Canadiens’ Nick Suzuki is absolutely a No. 1 center
The Montreal Canadiens are closing in on their first berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in four years.
One of the most significant contributors to the Habs’ second-half surge is their captain, Nick Suzuki. While some have scrutinized his ability to be a leader in the past, the London, Ontario native has taken the team and put it on his back in the last month or so, always finding a way to make an impact night in and night out.
As of Thursday afternoon, Suzuki is riding a six-game point streak, scoring 12 points over that span. Since March 9, the 25-year-old has been held off the scoresheet just twice.
With 28 goals and 58 assists for 86 points in 78 games, Suzuki leads the team in scoring. Thanks to his play, Montreal is holding the second Wild Card spot and can secure a spot in the postseason with a positive result against the Ottawa Senators on Friday.
On Thursday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Carter Hutton and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss whether or not Suzuki’s play has convinced the masses that he’s become a No. 1 center.
Tyler Yaremchuk: This is a guy in Montreal who I think is kind of taking that step of like, “Okay, is he a true No. 1 center, or is he going to be one of those guys that maybe fits in more is like a really good No. 2 center? I think what we’ve seen here, especially in the back half of the season, is Nick Suzuki offensively, defensively, whatever way he is, a guy who is a legit, bonafide one, a number one center.
Carter Hutton: I think the fact of the matter is, for Nick Suzuki, how he’s identified himself on the other side of the puck. I think that you talk about the relationship with Martin St. Louis and where he’s at, and being a true pro. It’s hard to have success in this league over a long career and Martin St. Louis knows the ins and out of doing that. … It seems like every night over this run, he’s on the scoresheet, finding a way to impact games. He’s playing valuable minutes as the captain, as a leader and I think he’s a big reason why we’re even talking about Montreal being in this playoff position that they are in.
You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…