(New York) It may have happened in the 81st game, but Nick Suzuki’s goal on Wednesday night will keep its place on the short list of the most spectacular of the season for the Canadiens.
Shorthanded, number 14 came out of his zone at full speed, in the middle of a race with defender Samuel Bolduc. Even though his opponent had a lead at the start, Suzuki surprised him from the outside and lodged the puck in the upper part of the net with one hand.
A colossal effort from the captain… in a 4-2 loss for his team at the hands of the New York Islanders. A goal in the image of his season, in short.
The only player to play every game for his club, Suzuki has been a true inspiration to his teammates since October. Not for the sole feat of resisting injuries, but for his hard work.
“He doesn’t wear the C for nothing, he’s an example for all of us,” said Samuel Montembeault after the game. Every day, whether in practice or in a game, he is the best player on the ice. It’s fun to see that he was able to continue to be so consistent for 82 games. »
Parenthesis here: Montembeault is the only other player to have worn the uniform in each of the meetings, but his situation is obviously different since he started 43 of them on the bench. Back to Suzuki.
In his first year as captain, the Ontarian did not have an easy life, quite the contrary. In mid-January, he learned that he was losing his favorite left-winger, Cole Caufield, whose season ended prematurely due to shoulder surgery. Shortly before, he had lost his main right winger, Kirby Dach, to the center of the second line.
As surprising as it may seem, Suzuki production did not flinch. It has remained consistent at 0.8 points per game — 37 points in 46 games with Caufield, 28 in 35 without him. At five-on-five, he even generated more offense: the number of quality scoring chances and expected goals while on the ice increased in the second half of the season, according to the Natural Stat Trick website.
“I adapt to who I play with,” he added. “To their strengths”, in particular.
Adapting, in fact, was probably what Suzuki was forced to do most often throughout the season.
For example: at five against five, he spent at least 60 minutes on the ice with nine different forwards. That’s five more than Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh and six more than Brayden Point in Tampa. The two have played 81 games as him.
Martin St-Louis, for his part, is particularly impressed by the control his captain exercises over himself.
His goal, against the Islanders, was an “answer” his team “needed at the time.” He indeed reduced the gap to 3-2 and kept the Habs in the game.
“It’s been a great year for Suzy,” added St-Louis.
Given all the pitfalls that his team had to overcome, Suzuki’s record is not immaculate. His accomplishments are nonetheless significant. The 25 goals and 65 points he has already accumulated are two personal highs. His differential, although not very good at -12, is much higher than last year (-29). Game after game, he spends an average of 21 min 7 s on the ice, in all phases of the game. Only seven forwards play more than him in the entire NHL, all of them great stars for that matter.
Suzuki may not have reached the elite of the circuit yet. Higher quality wingers and more stability would certainly help him achieve that. However, he has demonstrated, through almost indescribable adversity, that he can be an excellent player, make his teammates better and assert himself, above all, as a leader.
It’s a great victory, for him as for the Canadian. Perhaps even one of the most important of this season with a thousand disappointments.
Probably his best game since joining the Canadiens just over two weeks ago. He played with confidence and was sent on the ice in the final moments of the game as his team tried to tie the game.
He replaced Rafaël Harvey-Pinard on the first line. So, rather than relying on a spark plug to his left, Nick Suzuki ended up with a snuffer. Completely disengaged, Hoffman seems to be counting the minutes until the end of the season.
Rem Pitlick scored on a major league slapshot in the first period. Rarely do we see him unleash such balls. Rarely do we see him shoot at all, in fact. The shot on target was only his second in his last eight games. It was his only shot of the game.
With the Canadiens’ organization deciding to let Cayden Primeau help the Laval Rocket in their quest for the playoffs, Jake Allen accompanied the club to New York when he was said to have a “lower body” injury. However, was he able to play? The organization maintains that it is, but the situation is not clear. His last game was March 28 at Buffalo, and he didn’t take part in a full practice in April. On Wednesday, Allen was the first player off the ice in morning practice, a rarity for an assistant. In the evening, he spent only a few moments in front of his net during the pre-match warm-up, almost motionless in his semi-circle. Fortunately for him and for his team, Samuel Montembeault was able to play the entire meeting. We can immediately expect the Quebecer to face the Bruins at home on Thursday night.
In the first period, Joël Teasdale came very close to scoring the first goal of his NHL career, in his first game moreover. Michael Pezzetta intercepted a puck in the opposing zone, and his shot was blocked by Ilya Sorokin. Teasdale pounced on the return, but his shot hit the post. The Quebecer instantly raised his head in spite. “I was not due! “, he launched, laughing after the meeting. Teasdale said he was pleased with this first audition, having managed to “keep it simple”, as he wanted. He especially stood out in forechecking, notably distributing two checks. His line, with Pezzetta and Chris Tierney, didn’t have it easy at the start of the game, while the head coach of the Islanders, Lane Lambert, did not hesitate to oppose them with his first two lines. This resulted in two goals for the locals. However, things recovered for this unit in the second half of the game.
The atmosphere at UBS Arena was heated on Wednesday. The Islanders needed just one point in the standings to secure their place in the playoffs, after missing the boat last year. The amphitheater is already recognized for the energy that inhabits it; this was exacerbated, except perhaps during a slump, after the CH had equalized the mark in the first twenty. “It was cool, it was like a playoff game,” goaltender Samuel Montembeault said. Before it had started, it was already extremely noisy. Even after their fourth goal [at the end of the third], it didn’t stop. It was fun. This atmosphere contrasted, in particular, with the sadly silent crowds that the CH crossed in Buffalo, Philadelphia and Toronto in the past few days. The Islanders won’t know the identity of their first-round opponent until Thursday night.