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NHL: New York Islanders at Montreal Canadiens
Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

MONTREAL — It feels like every hour features more Montreal Canadiens news, and we’re all bound to miss a story or two. On Sundays, we always recap the relevant NHL news you may have missed, to help you stay in the Canadiens loop.

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Montreal Canadiens News And Notes

The Canadiens dropped a 4-3 decision to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, a frustrating result when you consider they held a 3-2 lead midway through the game. As per usual, the Canadiens had dominant stretches, paired with shifts that made them look like a Junior team. Consistently inconsistent is the theme of the season for the Habs. [Canadiens Highlights: Hard-Fought Loss Versus Ducks]

Another day, another point for top Canadiens prospect Michael Hage. With his goal versus Penn State, Hage now has 50 points in just 36 games. [Canadiens Prospect Rankings – No. 1 Dynamic Michael Hage]

The Laval Rocket split their weekend games, losing 5-2 to the Utica Comets on Friday, and then winning 4-3 in the shootout versus the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday. Owen Beck scored his 10th goal of the season in the win, while Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 28 of the 31 shots sent his way.

Alexander Zharovsky had a great game, reaching the 40-point mark in the KHL with a multipoint effort. He scored a goal and an assist versus the Shanghai Dragons, putting an end to an eight-game scoreless streak.

Speaking of talented prospects, Bryce Pickford scored his 44th goal of the year, which means he’s now tied with Cameron Schmidt for the league lead. There’s no doubt about it, Pickford is enjoying one of the most encouraging D+1 seasons in recent memory.

Cole Caufield is the first Canadiens player to reach 40 goals since Vincent Damphousse did it way back in 1993-94. Caufield scored the overtime winner versus the Boston Bruins to secure two very important points in the playoff race. [Canadiens Highlights: Caufield Hits 40 In Crucial Win]

Speaking of Caufield, he gave a great response when he was asked what comes next after 40.

It should be noted that Caufield is now just one goal behind Jack Hughes for the most goals scored by any player drafted in 2019, while having played 62 fewer games than the New Jersey Devils forward.

More unfortunate news on the injury front, as Kirby Dach will miss between two and four weeks with an upper-body injury. Dach was forced to leave Sunday’s game after contact with Anaheim Ducks forward Jeffrey Viel. With Dach out of commission, Zachary Bolduc returned to the lineup ahead of the game versus the Boston Bruins. [Canadiens Preview: Dobes Faces Bruins, Dach Injured]

It’s very easy to blame goaltending for all of Montreal’s woes this year, but the truth is the Canadiens allow too many high-danger chances, while producing too few to counterbalance their poor defensive play. Poor goaltending is a symptom of the problem, not the cause. [Playoff Discussion: Canadiens Issues Go Beyond Bad Goaltending]

David Reinbacher has officially signed with Quartexx, Kent Hughes’ former management company. He joins Lane Hutson and Jacob Fowler when it comes to Canadiens players represented by Sean Coffey. Reinbacher finished fourth in our most recent edition of the top Montreal Canadiens prospects. [Top Canadiens Prospects – No. 4 David Reinbacher]

Take a closer look at how Canadiens sniper Cole Caufield has managed to hit the 40-goal mark, the first player in Montreal to achieve that feat since Vincent Damphousse in 1993-94. The most impressive aspect of his goal-scoring dominance is that he does most of his damage at even-strength. No other NHLer has a higher goals per 60 (even-strength) in the NHL. [Cole Caufield Dominance – 40 Goals By The Numbers]

It must be said that few players enjoy playing hockey as much as Caufield. Maybe it has to do with the fact that he’s better at scoring goals than most NHLers.

The playoff race in the Eastern Conference remains tightly contested, with the Habs just a few points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team on the outside looking in. There’s also the Ottawa Senators in the mix, making it yet another exciting sprint to the finish. The good news is that the Canadiens hold their destiny in their own hands, as long as they can keep finding ways to accumulate important points.

One of the reasons it will be difficult for the Canadiens to fall out of a playoff spot is that climbing the standings in the late stretch of the season is a tough sell, especially when there are three-point games in play. Ottawa and Columbus have both put together a great series of games, and yet, they’re still struggling to make their way into the playoff picture.

Everything about prospect Bryce Pickford’s season has been impressive, and so has his road to the WHL, as evidenced by his interesting video put together by the league. [Canadiens Top 20 Prospects: No.7 – Extraordinary Pickford]

Head coach Martin St-Louis spent a fair amount of time working on the powerplay at practice, with the focus being put on the top unit. Montreal still has a top-10 powerplay, but given the talent on their first powerplay unit, not to mention the issue with overpassing, there’s clearly still work to be done.

While a few insiders have suggested the Canadiens were actively involved in trade negotiations including players such as Nazem Kadri or Matthew Knies, Pierre Lebrun does not think the player has been identified, at least not yet. Considering all the rumours that include the Habs tend to come from outside sources, he may be onto something. Like a bucket owned by someone other than Henry, or a proper fishing boat, Kent Hughes does not leak.

As for Elliotte Friedman, he reported the Habs showed “significant interest” in Knies, while also revealing that “everyone has denied” the report. [32 Thoughts]

The Canadiens have a relatively healthy powerplay, but they could immediately improve upon it if they decided to take a few more shots every game. The Habs have the seventh-ranked powerplay in the NHL, but are among the teams that take the fewest shots. [Canadiens Powerplay Issues Reflected In One Key Statistic]

Thursday night’s game between the Habs and the Detroit Red Wings was crucial for both clubs, but the Canadiens made one mistake too many, allowing precious standing points to slip away. [Canadiens Highlights: Habs Drop Four-Point Game]

Despite a rather lacklustre finish to the loss versus the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, the Canadiens were granted Friday off by head coach Martin St-Louis. The decision led to much ire on social media, but if we take emotion out of the equation, it’s fair to suggest that sometimes the carrot yields better results than the stick.

Is anyone surprised that Lane Hutson decided to practice, despite being given the day off? Oliver Kapanen joined Hutson, with both players spending time working with skills coach Adam Nicholas.

Vincent Arseneau is a mean, mean man. He made quick work of Springfield Thunderbirds winger Kale Kessy in the Rocket’s 4-1 win.

There were a few other events that did not include a Rocket player demolishing his opponent. Samuel Blais (11), Jared Davidson (16), Filip Mesar (9), and Florian Xhekaj (15) found the back of the net for the Rocket, while Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 28 of the 29 shots sent his way to secure the victory.

There was some unfortunate Montreal-related news on Friday, as former Montreal Expos announcer Rodger Brulotte passed away. He was 79.

Jacob Fowler was given the start versus the New York Islanders on Saturday night, but the story of the evening was Montreal’s dominance in a crucial game that had heavy playoff implications. Caufield led the charge with his third career shutout, while Slafkovsky contributed two goals in the 7-3 win. [Canadiens Highlights: Mr. Saturday Night Stars In Pivotal Win]

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By Marc Dumont
Marc has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for Journal Metro, The Athletic, The ... More about Marc Dumont

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