Habs Daily: Demidov Top 10, Evans Misses Heineman, Fowler

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, highlights, and stories you may have missed on Monday.

Montreal Canadiens News

Top prospect Ivan Demidov registered yet another two-point effort, helping SKA St-Petersburg beat Severstal 5-3. With the two points, Demidov now has 19 goals and 29 assists in 56 games, good for 9th overall in KHL scoring.

The second assist featured a nice controlled entry, which led to Matvei Korotky’s game-winning goal. He’s yet to score a goal in February, but he has produced eight assists in just seven games.

It takes more than just one player to complete a hockey team, but losing fourth-liner Emil Heineman coincides with the worst stretch of the season for the Canadiens.

The unfortunate accident that led to Heineman’s injury didn’t just line up with the downtick in results from the Habs, it had a significant impact on Jake Evans’ play. Not only has his offence dried up, his underlying numbers have collapsed without Heineman by his side.[The Montreal Canadiens Miss Emil Heineman More Than Expected]

Jacob Fowler recovered from a two-game losing streak, the longest losing streak of his NCAA career. He’s fifth in the league in save percentage, and he’s once again leading the NCAA in wins, with 20.

There’s no doubt he’s one of the top Habs prospects, however, there’s also no rush when it comes to his ascension to the NHL. Spending time in the AHL with the Laval Rocket could lead to better results in the long run.   [Evaluating Jacob Fowler’s Long Term Impact With The Canadiens]

Canada managed to beat Finland  5-3 at the 4 Nations Faceoff, with Canadiens forward Patrik Laine earning one assist in the losing effort. The game featured yet another shaky performance by starter Jordan Binnington. He stopped 23 of the 26 shots he faced, giving him a .892 save percentage throughout the tournament.

Seeing as neither Adin Hill nor Samuel Montembeault have been given a start in the tournament, it’s likely that John Cooper once again turns to Binnington in the next matchup rather than calling on a cold goaltender.

As for the United States, they dropped their final game 2-1 versus Sweden, and will face Canada in the final on Thursday. For the record, American starter Connor Hellebuyck is currently sporting a .957 save percentage.

GRANLUND AGAIN 🚨 pic.twitter.com/lHP94d0VkI

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 17, 2025

The good news is that Jared Davidson (17) and Joshua Roy (15) scored for the Laval Rocket on Monday night. The bad news is their rivals, the Toronto Marlies, blew them out of the water by winning 7-2. The Rocket are having a hard time with injuries, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight, as Filip Mesar ended up missing Monday’s game, forcing the team to play with 11 forwards and 7 defencemen.

Dans le haut du filet 👀
⬆️🥅 https://t.co/uEl1JBX351 pic.twitter.com/XU6JJNU3Ui

— Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) February 17, 2025

National Hockey Now Network

Jon Cooper delivered some high praise for Canada’s captain, Sidney Crosby.[Pittsburgh Penguins]

With Team USA already claiming a spot in the 4 Nations Face-Off title game, Monday’s matchup with Sweden had nothing on the line for either team. Both teams rolled into the game shorthanded: USA was without Matthew Tkachuk and Auston Matthews due to what sound like precautionary reasons; Sweden has been battling a flu bug and came in with 11 forwards. [Florida Panthers]

Brad Marchand is used to playing in big games at TD Garden as the home team with the Boston Bruins. He will once again on Monday, but for the first time as a visitor with Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off. [Boston Bruins]