

In fact, next year, everyone expects to see him return to the NCAA.

This is the formula used by the CH with its top prospects in the United States (Cole Caufield, Jacob Fowler, Lane Hutson, etc.) and Michael Hage is not dominant enough to force the hand of his bosses in Montreal.

And that’s what his coach says: Hage needs to dominate even more before making the jump to the pros. Jean-François Chaumont reported it all.

Hage was given the challenge of dominating in the second half of the season and it didn’t happen. He’s good and does the job among the good players on his team, but he doesn’t dominate.

Is it the end of the world at his age? No. After all, 32 points in 30 games at 18 years old, that’s excellent. There are two regular season games left in his season, but that won’t change everything.

But with one more year of training in the university context, he will be able to move to another level and be even more ready to make a difference in the Canadian organization.

Another year at Michigan and one in Laval, that should bring him to a good port. Right?

In rafale

– Tough blow.

– Cole Caufield: game changer. [BPM Sports]

– Yes, Jake Evans is in demand.

– Note.