Canadiens Daily
Habs Daily: Demidov, Lane Hutson Calder Talk, Scoreboard Watch
Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, highlights, and stories you may have missed on Wednesday.
Montreal Canadiens News
Any way you cut it, Lane Hutson is the obvious choice for the Calder Trophy this season. Macklin Celebrini, Dustin Wolf, and Matvei Michkov are having good seasons, but Hutson is in the midst a historic season. The voting should be easy, with an emphasis on “should”.[Canadiens Calder Trophy: The Strong Case For Lane Hutson]
SKA Saint-Petersburg decided to lean heavily on Ivan Demidov during Wednesday’s playoff game against Dynamo Moscow. The top Montreal Canadiens prospect responded by scoring the opening-goal of the game while on the powerplay. It was Demidov’s third consecutive playoff game with a point. Unfortunately for Demidov and Co., Dynamo emerged with a 5-4 win in double overtime. At the very least, the frustration stemming from his ridiculous usage seems to have subsided. [Ivan Demidov Shows Frustration In Pre-Game Interview]
Habs Prospect Ivan Demidov GOAL
second of the playoffs#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/uelDCMfC7e— HABS NATION (@CoachFrenchy10X) April 2, 2025
For a brief moment it appeared Demidov had scored the game-winning goal in overtime, but upon further review they called the goal back for goalie interference, which was more than fair. All things considered, Demidov looked great on Wednesday. Whenever he was on the ice, the puck had a very high likelihood of ending up 200 feet away from his goaltender.
Demidov touched it last, but it was called back for goalie interference.
And honestly, yeah, that’s fair, lol https://t.co/2Omoonw8pq
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 2, 2025
The Habs are still in the driver’s seat when it comes to the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, but they’ll face stiff competition from the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets. Believe it or not, it seems like a lot of fans want to see Montreal make the playoffs.
“Montreal deserves it more than the Rangers do”@JLazzy23 and @JeffMarek discussed the battle between the Canadiens and Rangers for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference
Presented by @FanDuelCanada #GoHabsGo #NYR pic.twitter.com/elpc5kyWUW
— The Sheet with Jeff Marek (@thesheethockey) April 3, 2025
Most of you know I like to mention Florian Xhekaj and Jared Davidson as often as possible, and I’d like to apologize, because I’m not going to stop any time soon. Yes, scoring goals is great, and having tough players in the lineup is important, but I will always gravitate toward entertaining players, regardless of where that entertainment comes from. In this case, it’s a combination of talent, truculence, and a penchant for making something happen every shift.
Speaking of Davidson, his game-winning goal against the Manitoba Moose on Wednesday was the 22nd time he found the back of the net. It wasn’t his most violent one-timer of the year, but it was a one-timer, because that’s how Davidson rolls.
One-timer or bust.
Condotta récupère la rondelle et la refile à Davidson qui compte!
Condo gets the puck to Davy and Davy scores 🚨 https://t.co/CPWvp2y2nj pic.twitter.com/I7hvfigWEG— x – Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) April 3, 2025
The New York Rangers beat the Minnesota Wild 5-4 (OT), which means they’re now tied with the Habs. The good news is the Canadiens have a game in hand.
National Hockey Now Network
Pittsburgh Penguins fans expecting to get rid of goaltender Tristan Jarry might be in for some bad news. [Pittsburgh Penguins]
After injuries to key player after key player, the New Jersey Devils were dragged into the deep waters of the playoff race. [New Jersey Devils]
The Vegas Golden Knights have officially punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Golden Knights have qualified for the playoffs in seven of their first eight seasons. [Vegas Golden Knights]
