Author: Dans les Coulisses

Josh Anderson’s wife is pregnant.

Josh Anderson’s life changed this summer.

And the reason is simple: the Canadiens forward married his partner, Paola Finizio.

The wedding took place in Italy.

A few months after the wedding, it turns out there’s another big announcement regarding Andy.

His wife announced that she is pregnant through an Instagram post. Hooray!

The newlyweds are expecting their first child:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Paola Anderson (@paolaandersonn)

We don’t know yet if the child will be a boy or a girl. And we also don’t know when the baby is due, although we can see that his wife is starting to show signs of pregnancy.

But that’s not what’s important in the story.

The important thing is to learn that there’s a baby Anderson on the way.

That said, seeing the player perform better over the past month or two… It feels like his improved performance isn’t a coincidence.

I found that the forward seemed more motivated than in recent seasons in the last few weeks, and I’m convinced it’s related to this news.

He must be excited (for good reason), and that may translate to his performance on the ice.

Good for him!

Ultimately, we should be happy for him and his wife. The nights are going to be shorter after the baby is born, and it may impact Anderson’s performance on the ice… But, oh well.

We’ll have that discussion when the time comes.

In a nutshell

– Win or lose tonight?

– Attention to those interested:

– Phew…

– Yeah.

Loss to the Leafs: a reminder that the CH is still a team in rebuilding.

Obviously, last night’s loss hurt extremely hard and is very difficult to swallow, especially considering that it came against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the hated rivals of the CH.

However, the CH seemed to be in perfect control of the game, while the Leafs were completely stunned during the first 30 minutes of the match.

Everything looked perfect, and the Tricolor was heading straight towards a big victory that would have further proved that Montreal is not messing around and is truly back in force.

Unfortunately, this beautiful scenario collapsed, as the CH failed to maintain its lead and conceded seven unanswered goals to the Leafs.

Looking at the final score of 7 to 3, one might think that Martin St-Louis’s team was outclassed and dominated, but that’s not quite the case if we look beyond the seven goals conceded.

The CH simply lacked opportunism at key moments and failed to defend against the Leafs’ attacks while being very undisciplined.

In short, what we learned yesterday from this loss by the Tricolor is that despite the incredible streak of the team recently and the amazing level of play, Montreal is still a rebuilding team.

Indeed, we saw a talented and confident team, but inexperienced in a scenario where it led by three goals.

The recent glorious streak of the CH has rekindled excitement among the team’s supporters, but a loss like yesterday reminds us that in the end, it’s a long process and that such painful defeats are part of what will help the CH get through this process.

Ultimately, the Canadiens were not embarrassed last night despite the score, as the CH dominated the vast majority of the game and probably played its best 30 minutes of hockey of the season before the Leafs’ first goal.

The Tricolor directed 35 shots on the Leafs’ net compared to 34 for Toronto, which shows that the Tricolor was not outclassed; on the contrary.

It’s simply a young team in the midst of growth and ascent that continues to learn and improve steadily.

Therefore, there is no reason to panic about this loss, because in the end, the CH remains on an excellent streak, is still in the playoff race (just two points out) and shows hope even in a game where it was coming back like that.

In short, confidence must continue to reign in the Tricolor locker room, because in the end, it’s just a simple necessary misstep in the team’s rebuilding process.

There are several very positive signs for the CH after this game, and this applies on an individual level as well, so we need to look ahead and bounce back right away tonight against the New York Rangers.

This will be a very important match, as the Rangers will try to pass the CH in the standings, as they are just one point behind Martin St-Louis’s squad.

There’s no better opportunity for the CH to bounce back tonight with an excellent performance.

It will likely be Jakub Dobes in net, as he would thus play his first career game at the Bell Centre.

In Brief

– He is doing very well in the absence of Linus Ullmark.

– Speaking of Ullmark, wow, really very cool.

– Stay tuned today.

– A true metamorphosis.

– A must read.

Race to the series: all teams have earned points except for the CH (and the Wings)

Thanks to its excellent streak since December 17, the Montreal Canadiens are indeed back in the mix and in the playoff race.

In fact, Canadiens fans are now all focused on the Eastern Conference standings, as they closely follow the results of the various teams competing for a playoff spot.

And in such a race, unfortunately, losing a game and dropping points can really hurt, especially when other teams are earning points.

That was the case last night for the Canadiens, as their 7-3 loss to the Maple Leafs stings even more when looking at the results involving other teams in the playoff race.

The Tricolore is the only team that did not earn at least a point last night among those teams that are genuinely close to the playoff race.

The Red Wings also lost, but they are two points behind the Canadiens, and therefore four points away from the playoffs.

Here’s the rundown of the nightmarish standings night for the Canadiens:

  • The Ottawa Senators earned two points with a 6-5 shootout victory over the Boston Bruins. They now have 50 points.
  • The Boston Bruins earned one point in that same game. They also have 50 points.
  • The New York Rangers also won in a shootout (1-0) against the Columbus Blue Jackets. They now have 47 points.
  • The Blue Jackets earned one point in that same game. They now have 51 points.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers won 3-1 against the New Jersey Devils. They now have 48 points.

Here’s how things now stand in the East for the race for playoff spots.

By dropping two points last night, the Canadiens now find themselves two points out of the playoffs with the same number of games played as the Ottawa Senators, who hold the 8th and final playoff spot.

It’s a night that really hurt the Canadiens, as they could have found themselves ahead of the Boston Bruins with a win, and tied with the Senators.

And now, when looking behind the Tricolore, it’s just as stressful, given that the Flyers have the same number of points as the Canadiens, even though they have played two more games, and the Rangers have closed to within one point of the Canadiens.

By the way, those same Rangers will be visiting the Bell Centre tonight to face the Tricolore, in what will be a very important game in the playoff race.

If the Tricolore loses this game, no matter how, the Rangers will pass ahead of the Tricolore and come back even more into the playoff race, which the Canadiens really want to avoid.

Martin St-Louis’ team really needs to bounce back tonight and try to keep the Rangers out of the playoff picture.

In short, it’s really quite a playoff race currently unfolding in the East, and it’s truly enjoyable and exciting to see the Canadiens involved.

In Bullet Points

– Very well said and analyzed.

– Noted.

– To read.

– To follow.

– For those interested.

Top-5: Connor McDavid is ejected from the game for a violent double-check to the face.

Only two teams in the entire National Hockey League had a break yesterday, as fans were treated to a huge Saturday of hockey.

Each of the games had its share of highlights and significant events, but some stood out more than others.

Here is the compilation.

1. Connor McDavid delivers a vicious hit to Connor Garland’s face

In a 3-2 loss for the Vancouver Canucks last night against the Edmonton Oilers, Connor McDavid crossed the line.

Indeed, the Oilers captain delivered a violent cross-check to Connor Garland’s face in the final minute of play, resulting in a match penalty, and he was ejected from the game.

This is a very vicious act from McDavid, and seriously, he truly deserves to be suspended.

It will be closely monitored today.

It is also worth noting that in the victory, Quinn Hughes reached the 50-point plateau, making him the first defenseman since Paul Coffey to achieve this feat in back-to-back seasons in just 41 games.

It’s quite funny that he joins Paul Coffey in a statistic while facing the Oilers.

2. Former Habs propel the Avalanche to victory

The Colorado Avalanche can really say a huge thank you to the Montreal Canadiens last night for their 6-3 victory over the Dallas Stars.

Why?

Because it is credited to Artturi Lehkonen and Jonathan Drouin, as both former Habs earned the game’s two stars.

Lehkonen scored four points, including two goals, while Drouin tallied three points, including one goal.

Drouin first assisted Lehkonen.

And a few minutes later, Lehkonen returned the favor to Drouin on his 100th career goal.

Despite the fact that both former Habs have missed many games due to injuries, they are two very important elements in the Avalanche’s success.

Lehkonen now has 26 points, including 17 goals in 35 games, while Drouin has 14 points, including four goals in 14 games.

3. First goal in 28 games for Andrei Kuzmenko

After scoring 39 goals and 74 points in his rookie season in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks, Andrei Kuzmenko simply is not the same anymore.

He was unable to produce at that rate last season, which led to a trade to the Calgary Flames, and despite a good start with the Flames in 2023-2024, this season has been extremely difficult for the Russian winger.

The proof is that last night, in a solid 3-1 victory for the Flames over the Winnipeg Jets, Kuzmenko scored his first goal in 28 games this season.

He netted his second goal of the season, which turned out to be the game-winner.

Hopefully, this will restore Kuzmenko’s confidence, who has only 11 points in 33 games this season.

4. Nikita Kucherov scores a beautiful goal

In a 5-1 victory for the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Detroit Red Wings, Nikita Kucherov obviously stood out with a three-point performance.

The Lightning star forward also scored a stunning goal in this game, as he weaved through Detroit’s defense as if it was nothing.

5. Three fights in the same match in Nashville

We witnessed quite an intense game last night between the Nashville Predators and the Minnesota Wild.

In fact, there were three fights (yes, yes, three) in this completely wild game won by the Preds 6-2.

What’s even crazier is that all three fights occurred in the first period, specifically within the first seven minutes.

The third fight broke out right after David Jiricek scored his first goal with the Wild.

Here are the three fights in one video.

In Brief

– Three assists yesterday for Kaapo Kakko. He now has 13 points in 14 games since joining Seattle.

– Here are all the results from the previous day.

– Here are the top scorers from the previous day.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– On the schedule today in the NHL: three games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)

Two points in two games: Oliver Kapanen feels no symptoms from his head injury.

Last Saturday, Oliver Kapanen frightened many people by hitting his head hard on the ice during one of his team’s matches.

Fortunately, he felt fine in the following days and ultimately missed no games. On Thursday, he scored and earlier in the day, he registered an assist.

He now has 18 points in 19 games since returning to Sweden.

Of course, the Finn did not perform well in Montreal, but he is still young and has time to improve.

We need to be patient with him, and perhaps regaining his confidence with Timra IK was the solution. His last game in the NHL was on November 5. Kasperi’s cousin is doing well in Europe, and the Canadiens have been excellent for a few weeks, so both are currently not missing each other.

It’s a shame he couldn’t play with the Rocket, as it would have greatly helped him in his playoff race, and it would have been optimal for the development of the 21-year-old, but well. The rules, as strange as they are, are there to be followed.

All this to say that we must not forget Kapanen on the team’s prospect list. There may be Ivan Demidov, David Reinbacher, Michael Hage, and Jacob Fowler who excite us, but the Finn could still have a significantly important role in the future.

We need a Jake Evans 2.0. Owen Beck and he will have a similar role on a bottom-6.

In brief

– Oh really.

– The Chiefs win.

– Oh really.

– Oh yes?

– Great.

– A 100th goal for Jonathan Drouin.

The Leafs score seven unanswered goals to win against the CH.

Saturday night.

What could be better than a Canadiens-Leafs duel?

Here are the lineups:

Montreal did not allow the Leafs to impose themselves in the first period.

Martin St-Louis’s team scored three goals in the first twenty minutes, including two in nine seconds at the end of the period.

First, with a delay of game penalty, Kirby Dach scored his ninth goal of the season.

On a power play later, Patrik Laine scored from his office.

And exactly nine seconds later, Josh Anderson took on Superman and scored a beautiful goal.

He served a nice cup of coffee to Max Domi, the guy he was traded for.

At the end of the period, Arber Xhekaj refused an invitation from Ryan Reaves and at the beginning of the next period, he delivered a big check to him.

Check this out:

Moments later, Toronto finally showed signs of life.

After a missed shot by Christian Dvorak, Bobby McMann took advantage to cut the deficit.

With just over a minute to go in the second period, the gap was reduced even further.

Nick Robertson redirected a pass from Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the power play.

The CH took their foot off the gas and what was bound to happen happened: Toronto tied the game.

From the very first seconds, William Nylander made Lane Hutson and Samuel Montembeault look foolish.

And a few minutes later, the visitors took the lead for the first time in the match.

Still on the power play, a shot from the point bested Monty.

Auston Matthews dealt a serious blow to Montreal with a shot from the high slot.

The Quebecois should have stopped that shot without any traffic.

Final Score: 7-3 Toronto, who added a sixth and seventh unanswered goal.

Montreal will return to action tomorrow against the Rangers at the Bell Centre.

Overtime

– A tough game for Lane Hutson. He received a penalty after being served a cup of coffee, which led to the Leafs’ second goal. And he was beaten for speed on the tying goal. That can happen, though. He finished the game at minus-5.

– It was tough for the goalie too. Six goals allowed on 33 shots. Here’s hoping for Jakub Dobes’s departure tomorrow.

– The CH was not opportunistic, especially during the last two periods. It’s a painful loss, but the team can recover tomorrow.

– Oh really.

– Haha.

– A trade was close.

Nick Suzuki and Mike Matheson on Team Canada’s replacement list.

The confrontations between the four nations are coming very soon.

The tournament, which will take place at the Bell Centre and TD Garden, will start in mid-February. For now, only one player from the Canadiens will represent Team Canada, and that’s Samuel Montembeault. Let’s hope he is a starter in at least one game at the Bell Centre.

Two other players from the Tricolore could also be on the roster: Nick Suzuki (of course) and Mike Matheson. Both players are on the list of replacements for the Canadian GMs, according to Renaud Lavoie.

TVA Sports’ informant learned the news on Thursday but received confirmation this evening.

In Nick Suzuki’s case, he is simply on fire. Since being overlooked, he has recorded 19 points in as many games. And overall in the regular season, he has 45 points in 44 games. This shows how much depth there is in the attack when a guy with over a point per game is overlooked by the nation’s leaders.

If there is an injury, he could very well be the next one called up. One thing is for sure, he is considered by Don Sweeney and his group.

As for Mike Matheson, it is a bit more surprising, as his name has not been mentioned often. But in the shadow of Lane Hutson, who has lost his role on the team’s first power play unit, he is still having a good offensive season.

In 42 games, he has 22 points. He is not having the season he had last year, but still, he is on track to collect 42 points, which is really not bad. Here is Team Canada’s blue line in anticipation of the four nations confrontation:

Devon Toews – Cale Makar

Shea Theodore – Alex Pietrangelo

Josh Morrissey – Colton Parayko

Travis Sanheim

If one of these defenders gets injured, Matheson could very well be part of the lineup after all.

Lavoie did not mention the American team and the absence of Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson. Could the recent performances of the two young Americans send them to the four nations in the event of an injury to a forward or defenseman from the United States?

Jakub Dobes, what about him?

Patrik Laine and Joel Armia (Finland) will also be in the tournament.

Quick Hits

– A trade is not happening tonight, then.

– Another injury for the Rocket.

– He’s doing well.

Arber Xhekaj declines Ryan Reaves’ invitation.

One wonders why Ryan Reaves was added to the Toronto lineup ahead of tonight’s game.

After all, he brings absolutely nothing to the ice apart from physical play from time to time. He hasn’t even dropped the gloves this season, and tonight he wants to put an end to that drought.

At the end of the first period, he invited Arber Xhekaj to dance, but wisely, the Montreal defenseman declined and even pointed to the scoreboard. It was 3-0 at that moment, and the home team had just scored two goals in nine seconds.

On one hand, Reaves tried to rally his team, and Xhekaj did well to refuse and not change the momentum of the game.

I don’t know if the coaches told him not to fight, but if the young man made this decision on his own, it proves what we have known for some time now: Xhekaj is becoming more and more mature.

This season, he has simplified his game. He still delivers good checks, including this one on Reaves:

He picks the right moments to deliver them; he no longer compromises easily and doesn’t drop the gloves every two seconds.

And most importantly, unnecessary penalties have greatly decreased. It’s no coincidence that number 72 is used on a third pairing instead of being in the stands like Jayden Struble.

Overtime

The left-hander has been impressing me a lot recently, and I believe he has solidified his role as the sixth defenseman (for now).

In 41 games, he may only have five points, but he also has a decent record in the circumstances: minus-1.

Ryan Reaves in uniform: Craig Berube wants to be ready for “the physical players of the Canadiens”

This evening, at the Bell Centre, we will witness a big match between the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs. We know that the two teams, who don’t have much love for each other, are doing quite well these days… so we can expect a big game.

And above all, a game that sparks the interest of the fans.

So it will be a heavyweight duel if we consider the recent successes of both teams… but it could quickly turn into a heavyweight bout in the other sense of the term.

The reason? Ryan Reaves will be in uniform tonight… and Craig Berube made this decision to “be ready to face the physical players of the Canadiens”.

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Of course, when we think of Reaves and the Canadiens, we also think of Arber Xhekaj. After all, we’re talking about two heavyweights in the league… and especially, two guys who have a history.

Last season, the two dropped the gloves in the first game of the season.

That said, things have changed quite a bit since then. Xhekaj fights much less frequently, and more importantly, he is capable of helping the Habs in other ways, doing excellent work alongside David Savard.

Meanwhile, Reaves is having a… peculiar season. In fact, in 28 games this season, the tough guy from the Maple Leafs has as many fights as goals… and he is still searching for his first goal this season.

However, Reaves hasn’t turned into a nice guy: he admitted this week that he can’t wait to throw the gloves because “it’s been a long time”.

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So one can expect to see him antagonize Xhekaj tonight… but the Habs defender must not fall into the trap. He is much more important for the Habs than Reaves is for the Leafs, after all.

If Michael Pezzetta is still in uniform tonight (there haven’t been any recalls from Laval so far, so we should expect to see him play), I wonder if he will be the one to “take care of” Reaves. If he’s going to spend almost the entire game on the bench, he might as well go spend a few of those minutes in the penalty box.

But clearly, we should expect things to get rough tonight. The Leafs seem to respect the physical players of the Habs, and if Reaves is in uniform (he hasn’t been a regular in the lineup for a month), it’s because they want to send a message.

Hopefully, we won’t go overboard. Imagine if Reaves were to go for a cheap shot against Lane Hutson…

In brief

— This will be one to watch.

— Wow!

— The Atlantic is extremely competitive.

— Too bad.

— Larry Brooks is not ready to blame (only) Chris Drury for the Rangers’ struggles.

Ivan Demidov: despite his three-point game, he seems to have lost his spot on the first line.

Ivan Demidov is having a big year with the SKA. The forward, who has 35 points in 44 games this season, is managing to shine even though his ice time hasn’t always been great.

He is really, really full of talent.

That said, for the past few weeks, we’ve seen him in a much more prominent role. He’s playing a lot more… and unsurprisingly, the points are following, having scored three in his last game.

His coach even (finally) publicly praised him.

But evidently, his big performance and the compliments from his coach don’t seem to have been enough to keep him on the first line. Indeed, in a video posted by SKA, we see Demidov training in a blue jersey… and the blue jersey means he’s been training on the second line.

The club only plays on Tuesday, so it could still change… but Roman Rotenberg seems to want to (again) mix things up.

It should be noted that despite Demidov’s recent individual successes, the SKA is struggling lately. In the last match of the team, for example, Demidov’s three points were not enough as the club lost.

The team’s record of 25-15-5 is unsatisfactory considering the high expectations. Unless there’s a major collapse, this will be enough to qualify for the playoffs… but the SKA will not enter as a favorite. Let’s remember that even an early elimination for the club would not bring Demidov to Montreal this season.

Returning to the kid, this means that he continues to move from line to line within his team. He clearly seems to be part of the solution for SKA… and even if he remains in the top-6, he seems to be on the verge of losing his place on the first line even though the last few days couldn’t have gone better for him.

I wonder how Demidov is taking this, especially since, in the meantime, in Montreal, the lines are more stable than ever…

Quick Notes

— News from La Victoire.

— Note this.

— What a photo.

— A name to watch next winter.