The scene takes place in the middle of the third period. Nick Suzuki is behind the net to the left of Jacob Markstrom. The Canadiens forward has no play, so he tries the shot from the back of the net, hoping to surprise the Flames goaltender. Markstrom catches the puck with the mitt and the game is over.
End of shows? Not quite. Markstrom looks up and addresses Suzuki. “I think he told me it wasn’t going to work against him,” said the young man.
Moments later, Suzuki came to Markstrom’s left, pretending to go around the net from behind, but instead sent the puck into the Swede’s pads. That game, you’ve probably seen it: it was the winning goal in the Habs 4-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Thursday.
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“The second time, it came in,” Suzuki recalled. A few attendances later, [Markstrom] gave me a little kick with a stick. He was probably sorry that it came in! ”
We have always known that intelligence is Suzuki’s primary quality. More than his skate, his hands or his shot, it is this attribute that sets him apart from his peers. In his last season in the junior ranks, he was also voted the smartest player in the OHL West Association.
But what we discover by dint of observing it is a player who exudes a certain confidence, a mistrust too. Coaches often talk about players playing with “f * * * you” in them. And some evenings, when he decides to put it on the face of an opponent, that’s kind of what he expresses. The same thing was noted in Tuesday’s game, despite the loss.
PHOTO PAUL CHIASSON, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Scrum breaks out after Brendan Gallagher’s second-half goal
Dominique Ducharme, he repeated what he often says about number 14, that he must be careful not to become too cerebral, and rather to show off his “competitive” side. “He’s so intelligent naturally, that when he’s competitive, his intelligence comes out on its own. ”
In fact, Suzuki seems to thrive on challenges. At the end of the last trip, he had self-flagged, believing he had played “one of his worst games” in Anaheim. Since ? Four goals and five assists in five games. “If Marc gave him such a long contract at that salary, it’s because we know he can face these situations,” said Ducharme.
Suzuki reproduced the same model, on a smaller scale, in Thursday’s game. At the end of the first period, his trio lost a puck in the offensive zone. His withdrawal was lacking in spirit, and as it were, he arrived half a second too late to prevent Andrew Mangiapane from scoring.
“I wasn’t happy with my withdrawal, I stopped skating, gave him some space and he scored,” Suzuki said. I wanted to redeem myself. ”
It was quite successful.
Mixed results
It is therefore partly thanks to Suzuki that the Habs saved face during this five-game stay at the Bell Center.
PHOTO ERIC BOLTE, USA TODAY SPORTS
Nick Suzuki and Jacob Markstrom
A harvest of 5 points in 10 games (2-2-1) is far from sufficient for a club that started from so far away. As we recall, the Montrealers returned from California with a 2-8-0 record. They will have to put on the victories if they want to return to the fight as a minimum.
That said, of the three losses, only one was really final: that of 6-2 against the Islanders, even if Ducharme persists in saying that his troop played well. “We had our way of playing, but we didn’t have the desired results in those three games. We continued in that direction, ”he said.
But those looking for hope for the future will note that it is especially the youngest players of the CH who have increased their level of play during this stay at home. Suzuki, Jake Evans and Alexander Romanov did have some good times. Suzuki for the reasons explained above, Evans by preparing chances for his wingers, Romanov by physically winning.
We could even add veteran David Savard, who played more confidently perhaps for the first time this season on Thursday.
But the CH is not out of the woods. The injured remain numerous, the case of Jonathan Drouin remains uncertain, even if he is expected on the plane to Detroit on Friday.
With mid-November approaching, these individual improvements will have to translate into more than one point in two.
On the rise: Tyler Toffoli
PHOTO PAUL CHIASSON, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Tyler toffoli
One of his good games this season. He was rewarded with two assists, but also showed emotion.
Down: Christian Dvorak
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, PRESS ARCHIVES
Christian Dvorak
It’s not getting better for him. A losing battle along the ramp led to the Flames’ opening base. Only positive point: he won 5 of his 6 face-offs in the defensive zone.
Match number: 67%
With four goals, Ben Chiarot has two-thirds of the goals scored by CH defenders this season. Not exactly a prediction that we would have made a month ago!
They said
He was often around the blue paint. He attacks at the right time, he rushes to the net and takes advantage of it.
Nick Suzuki on Ben Chiarot’s four goals this season
I think it went well. We get used to playing together. We spoke more tonight, so the decisions were easier, the exits were better. He’s got a great kick, so when he leaves he’s hard to catch up on.
David Savard
It’s good to see that. That’s what you want on both sides of the rink. That’s why they paint it blue, that’s so there is more traffic there.
Darryl Sutter on checking Gudbranson over Gallagher
Their team leads the league in the number of minor penalties. I thought it would be a little more even there.
Darryl Sutter on arbitration
It was a close match. We took a lot of penalties and created some momentum for them.
Mikael backlund
In details
The power trio silenced
Jake Evans, Artturi Lehkonen and Joel Armia have completely silenced one of the most dominant lines in the League this season – that of Elias Lindholm, Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk. Before the game, the three forwards accumulated 39 points in 12 games. Against the Canadian, at even strength, they only had possession of the puck 31% of the time and only shot three times at the net (according to the Natural Stat Trick site). Evans and his wingers also spent a lot of time in the opponent’s zone, giving rise to quality scoring chances with 8 shots. According to Dominique Ducharme, they achieved this by “spending a lot of time in the offensive zone, by forcing them to play in their zone by putting pressure, by the way they skate, in which Armia is able to control the puck at the bottom of the zone ”.
Good start for Poehling
PHOTO DAVID BOILY, PRESS ARCHIVES
Ryan poehling
Ducharme said Thursday morning that the “ball is in the court” of Ryan Poehling. The 22-year-old center did well in his first game of the season with the big club, as he only had 8:12 of playing time alongside Michael Pezzetta and Alex Belzile on the fourth trio. Poehling has won five of his seven face-offs and caused a penalty when he received Erik Gudbranson’s stick in the face. The head coach has also used it a few times to complete a line after a shorthand. “It was a good start for him. He was explosive on his skates, strong on the puck and he has to keep doing that. Being consistent is the hardest thing when you want to establish yourself in the League, ”said Ducharme.
Coleman’s return
PHOTO ERIC BOLTE, USA TODAY SPORTS
Blake Coleman and Jake Allen
The Canadian found a player he got to know well last spring in Blake Coleman. The 29-year-old forward was one of the Lightning’s best players in the Stanley Cup final, registering 2 goals and 2 assists in 5 games. His performance in the playoffs has also earned him a 6-year contract and 29.4 million this summer. Coleman has yet found a way to shine against the Habs; it was he who orchestrated his second goal. He handed the puck to his entry center Sean Monahan, who in turn passed to Andrew Mangiapane.