Author: Dans les Coulisses

Top-5: Nathan MacKinnon scores one of the goals of the year in the NHL

13 games were played in the NHL last night, including the Canadiens’ match against the Stars in Dallas.

The CH won its game against the Stars, but we also need to talk about what happened elsewhere around the league.

It was a busy evening:

1 : Nathan MacKinnon scores one of the goals of the year

Nathan MacKinnon is among the elite in the National Hockey League.

And we saw it last night as the Avalanche hosted the powerful Oilers at home.

The Dog scored one of the goals of the year, completely outsmarting Evan Bouchard… before beating Stuart Skinner:

The Avalanche had control of the game… until the Oilers’ big guns decided to wake up.

The Edmonton team scored four unanswered goals to ultimately win 4-3, after being down 3-0 in the first period:

Evan Bouchard (one goal and one assist), Connor McDavid (one goal and one assist), and Leon Draisaitl (two assists) contributed to their team’s victory.

Things are going well for the Oilers lately, who have won eight of their last ten games.

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2 : Another goal for Ovi

We move to overtime of the game between the Senators and the Capitals.

The score is 0-0… And it’s the guy who usually scores that decided to step up.

You guessed it, Alex Ovechkin gave his team the win (1-0) with a nice shot:

Ovi now has 874 goals in the NHL.

He only needs 21 more to pass Wayne Gretzky, and it’s safe to say it’s just a matter of time at this point.

Note that with his goal, Ovechkin has now scored on 179 different goalies since the beginning of his NHL career.

That’s a record:

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3 : Kakko is doing well

The Rangers traded Kaapo Kakko to Seattle in December.

And let’s say the Finn is doing what he can to make Chris Drury look bad.

Kakko registered an assist on the Kraken’s first goal yesterday against the Jets:

He now has 10 points in 13 games since his arrival in Seattle.

Not bad!

However, it should be noted that the efforts of the interested party were not enough: Dylan DeMelo scored with 27 seconds remaining to give his team the victory.

The Jets escaped with the W (2-1 score):

Once again, Connor Hellebuyck was outstanding in goal.

The Jets’ goalie stopped 18 of the 19 shots he faced to earn his 28th (!) victory of the season.

He’s going to win the Vezina, for sure.

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4 : An assist for Michkov and Celebrini

Lane Hutson recorded an assist yesterday in the Canadiens’ victory over the Stars in Dallas.

What does the Calder race look like now?

In fact, let’s note that Matvei Michkov and Macklin Celebrini also registered an assist last night in their respective games.

It’s heating up:

Hutson now has 36 points since the start of the season.

Michkov and Celebrini each have 32.

I can’t wait to see who will win the Calder…

Note that Michkov and the Flyers took advantage of their visit to Long Island to beat the struggling Islanders (5-3).

Celebrini and the Sharks, on the other hand, lost 4-1 to the Blue Jackets in Columbus.

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5 : 1300th career game for Vlasic

Marc-Édouard Vlasic is no longer the defenseman he once was.

But he had a nice moment last night, even though his team lost to the Jackets.

The defenseman played his 1300th career game in the NHL:

1300 games… That’s a lot.

And the defenseman’s achievement is notable as he becomes only the 74th player in NHL history to reach that many games in their career.

That’s quite an accomplishment.

Overtime

– That would have been crazy.

– Another win for the Kings.

– Stamkos led his team to victory against the Hawks in the shootout.

– Bedard scored in his team’s loss:

– Nice goal.

– In the Leafs’ victory, Marner reached the 700-point milestone in his career:

– Nice.

– A first career game for Donovan Sebrango. The family was emotional:

– Nice milestone for Victor Hedman.

– Sniiiipe.

– The top scorers of the night:

(Credit: )

– Only two games today in the NHL:

(Credit: )

Samuel Montembeault has made all the starts at the Bell Centre this season.

Last night, Cayden Primeau won his game in the AHL. Things are going well for the Laval Rocket’s goalie (better than Logan Mailloux, let’s say) since he was sent down – and that’s a good thing for him.

In three games, he has three wins. And without him yesterday, the Penguins would have won. Even though he gave up three goals quickly, he closed the door and opened the door to a big comeback.

It’s good if he can regain confidence down there. Because for now, it’s the most effective way for him to prepare for a potential return to the NHL – in Montreal or elsewhere.

But there’s something we need to note on the side of his victory yesterday. Did you know that this season, it’s only the second time Primeau started a home game?

The other time? It was… on January 3, also in Laval.

This season, Primeau (who was in the NHL until the holidays) has not started a single game at the Bell Centre. He has played four times at home, but each time, it was in relief of Samuel Montembeault.

It was never under optimal conditions, then.

(Credit: ESPN)

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And because Jakub Dobes’ three starts with the Habs took place on the road, we can easily conclude that Samuel Montembeault has started all the Canadiens’ games at the Bell Centre this year. Anthony Marcotte discussed it on the radio (BPM Sports) this morning.

It was anecdotal when we talked about Martin Brodeur in New Jersey during his big years, but it’s news in 2024-2025 for the Habs. Especially when we know that Samuel Montembeault is not the best #1 goalie in the NHL – with all due respect for his great season.

Of course, even if it means the Habs believe in Monty, it reflects the lack of confidence the Habs had in Primeau. That said, with Jakub Dobes, things have changed.

Whether he plays tonight in Dallas (I believe he will play), we should expect to see the newcomer get one of the home games this weekend. In my eyes, Sunday’s game belongs to him.

(Credit: NHL.com)

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I expect to see Dobes play on Sunday in New York, next Thursday in Detroit, and one of the last two games (January 28 or 30) of the month before the end of the month. Of those, it would make two home games.

And just before the break for the Four Nations Cup, there will be a back-to-back at home on February 8 and 9. #SuperBowl

If Dobes continues to give the Canadiens chances to win every time he is in net, it is clear that with the schedule as it is, he is not only Montembeault playing at home.

And that’s perfectly fine.

The three goalies who have played in Montreal have things to prove by the end of the season. Monty will want to keep his #1 spot with the young ones pushing, Dobes will want to stay in the NHL, and Primeau will want to prove he is not done playing in the best league in the world.

And with Jacob Fowler coming in, it’s clear that everyone needs to keep an eye on each other.

In Brief

– Jared Davidson did well yesterday. Interesting…

– What does that mean for the Blue Jays?

– Excellent.

The same scenario repeats: the Canadiens have (again) defeated an NHL powerhouse.

For the second time in less than a week, the Canadiens faced the Dallas Stars. After a loss in a shootout last Saturday at the Bell Centre, the CH had the chance to take revenge in Dallas.

For the occasion, it was Jakub Dobes who was in goal for the team.

Here is the Canadiens’ lineup:

On the Stars’ side, Jake Oettinger was in goal for a lineup that includes several injured players.

Here is the home team’s lineup:

We saw action quickly at the start of the game. In fact, it didn’t even take four minutes for the first goal of the match to be scored.

However, it was the Stars who scored, courtesy of Jason Robertson (and a defensive sequence from the CH that will not go down in history).

That said, we have seen for a few weeks that the Canadiens are combative… and they proved it again less than a minute after the Stars’ goal.

A beautiful sequence by Cole Caufield allowed Juraj Slafkovský to tie the score.

It calmed down afterwards, the score was 1-1 after 20 minutes.

In the second period, during a Stars power play, Joel Armia found himself without a stick after giving his to Alexandre Carrier.

However, this did not prevent the Finn from being useful defensively. An impressive effort on his part.

However, it should be noted that in the second period, no goals were scored… and this was notably thanks to the brilliance of Jakub Dobes.

The young goaltender of the CH was dominant during the first 40 minutes of the match.

After 40 minutes, the score was still 1-1.

In the third, the CH continued to fight in a tightly contested game… and once again, Lane Hutson created something offensively.

The defenseman took a shot on goal that was redirected by Alex Newhook… before ending up in the Stars’ net. Suddenly, the CH took the lead in this match.

The Stars had a few good chances to tie the score, but Dobes and the CH held strong.

Joel Armia sealed the score in an empty net.

Final score: 3-1 Montreal

The Canadiens will return to action Saturday night, as they will be back at home to face the Maple Leafs. This will be the first game of a back-to-back.

Overtime

– Once again tonight, the Canadiens demonstrated that they are capable of being competitive against any NHL team. The games are repeating themselves for the club… and for the first time in years, this is a good thing.

– The CH really beat a hot team tonight. This is only their second loss in 10 games for the Stars, who are having a dream season.

– Joel Armia was possibly the best player for the Canadiens tonight. He was everywhere on the ice, and he greatly deserved to score the insurance goal in an empty net. He is well-paid at $3.4M per season, but when Armia plays with confidence, he is quite a hockey player.

– This group is really tight-knit. Look at the team’s reaction when the Stars got a bit too close to Jakub Dobes for the CH’s liking.

– Speaking of Dobes, he stopped 32 of the 33 shots from the Stars tonight. He is really, really solid, the kid.

– I don’t know if we will ever say it enough that Lane Hutson is special… but once again tonight, it is thanks to him that the Canadiens got two points. He now has 10 points in his last six games… and he has 25 points in his last 23 games.

It is (really) difficult for Alexis Lafrenière since he signed his big contract.

The New York Rangers are having a terrible season. The club has a record of 20-20-3 before today’s game, and for a team that had Stanley Cup aspirations, this is obviously an unacceptable performance.

Moreover, having to deal with a new drama almost every week does not help, you can agree on that.

That said, at the start of the season (on October 25, to be precise), the club agreed to the terms of a long-term contract with Alexis Lafrenière. He had a strong start to the season (seven points in seven games), and the club wanted to settle the matter.

However, since he signed his $52.15 million contract over seven years, it has been really difficult for Lafrenière. In fact, since October 25, he has only seven goals and 17 points in 36 games.

And the Quebecer is the first to admit it: he admitted to Alexandre Gascon (Radio-Canada) that it is a tough campaign for him.

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In fact, since December 9, Lafrenière has only four points in 17 games, even though he is on the first wave of the power play. In the context where the Rangers are having a nightmarish season, part of the lack of production is justifiable… but the contract he signed means he needs to be part of the solution.

The deal hasn’t officially started yet (it will begin on July 1), but it has nonetheless changed the player’s status in the locker room.

And if we look at Lafrenière’s statistics since he signed his contract (seven goals and 17 points in 36 games), we see that during this same period, Kirby Dach has scored eight goals and 14 points in 36 games.

Essentially, Lafrenière has roughly the same production as Dach for nearly three months… and Dach, who doesn’t have a huge contract and is coming back from a serious injury, has received a ton of criticism regarding his play. Imagine what it would be like in the city if the Quebec forward had experienced this stretch in Montreal…

Obviously, Lafrenière still has time to emerge from his slump and prove to the Rangers that they made the right decision. That said, sooner or later, he will have to show some promising signs.

After all, Dach is at least showing a few…

In Brief

– Frank Seravalli fires harsh criticism at Kyle Dubas.

Mathias Brunet has essentially done the same thing, by the way.

– It’s (pretty much) better than the Islanders’ performance.

– Choosing Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry over an “aging” Marc-André Fleury was not a good decision in Pittsburgh.

– The Blue Jackets are no longer losing.

SKA: Tony DeAngelo “was not liked and argued with everyone”

In Montreal, the SKA of Saint Petersburg has never had more followers than it does since the beginning of the season. With Ivan Demidov, the club’s great hope, playing there, we are closely monitoring what is happening within Roman Rotenberg’s team.

This clearly shows how eager fans are to see Demidov arrive in town.

Among the many events this season for the SKA, the signing of Tony DeAngelo was a major moment. A quality offensive defender joining the group was a great opportunity for a talented player like Demidov…

Except that in the end, he left the team for “family reasons”… and it sounded like an explanation that hid another.

However, according to MatchTV, the hidden explanation may be the one that has been problematic for DeAngelo since the beginning of his career: in fact, according to a source from the Russian media, DeAngelo “was not liked and argued with everyone” at the SKA.

In the above post, we see a video where a coach from the SKA dismisses DeAngelo as he returns to the bench. He reportedly did this in response to similar comments from DeAngelo towards him.

DeAngelo, whose salary was largely tied to performance bonuses, is also accused of being self-centered and only thinking about his statistics.

Quite a portrait, all of this.

Of course, one has to take some stories of this kind with a grain of salt, especially since DeAngelo has not been able to give his version of events. That said, DeAngelo has not always had the reputation of being a great teammate during his time in the NHL… and this story seems consistent with the defender’s history.

Once again, maybe the source from MatchTV exaggerated things to make the defender look bad after he left the club… but all of this remains peculiar.

That said, we know that (publicly, at least) DeAngelo has never hesitated to praise Demidov. He repeats to anyone who will listen that the CH prospect is a special talent who should never have slipped to the Canadiens’ selection rank.

Perhaps behind the scenes, the relationship between the two was more strained… but one could wonder if Demidov lost a teammate who believed in him. The good news is that Roman Rotenberg now seems to be part of that clan, but in any case, it must be said that Demidov lost a talented teammate.

In Brief

– 6-0-0: the CH’s record this season when Kirby Dach scores.

– A beautiful way to honor his memory.

– He is a name to watch.

Evgeni Malkin: ultimately, his three rings were found at his home.

This morning, colleague Charles-Alexis Brisebois published a text reporting that Evgeni Malkin had been the victim of a burglary. Among the items reported as stolen were notably the three Stanley Cup rings of the veteran.

It’s understandable that it is unfortunate to see him lose items that must hold a lot of value to him.

The investigation has obviously been underway since the burglary… but tonight, a new interesting detail has emerged from this whole story.

In fact, the local police department’s X account provided a small update on the Russian’s rings: they have been found.

What is peculiar, however, is that they were found… at Malkin’s home.

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It’s clear that all of this is quite unusual, and one might wonder how the rings could have been reported as stolen if they never left the Penguins player’s home. Were they moved during the burglary before being found? Did Malkin forget where he placed them? These are, I imagine, possible lines of inquiry.

One might also wonder if this is an insurance issue… but nothing indicates that this is the case, for now.

Furthermore, via the Penguins’ X account, Malkin took the time to thank everyone who supported him since the incident. He notably thanked the police, his teammates, and also the fans.

In short, this is a situation that, one agrees, is quite peculiar… but the most important thing is that, in the end, Malkin has found his rings.

However, it is worth noting that the investigation remains open. We will see if new developments arise in the coming days.

In brief

– Alexandre Carrier helped Kaiden Guhle, but he also helped Lane Hutson take it to the next level.

– Toronto celebrates the return of Sheldon Keefe.

– Connor Hellebuyck must be considered for the Hart, says Martin Brodeur.

– A beautiful moment.

– Indeed.

Martin McGuire: It’s crazy how the atmosphere at the Canadiens and at the Rangers is different.

What is the difference between the New York Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens?

Easy: there is one team that has been winning for a month and the other is losing. Hehe.

No joke, the two teams are in completely different situations and it shows especially in the atmosphere within the two teams.

The Rangers are visiting Salt Lake City for their game tonight, and the Canadiens were there too in the last few days.

Both teams stayed at the same hotel (at the same time)… And the beat reporters were also set up at the same hotel.

Martin McGuire – who was at the hotel – saw what differentiates the Canadiens from the Rangers and discussed it in a radio segment (98.5 FM) last night.

The vibe with the Canadiens is exceptional… While with the Blue Shirts, it’s more than complicated:

It was obvious.

You could see the confident team, the solid team… And you could see the team full of doubts, full of internal conflicts, and full of problems. You could see it in the players’ faces! – Martin McGuire

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It’s for sure that it helps when you are in a position to win!

David Savard’s comments align with those of McGuire, by the way.

The Canadiens’ defenseman said in an interview that it’s fun going to the arena these past few weeks:

We also saw it after the team’s victory in Salt Lake City on Tuesday night.

The guys are having fun together and it’s refreshing because we know how difficult it has been in Montreal for the past few years:

Good for them, really.

When the atmosphere is good and when the guys have confidence, it truly helps a team win games.

Whether it’s in hockey, football, basketball, baseball, or soccer… It’s always easier to win when everyone is on the same page.

And that’s what we see with the Canadiens right now, unlike what we see with the New York Rangers.

Quick Hits

– Great moment for Donovan Sebrango, who will play his first NHL game tonight.

– Nice list.

– It’s your turn to answer!

Alex Newhook is the worst scorer for the Canadiens among regular forwards.

Nick Suzuki is the leading scorer among the forwards of the Canadiens.

The captain has 43 points in as many games since the start of the season, with Cole Caufield closely following him with 42 points in 43 games.

In third place among the top scorers (still among the forwards) of the CH, we find Juraj Slafkovsky. The tall Slovak boasts a total of 23 points in 40 games in 24-25.

We have eliminated three players from the equation, which leads me to ask you the following question.

Among the 12 regular forwards of the Canadiens, which one of them has the fewest points since the start of the season?

If your choice is Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak, Josh Anderson, or Brendan Gallagher, you are mistaken.

And if your choice is Kirby Dach, Patrik Laine, Emil Heineman, or Jake Evans, you are also wrong.

Only one remains… And it is Alex Newhook.

Yes, we are talking about the same Alex Newhook who has been playing in the top-6 of the team since the very first game of the Canadiens’ season… And who also plays on the power play.

(Credit: NHL.com)

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When Kent Hughes went to get him from Colorado, we didn’t expect Newhook to arrive in Montreal as the savior of the organization, nor did we expect him to bring a Stanley Cup to the city.

But we also did not expect it to be so difficult offensively for him.

10 points in 43 games… That’s not even 20 points over a full 82-game season. Newhook is on track to have (by far) his worst offensive season in his career since entering the National Hockey League, and even though he has been playing better lately, everyone will agree with me if I say he needs to contribute more.

Ultimately, it must be remembered that he has played a lot with Dach – who has had his share of difficulties this season as well.

The second line was invisible for several weeks, and the absence of Laine also plays a role in all of this.

But still: if you play in the top-6 of an NHL team, you must be able to produce. You need to be capable of getting points here and there, but that’s not the case with #15 this season.

Alex Newhook is 23 years old, and he still has time to blossom. He wasn’t drafted 16th overall in the 2019 draft just because he has nice eyes: it’s because he has interesting potential due to the qualities that can be seen (at times) in his game.

However… He needs to find a way to contribute more offensively. He is playing for his spot in the team’s top-6, and if he wants to keep it for the upcoming years (which may not happen with the addition of Ivan Demidov), he needs to step up.

Quick Hits

– What do you think?

– The Bell Centre is going to explode.

– Ouch.

Ivan Demidov: For a rare occasion, Roman Rotenberg is showering him with praise.

The coming years in Montreal are going to be exciting.

Especially when we see Ivan Demidov performing as he is this season in the KHL.

The Canadiens’ prospect scored three more points today in his team’s loss, bringing his total to 35 (in 44 games) since the start of the season. For a guy who wasn’t playing much in the first weeks of the campaign… It’s clear that his production is really interesting.

But today, even though his team lost, Roman Rotenberg decided to sing his praises.

Well… He must be having a fever, the good old Rotenberg!

That’s the first thought that came to my mind when I saw the SKA head coach praised his player.

Because we can all agree on this point: it doesn’t happen often.

Rotenberg mentioned after his team’s game that Demidov “has reached another level” and that pressure does not affect him.

He also said that other young players his age are not as mentally strong as Demidov:

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Roman Rotenberg could have gone back to his old routine when he saw Demidov being benched after just three minutes of play for delaying the game.

But the SKA coach instead chose to trust his young player by giving him his best ice time of the season (22:05).

Result? Demidov finished the game with one goal and two assists, and he was the offensive engine of his team during the match.

The team lost… But we saw that Demidov is capable of the best when he is used the right way.

Moreover, it should be noted that the Canadiens’ visit to Russia seems to have done him a world of good.

Looking at the last 10 games of the player, we realize that Rotenberg is right in saying he has reached another level:

  • Nine goals and six assists (15 points)
  • 36 shots on goal
  • A plus-minus of plus-6
  • Only two games without a point

Finally, let’s note that Demidov – with his performance today – is just seven points away from Kirill Kaprizov’s record for the most points scored by a 19-year-old player in the KHL (42).

Hard to ask for more. And Rotenberg doesn’t seem crazy for praising the kid’s qualities!

In a nutshell

– Good for him.

– 😅😂

– It’s truly deserved.

– We could even add Lane Hutson’s name to that list!

Kent Hughes must no longer respond to calls from the Avalanche.

It will be three years on Saturday since Kent Hughes was named GM of the Montreal Canadiens. The one who will celebrate his 55th birthday next week has had time to accomplish a lot during his early years in the management of the Habs.

He has completed some good trades (Patrik Laine, Alexandre Carrier, Sean Monahan, Mike Matheson, and even Kirby Dach among others), but he has also made some less favorable ones.

Johnathan Kovacevic – who is currently taking Simon Nemec’s place – in return for a simple fourth-round pick…

Ben Chiarot in return for a sacrificed first-round pick, Ty Smilanic, and a fourth-round pick…

But I was analyzing this this morning, and something jumped out at me: Kent Hughes must no longer answer the phone when Chris MacFarland (GM) or Joe Sakic (President of Hockey Operations) calls him.

Why?

Kent Hughes has completed two trades with the Avalanche since he took the helm of the Habs. And it didn’t go very well in those two deals…

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1. He sent Artturi Lehkonen to Colorado in exchange for Justin Barron and a second-round pick that was used to move up in last year’s draft.

Lehkonen has become an impact player in Colorado and has been praised by pretty much everyone in the Avalanche organization.

Justin Barron, however, did not make a significant impact in Montreal, so much so that he was traded a few weeks ago.

Justin Barron never managed to break through in Montreal.
(Credit: X/Twitter)

As for the second-round pick, it has not become an important player for the Montreal organization.

Yes, Kent Hughes managed to work some magic by transforming Barron into Alexandre Carrier, but that doesn’t contribute anything to the initial bad trade involving Lehkonen. And I don’t think Barron will break out in Nashville either…

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2. Kent Hughes sacrificed a first-round pick and a second-round pick to acquire Alex Newhook, who was going nowhere in Denver. Newhook was a former client of Quartexx…

Newhook has an average annual salary of nearly three million dollars, and we still don’t know what his real role is with the Habs. He is not physical, he is not categorized as a defensive player, he plays on the second line, but he is not producing points (only 10 in 43 games)…

When Ivan Demidov arrives next year, Newhook will be relegated to the third line. But is he really a bottom six guy? Can he develop in short-handed situations, among other things? We’ll see.

In short, all this to say that Kent Hughes would be better off not answering his cell if the Avalanche calls him before the trade deadline.

It’s better to take calls from the Jets, Penguins, Predators, Blue Jackets, and Blackhawks as a priority.

Sometimes, there are relationships that fit less well than others. Or through which you never come out ahead.

His relationship with the Avalanche falls into that category for Kent Hughes…

Quick Hits

– No surprise here.

– Lane Hutson among the best players aged 23 or younger who are not first-round picks. [NYT]

– When is retirement coming?