This past week wasn’t a particularly strong one for the Habs as some of their early-season defensive struggles returned.  Nonetheless, they still managed to pick up three points along the way to stay within striking distance of a Wild Card position in the East.

The Week That Was

Jan. 21: Canadiens 3, Lightning 2 – Slow starts have been a problem for the Habs at times this season and that continued in this game (and all week, really).  Montreal was down by two early in the second but Juraj Slafkovsky was able to squeak one past Andrei Vasilevskiy a few minutes later, setting the stage for Alex Newhook to tie it a couple of shifts after that.  It looked like the game was going to be heading for overtime but with just 2:15 left, Joel Armia set up Jake Evans and he was able to fire one past an outstretched Vasilevskiy for the winner.

Jan. 23: Red Wings 4, Canadiens 2 – Montreal was thoroughly outplayed in this one, pretty much from start to finish.  Samuel Montembeault struggled in the first half of the game with three goals he’d probably want to have back but to his credit, he kept the Habs in it from there.  But beyond a pair of goals in the second from Kirby Dach and Kaiden Guhle, they weren’t able to muster up much of a comeback.

Jan. 25: Devils 4, Canadiens 3 (OT) – Once again, another sluggish start had the Habs trailing early with Jakub Dobes allowing a pair in the first period.  But this time, Montreal was much better in their push back efforts, scoring twice in the second (sandwiching a Tomas Tatar marker) while Alexandre Carrier tied it early in the third.  Dobes had to be sharp down the stretch to get the game to overtime but was beat on a breakaway by Jack Hughes in the final minute of the extra session.

StatPack

Skaters:

Goalies:

Team Leaders:

Goals: Cole Caufield (25)
Assists: Lane Hutson (36)
Points: Nick Suzuki (50)
+/-: Nick Suzuki (+9)
PIMS: Arber Xhekaj (72)
Shots: Cole Caufield (151)

News And Notes

– Nick Suzuki is the first Hab to record 50 points before the 50-game mark since Saku Koivu and Mark Recchi did so back in the 1995-96 season.

– Owen Beck was sent back to AHL Laval while Rafael Harvey-Pinard was eventually recalled into that roster spot.

– Jayden Struble was also sent to Laval on a conditioning stint.  It can last for up to two weeks and he will still be considered part of Montreal’s active roster during that time.

– Arber Xhekaj is in a bit of a point drought.  He has been held off the scoresheet in 17 straight games and has just one point in his last 23.

Last Game’s Lines

Caufield – Suzuki – Slafkovsky
Laine – Dach – Newhook
Anderson – Evans – Armia
Pezzetta – Dvorak – Gallagher

Hutson – Matheson
Guhle – Carrier
Xhekaj – Savard

The Week Ahead

Tuesday vs Winnipeg – The Jets are the best in the West and the highest-scoring team in the league, two things I don’t think many expected from them this season.  The duo of Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele have given them a dynamic top line while Nikolaj Ehlers gives them a third player averaging more than a point per game.  Neal Pionk has rebounded well in a contract year to help their back end while Connor Hellebuyck appears well on his way to another Vezina Trophy.  This should be a real test for the Habs.

Thursday vs Minnesota – The Wild just welcomed back several injured key players, including Kirill Kaprizov, Brock Faber, and Jared Spurgeon and are as healthy as they’ve been for a while.  Kaprizov has 13 points in seven career games against Montreal, his highest point-per-game percentage versus any opponent.  Marco Rossi, who has been speculated as a possible trade candidate in the past, is in the middle of a career year with 43 points in just 49 games which should put an end to that speculation.

Sunday at Anaheim – It’s another rebuilding year for the Ducks although, like Montreal, they’ve taken a step forward from last season.  Despite that, they’re the lowest scoring team in the NHL and have just one player with more than 27 points (Troy Terry with 38).  Trevor Zegras, linked to the Habs in trade speculation over the past year or so, just returned from injury but hasn’t had a great year.  John Gibson was injured on Saturday so it’s likely that Lukas Dostal will get the nod for this game.

Final Thought

When Patrik Laine returned to the lineup, the power play got a nice boost and went from being mediocre to actually half-decent for a while.  Unfortunately, teams have figured out how to stop what the Habs are trying to do (pass it to Laine or pass it to Lane Hutson to pass to Laine, specifically) with their man advantage and some tweaks are necessary.

I might go a step past tweak, however.  While Cole Caufield doesn’t deserve to be dropped to the second unit, I think that’s the best play.  On the right-wall is where he is in the current alignment and it just doesn’t work for him; he’s largely taken out of the play.  With Laine on the left wall, the Habs could be better off with a left-shot player on the opposite wing.  That should be Juraj Slafkovsky which opens up the net-front spot and that’s not where Caufield should be.  I’d put Kirby Dach back in that spot, one he’s better equipped for.

That way, Caufield can become a legitimate triggerman on the left wall on the second wave.  He’s used to playing with Mike Matheson from past power plays and those two would immediately give that second group a real chance of doing something compared to now where it’s a mishmash of secondary offensive forwards with no real strategy beyond hoping for the best.  At a time when teams are loading up their top unit, this might feel counter-intuitive.  But if the plan is to spam one-timers from the left wall as a strategy, you might as well have two units with that option instead of just one.  And this way, Caufield is back to being the shooter instead of the decoy that he has been for a while now.

The draft is three weeks away now. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have pieced together an off-season that is earning widespread praise across the league. The question is whether they can stick the landing with their 1st round pick in the draft. Current projections have the top three picks likely being a mix of Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and Abdul Carter. After that, it gets tricky. People in Chicago want to know where running back Ashton Jeanty will end once the dust settles.

Widespread belief has been that the Las Vegas Raiders are the heavy favorites to take him at 6th overall, with New Orleans at #9 also being a possibility. It makes sense. Las Vegas’ best option right now is a 33-year-old Raheem Mostert. New Orleans knows Alvin Kamara turns 30 in July. Both teams need to think about the future at that position. Both have head coaches who like to run the ball. One thing is clear. A source told SM that those around the league believe one thing is certain.

“He likely won’t get passed Chicago if he falls that far.”

Ashton Jeanty is a strong probability for the Bears.

Whispers from Halas Hall indicate they love the Boise State star. It isn’t hard to see why. He nearly broke Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record in 2024, nearly winning the Heisman in the process. The guy carried his team to the college football playoffs. He’s built like a brick house with power, speed, contact balance, and vision. There aren’t any truly glaring weaknesses in his game. He’s earned comparisons to the likes of LaDainian Tomlinson and Marshawn Lynch. The Bears haven’t had a back of that caliber since Matt Forte.

Try to imagine what this offense could look like with Ashton Jeanty, Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore, and Cole Kmet all as options for quarterback Caleb Williams. Throw all of it into Johnson’s offense, and you can understand why some people around the league aren’t wild about the idea. They are quietly hoping Jeanty goes somewhere else. One thing is certain. If he gets past the Raiders, the noise will get loud in a hurry. It would mark the first time in 20 years the Bears have taken a running back in the 1st round.