When it comes to Canadiens prospects, Jake Evans stands alone in terms of time served in Laval. Literally. He’s the only player who has played every game this season, and yet, the Rocket’s leading scorer had to watch as teammate after teammate received the call from Montreal.
But as we all know, after months of inertia, things can suddenly move quite quickly for young NHL players.
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Less than 24 hours following a two-goal performance in the AHL, his 115th game with the Rocket, Evans was warming up at the Bell Centre in a Canadiens uniform. Not only was he set to make his NHL debut on Thursday night against the Anaheim Ducks, but he was also placed on a line with none other than Ilya Kovalchuk and Max Domi.
Evans stole the early spotlight, but it was another rookie who impressed most in the Canadiens’ 3-2 overtime win, a rookie who has quickly emerged as the most exciting forward on the roster: Nick Suzuki.
Here’s looking at you, kid
Unless your name is Mario Lemieux, usually, the main objective on your first NHL shift is not tripping over the blue line.
Evans, who wasn’t sure he’d even be in the lineup versus the Ducks, took it a few steps further thanks to a clever pass by Domi and some lackadaisical defending by the Ducks. He didn’t manage to score, but a breakaway and two high-danger shots is not a bad start to an NHL career by any means.
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Earlier this season, I wrote the words “he’s not going to win the Calder” in regard to Suzuki’s encouraging season. Defencemen Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes are still the front-runners, but given his recent production, Suzuki might be working his way into the conversation.
Beyond any trophy aspirations, it’s his incredibly well-rounded game that’s garnered the most attention. It’s very difficult to identify any sort of glaring weakness. Like most rookies, he could stand to improve a few aspects of his play, but overall, he’s already several steps ahead of where most had projected him this season.
And he’s gaining confidence at an exponential rate, as evidenced by the uptick in his shot rate. I’m not sure if earlier in the season he would have taken the shot that gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead in the first period, but the more he trusts his underrated shot, the better it bodes for the future.
Full marks to Tomas Tatar and Jeff Petry for the excellent puck movement on the power play, and to Brendan Gallagher for providing a perfect screen.
If I did have to criticize Suzuki’s play, I’d note he clearly lacked respect for his elders when he outsmarted Ondrej Kase, and then almost scored his second goal of the game while shooting from a very tight angle.
The audacity of kids these days!
I blame “Fortnite” and loud rock music. Back in my day, all we had was hoop rolling and two-string banjos, yet we grew up just fine. And we wore onions on our belts, which was the style at the time. They didn’t have any white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones.
Just in case you needed even more examples of Suzuki’s complete disregard of his opponents’ social media mentions, take a look at how little effort he put into giving Hampus Lindholm a fighting chance to stop him on the rush.
Disrespectful stuff from the rookie.
It tickles to see you try to be like Mr. Pickles
One of the many, many confusing things about the Canadiens’ defensive group this season is its refusal to keep its sticks on the ice.
Sure, it’s a lot more fun to put your hands in the air and wave them like you just don’t care. Don’t get me wrong, I also loved ’90s rap. “ATLiens” is one of the most underrated albums in music history and shame on anyone who leaves it off their list of best rap albums of all-time, but if we’re being perfectly honest, the technique is definitely not the best way to shut down passing lanes in the defensive zone.
Fourth-rounder? We don’t need no stinkin’ fourth-rounder!
He didn’t have his best game of the season, but Kovalchuk further cemented the importance of having elite skill in the lineup while improving his trade value.
His ability to drive the play down low while creating open ice for his teammates is a thing of beauty. It was a big factor in Gallagher’s 18th goal of the season, but so was Gallagher’s relentless drive, which allowed him to bounce back up quickly from hit along the boards and beat John Gibson with an accurate shot.
Scoring “chance”
Here’s the thing about Derek Grant’s second-period scoring chance: Carey Price knew where Grant was going to shoot before Grant did.
It was Price at his best, a perfectly calm goaltender who gives opponents absolutely no chance to score.
The goal Grant scored early in the third period, however, was not Price at his best.
Though it’s worth noting Marco Scandella’s defence at the blue line was questionable at best. So was the rest of the defensive coverage, especially if we consider the Canadiens were defending a fragile one-goal lead.
There’s a significant difference between hard work and busywork. It was more of the latter than the former.
Shortly after Tomas Tatar came half an inch from giving the Canadiens the lead on the power play, Kovalchuk, Domi, Nick Cousins and Joel Armia combined for yet another prime scoring chance.
Gibson was up to the challenge and made a fantastic save, but how about that speed through the neutral zone from Kovalchuk? If you listen closely enough, you can hear Jeremy Roenick frowning.
But the Canadiens weren’t the only team that came incredibly close to scoring the winning goal.
Thanks to a complete defensive breakdown by the Brett Kulak and Jeff Petry pairing, Price was once again called into action and was forced to provide a highlight-reel two pad-stack save.
I’m definitely biased, but we need more of those types of saves in the NHL. And more hip checks. And more Dave Babych-style mustaches.
Just as Price redeemed himself for the second Ducks goal, Petry redeemed himself for the play that almost led to a late third-period goal for the Ducks.
I might be exaggerating, but I think it’s safe to say his wrist shot is among the best in the history of NHL defencemen.
OK, that’s hyperbole, but all jokes aside, he does possess one of the best wrist shots among defencemen in the NHL, and he used it to perfection to give the Canadiens the win in overtime.
Final Word
I don’t want to hear any complaining about the Canadiens reducing their lottery odds for the draft. While it’s certainly true, it’s also evident that the Canadiens weren’t as bad as the results suggested earlier this season. Besides, if the Canadiens can’t beat teams such as the New Jersey Devils and the Anaheim Ducks, they don’t deserve a good draft pick.
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What matters most at this point in the season is the play of players such as Suzuki, which, based on the statistics and the video evidence, is going much better than anyone could have expected.
But it’s not all good news. The bad news is hehas only 10-plus years left in the tank to keep improving.
(Photo: Francois Lacasse / NHLI via Getty Images)
