Habs Daily: Slafkovsky’s Big Game, Injured Canadiens, Mailloux

Make sure to check out the Montreal Canadiens news items, highlights, and stories you may have missed on Wednesday.

Montreal Canadiens News

The Canadiens were hoping either Mike Matheson or Patrik Laine would be ready to face the Blue Jackets, as both injured players made the trip to Columbus, but we’ll have to wait a little longer for Matheson return and Laine’s debut. The next game on the docket will be a trip to New York to face the Rangers on Saturday afternoon, with an early 1:00 pm ET puck drop. [NHL]

Wednesday’s game against the Blue Jackets had the potential to be a major roadblock for Martin St-Louis’ team, especially since they travelled after facing Utah on Tuesday. Rather than hold back, the Habs offered a complete team effort which led to a hard-fought 4-3 overtime win. Juraj Slafkovsky, the youngest player in the lineup, had one of his best games of the year. [Habs Highlights: Juraj Slafkovsky Bounces Back In Key Win]

Slafkovsky was all smiles after the game, a very encouraging sign when it comes to his confidence. He needs to shoot a lot more often if he’s to score with regularity, and that will involve a certain level of greed. Or rather, he has to stop being so generous during high-danger scoring opportunities, as he did when he decided not to pass to Suzuki during an odd-man rush.

🧱 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Ttdh60z9F1

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 28, 2024

It was also a very solid game for Montreal Canadiens defenceman Lane Hutson, who was thrust into first-pairing duties due to the Matheson injury. Consequently, Kaiden Guhle, who had been playing great on the left, was shifted back to his offside. I’d argue Hutson’s defensive impact, which was underrated from the get-go, has improved by leaps in bounds just 22 games into his career. He’ll always lose a few pucks here and there, that comes with the territory of being one of the busiest players in the NHL. The more you have the puck on your stick, the more you lose it, it’s inevitable. But the good outweighs the bad in that respect, and if his defensive work shores up a little more, he’ll have very few weaknesses to address in the coming years.

Lane Hutson drives the play down to the OZ and Nick Suzuki, as per usual, gets things done. Habs win in OT. 4-3. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/L8KTQ1oTbb

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 28, 2024

Logan Mailloux scored his fifth goal of the year for the Laval Rocket, but the team itself failed to beat Hershey, losing 5-3 to the Bears. The game is particularly notable because Hershey is also one of the best teams in the league. The Rocket outshot the Bears 25-22, but they allowed their opponents to score two powerplay goals, a recipe for disaster in any hockey game.

National Hockey Now Network

The Pittsburgh Penguins don’t like comfortable, and they surely don’t make anything easy. After converting nearly every chance and racing to a 5-1 lead over the Vancouver Canucks, the Penguins watched their four-goal lead slowly evaporate over the final 35 minutes. But captain Sidney Crosby dragged the team back from the brink after each goal. [Pittsburgh Penguins]

Former Hab Jonathan Drouin just can’t catch a break. The 29-year-old forward is on the mend again, and is considered to be out week-to-week with an upper-body injury.[Colorado Avalanche]

If you’re planning on seeing excitement when you come to see the Detroit Red Wings play this season at Little Caesars Arena, we’ve got news for you. [Detroit Red Wings]