The Canadian | Ten matches, ten stakes

The Canadian is dropped from the playoff race. Which doesn’t mean that you should simply stop listening to Habs matches to spend more quality time with your loved ones, get involved in volunteer work or invent a product that will revolutionize the planet like the geniuses of Starfrit every year. That no.

Here are 10 good reasons to follow the end of the Canadian season

1. Work in front of the net

We thought the case had been made: Samuel Montembeault as number 1 goalkeeper, Cayden Primeau as auxiliary. However, since Jake Allen was traded, Primeau is having his best moments, with a record of 3-1-0 and an efficiency of 949. At the Bell Centre, he was so brilliant that the fans invented a shout for him : “Meau-Pri, Meau-Pri”. At least that’s what we thought we heard again Thursday night, against Philadelphia. Primeau’s good results will, however, have to be validated against more seasoned clubs. Since the All-Star Game, five of his seven starts have come against teams currently excluded from the playoffs; the Flyers, who are surviving in this struggle, are one of the two exceptions.

2. Matches that still count

On this subject, Primeau will inevitably face teams who are fighting for every point. Of the 10 games to be played, the Habs will face only one essentially eliminated team: the Senators. The other nine duels are against battling teams (Flyers, Islanders, twice the Red Wings) or clubs trying to consolidate their position (Hurricanes, Panthers, Lightning, Maple Leafs, Rangers).

3. Competitive matches

The last end of the season inevitably left its mark on fans who did not necessarily want to see Chris Tierney, Denis Gurianov and Tyler Pitlick play, who were mainly passing through. Without saying that the 20 current players are all part of tomorrow’s core, let’s just say that this group manages to fight worthily the vast majority of the time. According to a compilation on which The Press invests too much time, CH has found itself behind by three goals for 331 minutes this season, including only 30 minutes since mid-February. At this time last year, it was 517 minutes, a figure that was going to get even bigger.

4. The importance of a good end to the season

During the Habs’ recent trip to Western Canada, there was much talk about the effect of the end of the 2022-2023 season for the Vancouver Canucks. Under the leadership of new head coach, Rick Tocchet, they had indeed concluded the calendar with a record of 14-6-2 as of 1^er March, even though they missed the playoffs. That said, a strong end to the season doesn’t guarantee anything either. As proof, the Flames (6-2-2 in their last 10 games of 2022-2023) and the Sabers (7-2-1), who have stumbled again this season.

5. Lane Hutson

The purists say that Hutson is not yet with the Canadian and we have to admit that they are right. But there will certainly be interest if the cherub-faced defenseman finishes the season in Montreal. Hutson no longer has to prove anything in the NCAA, as evidenced by his 48 points – punctuated by numerous highlights – in 36 games. He and Boston University are in the quarterfinals of the end-of-season championship, and since the tournament is a single-elimination game, one loss and it’s over. The Terriers play their next match on Saturday, but it will only go to April 11 for the semi-finals. If BU loses on Saturday, Hutson will then be able to sign a contract with CH and conclude the season in Montreal, like Sean Farrell and Jordan Harris before him. Some can’t wait to see if he will remain as spectacular in the NHL as he was in college. Which is obviously not a done deal.

6. Juraj Slafkovsky

Let’s stay with the young people. With his quick pass to Nick Suzuki on Thursday, Juraj Slafkovsky now has 33 points in his last 41 games. The number 41 may seem random, but it actually represents half a season, and the start of this sequence coincides with the metamorphosis of the great Slovak, which began a little before Christmas. During this period, Slafkovsky was entitled to increased playing time (19 minutes per game on average), and he took advantage of this to assert himself more at all levels. Still in his last 41 games, he is second among the Canadians, behind Michael Pezzetta, for hits (73).

7. Nick Suzuki

The 80-point plateau isn’t exactly legendary. Last year, 31 of them reached it in the NHL; in 2021-2022, there were 34. Except that with the Canadian, that never happens. Alex Kovalev, in 2007-2008, reached the mark; before him, it was under the presidency of Bill Clinton. With 69 points in 72 games, Nick Suzuki will have to increase the pace very slightly to get there, but the octante plateau is certainly within his reach. If that doesn’t excite you, we’re out of resources.

8. Matthews, Kucherov…

The Canadian’s opponents can also reach interesting plateaus. It starts with Auston Matthews, author of 59 goals in 71 games. Few people can approach the 70-goal mark, but he is there. No one, since the fabulous 76-goal seasons of Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny in 1992-1993, has scored 70 goals. Matthews and the Maple Leafs will arrive at the Bell Center on April 6, in what will be the 75^e game number 34. Two days earlier, the Lightning will be in town, with Nikita Kucherov (124 points in 71 games), who is trying to become the second human (the other being Connor McDavid) to amass 140 points in a season since Mario Lemieux.

9. The damn abacus

“The pleasure of one is to see the other break his neck,” Félix Leclerc has already written. Did he have the NHL draft lottery in mind? We will investigate. In the meantime, it is important to remember that a miserable end to the CH season would have the effect of increasing its chances in the lottery, and therefore ending up with a coveted choice of top 3. You should know that Montreal has Jeff Gorton, a true lottery lucky charm, in its ranks. In three of the last four “participations” of his teams, he found himself with one of the first two choices: 2^e in 2019 with the Rangers, 1^er in 2020 and 1^er in 2022, this time with the Habs. Montreal currently occupies 27^e rank in the general classification and will hardly be able to slide lower than in 28^e place, since at 29^e rank, we find the Blue Jackets, 10 points apart.

10. Promotional evenings

That’s for the approximately 20,000 faithful who have access to the Bell Center. Thursday was country night. There were also a few metal evenings during the year, which comes with the METAL mascot! shoved down the throats of the partisans. There doesn’t seem to be any metal evening on the schedule, much to our relief.