Habs Daily: Canadiens Top Line Excels, Everyone Hates The Leafs

All the latest Montreal Canadiens news, highlights, and stories you may have missed.

Habs News

• Montreal Canadiens forward Emil Heineman made his long-awaited NHL debut on Thursday night against the Wild. The 22-year-old winger played on the fourth line alongside Mitchell Stephens and Jesse Ylonen. [Canadiens Game 32: Heineman To Make NHL Debut Versus Wild]

#Habs Emil Heineman on his #NHL debut: "you notice how big of a step it is; it is another level . I just have to get those battles out there. It's a lot of different things compared to the American League; you have to learn how to react to different situations out there…"

— Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) December 22, 2023

• The Habs lost 4-3 in overtime to the Wild, but it was yet another very strong game from the first line. Juraj Slafkovksy, Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caufield had shown encouraging chemistry in recent games, but the 5v5 points were hard to come by. They were rewarded for their strong work on Thursday night. [Canadiens: Slafkovsky, Caufield, & Suzuki Shines In Loss To Wild]

• Shockingly, most NHL fanbases think Toronto Maple Leafs fans are the most annoying in the league. You’ll note that Canadiens fans had the honesty required to pick themselves as the third most annoying fanbase. These types of polls are essentially just a list of the most active fanbases on social media, but making fun of the Leafs is every hockey fan’s God-given right.

Here are the three most common fanbases picked as most annoying for each fanbase.

The most common combinations were:

Habs fans disliking Leafs fans
Canucks fans disliking Leafs fans
Rangers fans disliking Devils fans https://t.co/DNgUrPV5rD pic.twitter.com/k93axzn7RX

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) December 21, 2023

• Head coach Martin St-Louis prefers to keep Slafkovsky on the first powerplay unit, a wise decision given his recent play.

Coach Marty on if he’s considered playing both Justin Barron & Mike Matheson together on Habs PP1.

👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/KqXb9RwJfK

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) December 21, 2023

• Jacob Fowler played the second half of Team USA’s warmup game against Sweden, helping the Americans secure a 5-3 win. Fowler only allowed one goal, though it should be said it was due to a fantastic passing play by the Swedes. As usual, Fowler acted as a calming presence for his team.

Jacob Fowler is playing the second half of this game for Team USA.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/gnIXAYSUhk

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) December 21, 2023

• Prospect Lane Hutson is expected to play a big role at the 2024 World Junior Championship. And Thursday’s game was any indication, he may have a chance to set a few records. Hutson had a quiet outing, relatively speaking, but still managed to register two assists.

#GoHabsGo prospect Lane Hutson's assist vs. Sweden: pic.twitter.com/h5XldCfAjy

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) December 21, 2023

National Hockey Now Network

• This season has been anything but consistent for the New Jersey Devils. Unlike 2022-23, the Devils are sloppy, defenceless, and cannot buy a save if their season depended on it. It was more of the same for head coach Lindy Ruff and the Devils when Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers came to town. [New Jersey Devils]
• Hockey fans will get to see Macklin Celebrini in the World Junior Championships along with the rest of the world. Though he doesn’t have the same hold on the hockey world that Connor Bedard did, he’s still one hell of a prospect. [Chicago Blackhawks]
• A new era for the Florida Panthers will begin Friday when the team holds its first practice at their long-awaited new training facility in the heart of Fort Lauderdale. The facility, located on the outskirts of Holiday Park off Sunrise Boulevard and U.S. 1, will be opened in phases. [Florida Panthers]