DON

Seems Habs have struggled vs NJ.

Dobes is my guess.

6pts in 1st 8 games, earlier jump to NHL and more productive than almost every kid in 24 draft... in very very brief start to career. But, i would guess many GMs are again, like are with his big brother, kicking themselves for passing on a small d-man. Is the Canadiens’ core group suddenly Stanley Cup contender-worthy? - The Athletic 10. Cole Hutson’s debut The good: Cole Hutson has five points in seven games with Washington. They may all be on the power play, but that’s not a bad thing for a team whose power play has been struggling. Hutson has shown some similar puck-moving flash to his brother Lane and looks like a future game-changer. The bad: The production may be there, but there’s still a lot of room to grow at five-on-five. Defensively, he’s been solid enough, but the Capitals are generating just 2.03 xGF/60 with Hutson on the ice, close to a team low since he’s arrived. Given his raw talents, finding the right risk/reward balance is the next step in unlocking his strengths.

Guhle & Danault took therapy days on Friday, i assume meaningless (normal?) or could be a minor issue.

The Rocket have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day Belzile’s absence saw Owen Beck promoted to the top line with Sammy Blais and Sean Farrell, while Florian Xhekaj moved into the third-line spot. On the fourth line it was the professional debut for the newly signed Joshua Nadeau, slotting in with Dillan Bentley and Tyler Thorpe. On defence Josh Jacobs was reinserted next to Marc Del Gaizo, while David Reinbacher and Luke Mittelstadt made the top pairing. The Rocket won’t have long to stew on this defeat, as they’ll have a rematch with Calgary on Saturday, with puck drop set for 3 PM ET.

OK, and which top 6 Hab does he bump and would Marty trust the kid with top-6 minutes, given his other forward options? Seems silly speculation. More talking head jumping on Hab bandwagon stuff. Is the Canadiens’ core group suddenly Stanley Cup contender-worthy? - The Athletic ... The cherry on top, though, is Jakub Dobeš, who has taken the starting reins and hasn’t looked back. For the year, he’s 12th in goals saved above expected with 13, with all of that coming after the Olympic break, where he’s been the league’s third-best goalie. That run emulates what we’re seeing from the team’s high-end players, where all three of Suzuki, Caufield and Hutson have an average Game Score north of two since the break. Suzuki has 27 points in 17 games, Caufield has 15 goals in 16 games, Slafkovský has 21 points in 17 games and Hutson has been an absolute force at five-on-five. Look at the big picture and Montreal’s most important players are delivering, reaching the level you’d expect from core players on a contender. Look closer at what’s been happening down the stretch and you’ll see exactly why. There’s still work to be done around the edges, but the Canadiens, led by one of the league’s best cores, are on the cusp of something special.

Down 5-2 end 2nd. Beck with only goal in 1st Flames with 5 straight in 2nd.

Zharovski 0pts but played 20:18, 4-0 sweep, he had 2a in series. Protz 0pts in series 4-0 Sweep

J. P. Berry come on down!

He is a defensively responsible (or effort is there at least) rookie centre with 22g, correct. Not many other rookie centres produce that each year, so i would be too worried, 2022 -1 2023- 2 2024- 1 2025- 1 2026- 1

Now, will they overlook the Rangers? Fowler must be starting?

#20 continues to impress. Bottom Six Minutes: Juraj Slafkovsky looks to be in playoff mode As they often do, the top line was leading the way offensively. Slafkovsky was particularly noticeable on zone entries, and with his puck protection – which is quietly becoming some of the best you’ll see in the league – in a game where time and space were very limited. Look no further than that Caufield game above to see how he was controlling plays. Every single Lightning player in the frame is staring at Slafkovsky, presumably worried about the possibility of him driving to the net. The result is that they leave one of the top goal scorers in the world all alone on the back door.

Not great finish to Radkov's season. Moncton Wildcats 7 Saint John Sea Dogs 3 (Final) - QMJHL First Round (Moncton wins series 4-0) Arseni Radkov - 7 goals on 39 shots Medicine Hat Tigers 4 Regina Pats 2 (Final) - WHL First Round (best-of-7) (Medicine Hat leads series 3-1) - Watch online Bryce Pickford - no points Kelowna Rockets 6 Kamloops Blazers 2 (Final) - WHL First Round (Kelowna wins series 4-0) - Watch online Hayden Paupanekis - one goal (1) Habs Prospects

Canucks pile up 8 goals vs the Aves, are the Aves coasting into playoffs already? Celebrini 3 of his 4 points in 3rd period comeback over Ducks, 9pts in last 3 games. He is a pretty good teenage player, how high a ceiling?

Short term gain, lots more minutes as a winger in Laval playoffs than would ever see in Montreal. Convince him (&agent) of that after the frozen four.

Go to Laval young man...

GF vs GA really improving, goalie coach change a big reason, or simply not playing Montembeault biggest reason?

Hat trick for Engstrom upcoming.

Dobes going for back to back 1st star of week. Am guessing Caufield would of been OK if Suzuki passed off and he gets his 1st empty netter. Smart on the captain to seal the deal though. 4/4 on the PK and a PP goal helped. Smart pass by Slafkovski on Caufields goal. Giving up 17 shots in 3rd period not ideal, but Just Win Baby! Suzuki 5/Caufield 4 shots Anderson 3 shots 4 hits Evans 4/Hutson & Guhle 3 blocks... Dobson 0 blocks but still #1 in NHL with 179 blocks. Alot of complaining about Hab penalties, all or most seem warranted, to me. Only negative that stood out was Xhekaj just continues to be so scary with puck on stick in own end. I would wager alot that Engstrom suits up vs Rangers and Xhekaj sits. 10 Thoughts – Surging Canadiens neutralize Lightning for 6th Win in a Row – HabsWorld.net 1st Star: Jakub Dobes Montreal’s starting goaltender has faced more rubber in games this season but perhaps few were more impactful. Jakub Dobes made the key saves during the three periods of play that directly led to chances for the Canadiens to strike, such as his to end the second period. His glove save on Gourde in the first, and the sequence of stops on McDonagh and Hagel late in the third. Stats: 36 SV, 1 GA, .973 SV% 2nd Star: Juraj Slafkovsky

Good Luck Jakub, just couple more minutes.

TB already has 16 shots in the 3rd.

Might be 1 penalty too many.

Could of been worse, lucky to be tied.

Tough opponent, good luck boys!

Zharovski 1a Pickford 1g1a 3 shots