Habs Daily: Laine Has Arrived, Caufield Snubbed, Montembeault

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

Montreal Canadiens

It’s not official yet, but according to several hockey insiders Samuel Montembeault will be among the players set to represent Team Canada at the 4 Nations Faceoff. Montembeault will join goaltenders Adin Hill and Jordan Binnington, and though there’s no guarantee he ends up playing any of the games, the fact that Montembeault went from being given away on waivers to earning a roster spot with Canada is quite the impressive journey.

Nick Suzuki, on the other hand, is not expected to be part of the Canadian lineup despite his current point-per-game scoring pace.

INSIDER TRADING – TSN’s Hockey Insiders project the entire Team Canada 4 Nations 🇨🇦 roster ahead of Wednesday’s official reveal, who’s not making Team USA, and Patrik Laine making Team Finland 🇫🇮: https://t.co/Ws20ifEGEQ pic.twitter.com/gV8SLcK9nw

— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) December 3, 2024

Unfortunately, it appears that Team USA has opted not to invite Cole Caufield, even if he’s among the country’s most productive players. The Americans have gone full galaxy brain, as they are set to bring Chris Kreider and Vincent Trochek to the tournament. With 16 goals and seven assists to his credit this season, Caufield has more points than both players combined. Team USA is also set to leave Tage Thompson behind, yet another player who has outproduced Trochek and Kreider by a wide margin.

Chris Johnston on Insider Trading believes Tage Thompson and Cole Caufield will be left off the Team USA roster, they have decided to go with experience over young skill. Trocheck, Kreider and Brock Nelson are expected to make the team.

— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) December 3, 2024

There was no guarantee Patrik Laine would end up playing for Team Finland, especially since the injury in the preseason prevented anyone from getting a good read on his overall form. The Finns did not hesitate, as Laine’s name was included on their official roster.

Scheduled to make his 2024-25 debut tonight (and play his 1st non-preseason game since Dec 2023) in the @CanadiensMTL contest vs the Islanders, Patrik Laine has been a goal scoring expert throughout his career as he sits 5th (and with a shot at 4th) on this list of Finnish names pic.twitter.com/WhVcClZrG4

— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) December 3, 2024

Tuesday’s game against the New York Islanders marked Laine’s debut with the Canadiens, and you’d be hard-pressed to argue he did not enjoy a fantastic start. He opened the scoring with a very nice shot on the powerplay, while Montembeault and Suzuki took care of the rest. It was clear Laine is still rusty, and the expectations should stay reasonable, but you couldn’t help but feel great as you watched the Bell Centre faithful serenade Laine with his first Montreal ovation. [Canadiens Instant Recap: Welcome To Montreal, Patrik Laine]

Laine continues to be openly discuss the importance of maintaining strong mental health, a good reminder that these are not hockey robots, but rather, humans.

#Habs Patrik Laine: “I talked with my therapist about this when I was a little nervous yesterday and decided putting this jersey on today is an achievement after everything and everything that comes after that is a plus.”

— Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) December 4, 2024

As for Laine’s play alongside Kirby Dach and Juraj Slafkovsky, the trio struggled from a statistical standpoint at 5v5, but it’s much too early to worry about early results when they’re only beginning to create a little chemistry. Head coach Martin St-Louis liked what he saw from his second line, to the point that they were given more 5v5 ice time than the top line.

#Habs Martin St-Louis said he thought Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach and Juraj Slafkovský looked good together in their first game playing together and hopes they can continue to build off of it moving forward.

— Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) December 4, 2024

National Hockey Now Network

The early returns on Scott Wedgewood are just what the doctor ordered. If the doctor was attempting to fix whatever happens when Alexandar Georgiev allows an early goal and the rest of the team falters, that is. [Colorado Avalanche]

The Florida Panthers, who just days ago were on the cusp of despair and in the throes of a four-game losing streak, have quickly turned their fortunes around. A couple wins against the Carolina Hurricanes have helped. [Florida Panthers]

The Boston Bruins played from behind for nearly the entirety of Tuesday night’s game at TD Garden until the very end when Pavel Zacha netted the game-winning goal at 2:15 of overtime, lifting them to a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings. [Boston Bruins]