Duo with Mike Matheson: Noah Dobson never doubted it would work

Dose
Crédit: Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The first pairing at the blue line, Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson, are at the heart of the Canadiens’ success, as they get off to a very good start to the season.

The two defensemen are contributing offensively to the team, with six points for Matheson and five for Dobson, but it’s the quality of their play in their own zone and at five-on-five that has been the focus of attention so far, as they have a plus-7 and plus-2 record respectively.

If many were surprised when Martin St-Louis made the decision to pair the two players together, we learn today in an article by Dave Lévesque published on TVA Sports that Dobson never doubted that they would work well together.

When the Prince Edward Island native first arrived, many saw him on the team’s first pairing, but probably paired with a more stay-at-home defenseman like Kaiden Guhle or Alex Carrier.

Let’s just say that a lot of people had already thrown in the towel in the case of Matheson, whom many were placing on the club’s third pair or seeing as a trade chip.

While the coach’s decision may have seemed audacious, it does seem that he’s had a lucky hand in pairing Matheson and Dobson, who form a very solid back pairing for the Habs so far.

However, when you think about it, their success isn’t all that surprising.

They’re both highly mobile defensemen with good skating ability, who excel at getting the puck out of their zone and re-launching the attack. The duo can complement and support the work of an up-tempo attack, especially our first line.

St-Louis isn’t afraid to use his first pair of defensemen in any situation, as their usage times show: Matheson is the Habs’ most-used player, averaging 24:39 minutes per game, and Dobson is second with 22:38 minutes.

Let’s just say that Matheson, whose next contract is currently Kent Hughes’ priority, is really making himself essential to the Habs and could help the club for several more years if he continues to play like this.

Especially since, at 31, the Québécois seems far from being on the decline.

Overtime

– Oops!

– Incroyable!

– Domi gives the Leafs the win.

– Flyers win Pennsylvania duel.

– It’s brewing!

– Very smooth!