The Canadiens’ biggest stars are coming in clutch at the right time

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis(sellishockey)
The Canadiens’ biggest stars are coming in clutch at the right time
Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

It’s been a while since Montreal Canadiens fans had chills after a victory.

But when Josh Anderson was asked a question in front of a packed Bell Centre crowd on Tuesday night, he was left speechless as one of hockey’s most loyal fanbases erupted in a thunderous roar.

“As of now, you guys are in a playoff spot. How cool does that feel?” former Canadiens goaltender Marc Denis asked.

That’s right. Just 108 days after sitting 31st in the NHL, the Habs were in a wild-card spot. They were coming off a big win over the Ottawa Senators, occupying the first wild-card spot.

The team is clicking right now. They’re getting some decent performances in net, Lane Hutson has been a huge difference-maker – and, perhaps more importantly, Montreal’s top line is looking sharp.

The Canadiens struggled out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break, going 1-7-1 over a nine-game stretch. The conversation went from “Could we still be playing in late April?” to “Caleb Desnoyers would be a massive get!” in a matter of days. But GM Kent Hughes showed belief in the group, and stayed pat at the NHL Trade Deadline while many others in the playoff hunt elected to make a big splash.

Hughes has spent his tenure in Montreal slowly building up a competitive group. There’s been no shortage of young stars holding their own in the lineup, but fans have watched the core grow up together. Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield are all 25 or under.

Suzuki is the greybeard of the group as a 25-year-old captain. He’s also playing the best hockey of his career. The two-way center recently broke into the 70-point barrier for the second time in his career and he’s on pace for 86 – a nine-point boost from his previous best set last year. Suzuki is almost underrated in a sense because he spends much of the season going up against the likes of Aleksander Barkov, Tim Stutzle and Auston Matthews in the Atlantic Division.

But Suzuki does a bit of everything out there. He has 13 goals at 5-on-5, which beats out the likes of Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon and isn’t far off of Connor McDavid. He’s also sixth in the NHL with 24 assists at even strength, which is more of his bread and butter. Analytically, according to Evolving-Hockey, he boasts the 12th-best goals- and wins-above replacement values in the NHL. Add in five multi-point games over the past 11 – including 11 points over a four-game stretch – and you can’t say Suzuki isn’t playing the best hockey of his career.

Since March 1, Montreal’s top line has an expected goals-for percentage at 5-on-5 of 53.26. Without Suzuki, the two wingers sit at 19.21 percent (albeit in limited minutes). Suzuki’s ability to take the load away defensively and still be effective offensively makes them such a dynamic duo, especially when you’ve got Caufield’s shot to build around.

When the NHL announced the rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off, Caufield sat second in goals – and first among Americans. He has since fallen a bit, but is still tracking towards his first 40-goal season. The United States could have used him, especially in that final game. Using Dobber Hockey’s Frozen Tools charts, Caufield is playing some of his best hockey in the final weeks of the season. He had a bit of a quieter third quarter leading up to the 4 Nations Face-Off, which dropped him out of contention for 50 goals. He’s been hovering around the point-per-game mark in recent weeks, while also playing around 19:28 a night – much more than any quarter this season.

Slafkovsky is tracking towards his second consecutive 50-point season, which is promising given he missed time due to injury. He’s boasting a career-best shooting percentage of 13.5 percent, Slafkovsky had 48 shots in his first 39 games – a shot-per-game average of 1.2. In his last 25 games, he’s averaging 2.24 per night. That’s just under double, and he has 10 goals in that span compared to just four in the first half of the season. The smiles are back, he’s playing with confidence, and he’s competing hard, too.

Mix them all together, and it’s easy to understand why they’re playing so well. They’ve combined for 27 points in nine games since March 1, making them one of the most dangerous lines in the Atlantic. When the Canadiens are winning, you can count on them being a big reason why.

Of course, Montreal’s success goes far deeper than its top line. Hutson has been outstanding, and goaltender Samuel Montembeault has found his groove again after slipping before the 4 Nations tournament. But Suzuki, Caufield and Slafkovsky – the core of Montreal’s offense – are playing the best hockey of their career right now, and it couldn’t have come at a better time in the season.

The Canadiens have shown that they can overcome the odds come playoff time. They rattled off shocking series victories against Washington and Pittsburgh in 2010 before ultimately falling in the Eastern Conference final. In 2021, the Canadiens beat Toronto, Winnipeg and Vegas – all of whom had much better odds to win – to earn a spot in the Stanley Cup final.

What’s to say they can’t do it again this year?

SPONSORED BY bet365

Recent Articles from Steven Ellis

Keep scrolling for more content!