tomh009

Both Dvorak and Anderson are TBD at the moment, and the Habs' roster had only 12 forwards to start with. I think Newhook and RHP are still a month-plus away from coming back, so they'll need some reinforcements called up, and forget about sending Armia down for the moment. Heineman would be one, but who else?

I think that more than anything else, the SHG rule will encourage aggressive penalty-killing, as that SHG goal becomes even more valuable. It will be interesting to see how it works in practice. The OT/SO/loser point system has also made a mockery of all the past win streak and season win records. It really doesn't matter, they could just go NASCAR style and give 300 points for regulation win, 200 for OT/SO win and 100 for an OT/SO loss. Then no one will be confused about accidentally comparing point totals!

I expect that the camera locations are those that are set up for the 67s, so it'll be OHL-level camera work for the time being, at least for the Ottawa home games.

U18 and U20 tournaments are generally much more unpredictable because it's only a narrow window for players, you lose some to injury or pro leagues, there is often little depth available to replace them. As you said, the sky has not fallen!

I get that, but in no sport is the better quality player (or better set of players) guaranteed to win. You need to score more to win, and if you can't do that, you're out. And that's what happened. (And even happens in the NHL playoffs from time to time.) Kudos to the Czechs for playing as a team well enough to pull out a victory. Can they repeat the performance against Sweden?

Somewhat off topic, Montreal beat Ottawa 3-2 in their PWHL opener.

That's 2g+2a by the D corps so far tonight. Who said we need Matheson for D scoring? 🤔

They'll produce more if they start getting some PP time. Matheson: 4g+11a in 143:43 of PP Barron: 1g+0a in 50:34 of PP Xhekaj: 0g+0a in 17:43 of PP All other defenders are seven minutes or less. On the other hand, five on five: Savard: 0.51g+1.01a/60 Barron: 0.45g+0.56a/60 Guhle: 0.11g+0.75a/60 Xhekaj: 0.27g+0.54a/60 Matheson: 0.20g+0.59a/60 Struble: 0.25g+0.5a/60 Kovacevic: 0.61g+0a/60 Harris: 0g+0.40a/60 Matheson's scoring is mostly on the power play.

Mesar 1g+1a in 22:51--that's the second-highest TOI on the team. The US game not finished yet but Hutson has 15:13 of TOI through two periods, highest on the team. Only one assist, though.

I believe he's learning the 200-foot game, and that means his focus is likely on improving that--and St-Louis should be an excellent mentor for that, having learned much of defensive play without losing his scoring skills (and he was also an undersized player, making the lessons even more applicable). Once Caufield has internalized the defensive aspects, he should be able to put more focus on scoring again.

In the post-game interview Kovacevic said that Anderson was already in the neutral zone (so presumably he was aware of what was going on) but when he saw that the Tampa net was completely empty he decided to shoot instead of passing. So, I expect Kovacevic was pretty confident he could hit the net. 🙂

Not Gainey, but it would not be a bad thing to see some hints of MacKinnon or Bergeron in him. He's a sniper, no doubt, but if he can also help prevent the other team from scoring as much while he's on the ice, it will make him that much more valuable to the Habs.

The Habs have lost three straight on this road trip now, after taking five of six points in the first three games. Tomorrow's game in Dallas is the last chance to come out of this tour with seven of fourteen possible points. And yet, I'm not entirely unhappy. The team has not been blown out, they have been in all three games with a chance to win. Some different puck luck, some different refereeing decisions or some more care avoiding penalties (too many men, pulling a helmet off etc) and they could have won a game or two. Some individual players have made mistakes, but the young ones are still learning, and the veterans won't be with us much longer, so those mistakes are not a concern for me in the long term. On the other hand, Slafkovsky's improved play is a hugely encouraging indicator, and Caufield's efforts in the D-zone make me super happy. We lost Dach for essentially the entire season, and Newhook for half of it. If we get one more decent first-round pick out of this season, and then start a serious drive for a playoff spot next year, I'm OK with that.

US blows out Slovakia 10-2 Hutson 0g+3a Mesar 1g+0a

They got a third one at the end of the period, that's a 50% improvement! 😂😂😂

A solid first game for Kaskisuo.

3-2 final for the Rocket: Roy 1g+1a, Xhekaj 2a. The Rocket are 5-4-0-1 in the last 10, after a 5-10-3-1 start. Still second to last, but only five points back of the third-placed Marlies.

So, suppose you swap Guhle for an early first-rounder-plus. Assuming that you hit on your draft pick, you now have a hot prospect--who is 18 years old next June (assuming you got a 2024 pick and not a 2025 one), rather than 21 as Guhle will be. And that prospect will then need three years of development to mature to the Guhle level. Same for trading Dach or Newhook. What you have just done is delay the Habs' contention window. This is the total opposite of what Hughes and Gorton did with the trades for Dach and Newhook, acquiring promising young players in exchange for picks. While Hughes may be swayed by a massive overpay, I don't think he'll be much interested in trading young players (who have proven that they belong in the NHL) for picks, unless it's players that cannot crack the Habs' starting lineup.

Matheson is 29, so he could be a fit for the Habs' contention window, should they decide that he is one that they want to keep. And Kovacevic is 26, still young for a D-man. Reinbacher, Mailloux and Kovacevic (or Barron) would be only three RD. On the left, though, johnnyhasbeen has five players (Struble, Hutson, Guhle, Xhekaj and Matheson) which is probably at least one too many.

Left side has Guhle, Harris (who could also play RD), Xhekaj, Struble--and Hutson. Also Engstrom and Norlinder, who are less certain to make the NHL. Right side has Reinbacher, Mailloux, Kovacevic and Barron, not quite as crowded. One advantage Harris has is his ability to switch between LD and RD, which can be helpful in case of injuries. But, for sure, there are more players than there are seats. A good problem to have!

Is St-Louis rotating the D? Maybe we'll see Kovacevic back next game in place of Barron. I'm not giving up on him yet but he still needs some development.

The fourth line on the ice for only about a minute and a half, out of 18 minutes of even-strength play.

Duck Dynasty 1 Habs 0. Another one on the glove side of Primeau ...

On Lane Hutson… https://www.lapresse.ca/sports/hockey/2023-12-27/championnat-mondial-junior/pendant-ce-temps-lane-hutson.php

21 saves on 24 shots in an 11-3 victory. Maybe the US defence was getting sloppy in the third period? (I didn't watch so it's just a guess.) Hutson 18:22 TOI, two shots, +0 (!).