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Canadiens Wrap

Canadiens Wrap: Nick Suzuki’s Value, Playoff Odds, Gallagher

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1 month ago

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Montreal canadiens captain nick suzuki

MONTREAL — There’s always Montreal Canadiens news to be absorbed on a daily basis, but there are only so many hours in a day. On Sundays, we recap the most exciting and relevant NHL news stories that you may have missed throughout the week so that you can stay in the Canadiens loop. Due to a disruption in our work schedule last week, this edition of the Canadiens wrap will begin on Wednesday rather than Monday.

Wednesday

The Habs won a key matchup against the Ottawa Senators, with Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher, and Christian Dvorak leading the charge. Not only did the Canadiens receive precious secondary scoring, they offered a complete team effort, exactly what the team needs if they want to improve their playoff odds. [Habs Highlights: Complete Team Effort In Crucial Win Vs. Ottawa]

With the win, the Habs are now officially in the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. There’s a lot of hockey left to play, but the win against Ottawa will go a long way in improving their chances to feature in springtime hockey. It’s worth noting they got a little help from their friends, as both the New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings lost on Tuesday.

The atmosphere following Tuesday’s win goes to show how much playoff hockey means to Montreal. The Bell Centre was buzzing, as per tradition.

Prospect Michael Hage was rewarded for his fantastic rookie campaign which saw him score 13 goals and 21 assists in 34 games. The 18-year-old forward was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Meredith Gaudreau joined Cat Toffoli and Julie Petry’s podcast to discuss the special bond between Cole Caufield and Johnny Gaudreau.

Here’s the latest on Lane Hutson. It turns out he may be half-decent at this whole ice hockey thing. Maybe he’ll even make a career of it, we’ll have to wait and see.

Thursday

The outlook for springtime hockey in Montreal has improved significantly in recent days. There are no guarantees in life, and the Canadiens will have to do their part, but the remaining schedule should work to their advantage. Every team currently chasing the Habs in the Eastern Conference playoff race has a much more difficult remaining strength of schedule [Updated Montreal Canadiens Playoff Odds: The Final Stretch]

We all know Lane Hutson is enjoying one of the most productive rookie seasons from a defenceman in league history, but what about his defensive play? Much  has been made about his defensive impact, but the fact remains that when Hutson is on the ice, the Canadiens tend to control the play. And when a player ends up being placed on Hutson’s pairing, his underlying numbers immediately improve. The numbers don’t lie, Hutson makes everyone around him better. [Montreal Canadiens Mythbusting: Lane Hutson’s Defensive Impact]

The Laval Rocket secured their 40th win of the season on Tuesday, setting a record for the most wins in franchise history. Laurent Dauphin scored a hat trick (20,21,22) in the 3-0 win over their rivals, the Toronto Marlies. Cayden Primeau now sports an impressive 16-2-0 record, not to mention a sparkling .917 save percentage.

If you haven’t had a chance to catch the Rocket yet this season I strongly encourage you to check them out. They can score, fight, hit, and most important of all, they’re the best team in the AHL.

It’s never a bad time for five-straight minutes of Hutson-related fun in the offensive zone. Given the lack of elite talent in Montreal in the last few decades, it’s almost hard to believe a Canadiens player is doing this as a rookie, but it’s real, and it’s spectacular. Note the number of times Hutson set up a teammate perfectly, only to see that perfect pass die on their stick.

We were very close to witnessing an ugly scene on Tuesday. According to Martin Biron, it was the first time veteran Josh Anderson wore cut-resistant socks, which means he put them on just in time to avoid a significant injury. I can still remember when Matt Cooke sliced Erik Karlsson’s Achilles heel, and from that moment on I was wondering why owners wouldn’t immediately mandate better protection. Of course, safety is the most important thing in the long run, but from a business perspective, a $20 investment can protect a multi-million dollar asset.

It’s an easy decision.

Bo Horvat is one of us! The New York Islanders forward is a big fan of Nick Suzuki.


Speaking of Suzuki, I’m still laughing at this hit attempt by Kleven. According to the play-by-play, this is officially a hit by Kleven, but Suzuki has to get credit for the 10-7 split.

Friday

Even though they held a significant advantage in shots and scoring chances, the Canadiens lost 4-3 to the New York Islanders in overtime. At the very least, it means they secured one very important point thanks to a late goal by veteran Brendan Gallagher. The playoff race has become more intense, as the Islanders are one of the teams that can surpass the Habs in the standings.  [Updated Montreal Canadiens Playoff Odds: The Final Stretch]

Speaking of Gallagher, there was some unfortunate news on Thursday, as his mother Della passed away earlier in the month. We would like to offer Brendan our love and support as he deals with the difficult situation.

The Canadiens may have dropped a point to the Islanders, but they did get a little help from other NHL teams. The Ottawa Senators suffered a one-sided loss to the Colorado Avalanche, while the New York Rangers lost in regulation to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Blue Jackets managed to pick up one point in their 1-0 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers.

Kevin Weekes is hinting at (another) potential NHL expansion. It’s easy to see why NHL owners want to collect more franchise fees, but at one point the NHL’s expansion strategy will reach a point of diminishing returns, especially if the league expands to 36 teams. There’s simply not enough talent to go around, and the product is already diluted as it is.

Okay, that’s a very nice looking jacket. It reminds me a little of the old Starter jackets that were impossible to avoid in the early 90s.

Any time you find yourself on a list with Cale Makar, you know things are going well. Of course, we already knew Lane Hutson is enjoying a great year, but it’s always fun to see him alongside one of the best defencemen in the league.

Keep an eye out for an Ivan Demidov update in the near future. I promised it last week, but my boss decided to give me a couple of days off, which was an offer I could not refuse. In the meantime, just know that SKA continues to act like complete amateurs when it comes to Demidov’s usage.

Saturday

Even though it’s rather obvious to many Canadiens fans that Nick Suzuki is a legitimate No.1 centre, that opinion is not shared by all analysts around the league. If we leave emotions, bias, and tired narratives aside and just focus on the facts, it’s quite clear that he’s easily among the top 32 centres in the league.

The stats actually suggest he’s in the top half of the best No.1 centres in the NHL, which goes to show that we tend to do a poor job updating our fact-based perception of certain hockey players. Often times, a player is given a label as a rookie, and it sticks for the rest of his career. In this case, we can drop the ‘not a true No.1 centre’ label on Suzuki, because it couldn’t be further from the truth.  [Canadiens Mythbusting – Nick Suzuki’s Impact As A Centre]

Brendan Gallagher’s mother, Della, passed away recently after a long fight with cancer. It’s clear her positive attitude, determination, and charisma had a significant impact on the Canadiens forward.

Lucie Lachance went out of her way to offer Gallagher the final Hockey Fights Cancer jersey worn by the 32-year-old veteran, a heartwarming decision by the die-hard Habs fan.

Gallagher was taken aback by the generous offer. He decided a jersey swap on the Bell Centre ice would be the best way to go about it. Fair play to all involved.

If the playoffs had started on Friday, the Canadiens would have been set for a series against the top team in the NHL, the Washington Capitals. Seeing as it will be difficult to catch the Ottawa Senators, if the Habs make the playoffs they’re almost guaranteed to face the No.1 ranked club in the Eastern Conference, but such is life in a competitive sports landscape.

Besides, I’m sure some of you remember the fun playoff run from 2010, which led to the Habs eliminating both the Capitals and the Penguins as the 8th seed.

David Reinbacher scored his second goal of the season on Friday, via a heavy slap shot. The production is a nice bonus, but Reinbacher’s mobility seems to be great, and that’s the most important issue considering his knee injury.

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