The Canadian | Nick Suzuki’s new weapon

Is it Guy Carbonneau who subtly slipped into jersey number 14 without everyone knowing? Is it rather Yanic Perreault who learned to play from the right?

Guillaume Lefrancois
The Press

Bring up the crazy theory of your choice, but there is a notable change in the Canadian since the arrival of Martin St-Louis behind the bench: Nick Suzuki excels at the face-offs. As Carbonneau and Perreault did in this same uniform, at another time.

St-Louis has spent his career on the wing. Face-offs were therefore not part of his responsibilities, so he was very honest when asked if he had a say in the recent performances of his No 1 center.

” It’s not me ! he laughed after practice on Monday. “But for a center, face-offs are an art. It’s not easy for a youngster to be good right away. It’s the experience, the tactic. He is improving, he takes it to heart, and it helps the team. »

Suzuki may admire Patrice Bergeron, he has never excelled like his idol on faceoffs, as evidenced by his success rates since his arrival in the NHL.

However, in eight games since the change of head coach on February 9, Suzuki has shown an efficiency of 61.7%. Since that date, it comes to the 6^and rank in the NHL (100 face-offs minimum).

“I don’t think I’ve changed my approach,” he said. I’m just more confident. Confidence has always been important in my face-offs, the confidence of knowing that I can hold my own against any cross. It’s been a lot better in the last 10 games, and I hope to continue that way. »

Coincidence or not, his success streak began shortly after his appearance in the All-Star Game, where he was a teammate of Bergeron in the 3-on-3 tournament. of Boston, but he obviously says he is inspired by it.

“He’s right-handed too, so it helps to watch him. I try to learn from everyone, even lefties. I regularly watch videos of him, he is one of the best. »

Two goals

Suzuki’s faceoff successes have led directly to two goals during the Canadiens’ current five-game winning streak.

First, on February 21 against Toronto, after a face-off won in the defensive zone.

Then, two days later, Cole Caufield scored immediately after the referee dropped the puck on the ice.

We note that Suzuki does not win this last face-off in a “frank” way, but rather by rushing aggressively towards the puck.

Former CH head coach Dominique Ducharme often said that face-offs were also a question of commitment, not just skill with the stick. This game demonstrates that perfectly.

A dominating trio

Thanks in particular to Suzuki’s work on face-offs, the line he forms with Caufield and Josh Anderson is productive. St. Louis reunited the three stooges after Tyler Toffoli was traded to the Flames on Feb. 14.

“Our line has it all: weight, speed, playmaking skills and both of my wingers have good shots,” Suzuki said. We try to find the free spaces. Anderson is good around the net, and Cole has been playing great lately. »

“These two guys are very talented and are capable of making very good plays. I always have to be ready to receive a puck,” added Anderson.

In the 2021-2022 Canadiens, the number of injuries has made stability in the lines impossible. But for five games, two units have remained intact: that of Suzuki, as well as the unit of Mike Hoffman, Laurent Dauphin and Brendan Gallagher. This trio was entitled to good words from St-Louis, even if they only scored one goal.

“They play very good games and deserve to be rewarded much more,” said the interim head coach. When you see their impact, you have to be patient, because they are tiring to face. If I don’t see those performances, maybe I’ll change what. But you can’t just look at the result, like for the team. »

The rest of the things will make it possible to know more about the patience of St-Louis with its units. If Michel Therrien did not hesitate to shuffle his cards, Claude Julien could be very patient with his combinations.