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50 points before his 50th game: Nick Suzuki is the first since 1996-1997
Credit: Getty Images

The Montreal Canadiens unfortunately suffered a second consecutive defeat last night, something that hadn’t happened since December 12 and 14.

The Tricolor lost 4 to 3 in overtime against the New Jersey Devils, and thus only earned a single point in their last two games.

One point from a possible four is not ideal when you are involved in a very tight playoff race, but in the end, for those who watched the game, we can really consider ourselves lucky to have earned a point last night.

Indeed, the Canadiens really stole a point last night, as they could have easily lost in regulation, and honestly, that’s what they deserved.

Fortunately, captain Nick Suzuki delivered a strong performance last night, as he contributed to each of the three goals of the Canadiens.

With his three points (one goal and two assists), Suzuki reached the 50-point milestone this season (15 goals and 35 assists), and this was before his 50th game of the season.

This is the first time since the 1996-1997 season that Saku Koivu and Mark Recchi both achieved this feat.

This is a significant achievement for Suzuki, who is still on track to become the first Canadiens player since Alex Kovalev in 2007-2008 to record a point-per-game season.

Suzuki has been improving since joining the NHL, and if he continues like this, we can be confident he will surpass his total of 77 points from last season.

It would be really great to see a Canadiens player finish the season with a point or more per game because, seriously, it’s sad that there hasn’t been one since 2008.

Nick Suzuki is really demonstrating great consistency, and his 50 points in 49 games so far this season proves that.

In short, the Canadiens can thank Suzuki, but what else should we take away from this defeat last night?

1. Despite a difficult first period and a weak goal allowed to Jesper Bratt, Jakub Dobes had a good game, as he was excellent in the third period, with several key saves, like this one.

Without him, the Tricolor wouldn’t have even earned a point.

2. The Tricolor didn’t really play their best game, but at least they can boast that they gave it their all on the ice, as evidenced by the 32 shots blocked by the Canadiens in the game.

Alexandre Carrier and Lane Hutson both finished their shift with six blocked shots each.

In short, the Canadiens sacrificed themselves to secure an important point in the standings.

The next sequence is the perfect proof of that.

3. Mike Matheson had a pretty tough game, and he cost the Tricolor the victory in overtime when he committed a bad turnover leading to Jack Hughes’ winning goal.

Even before that turnover, Matheson was struggling every time he touched the puck in overtime.

The veteran must play better, and he knows it, as he was really frustrated after the game.

4. Juraj Slafkovsky played quite a game, and his two assists were well-deserved.

He complemented the first trio very well last night and is really starting to play like he did in the second half of last season.

5. Michael Pezzetta received 7:01 of ice time last night, which is much more than he had been getting in his previous games (4:06, 2:58, 4:30, and 3:50).

Good for him, and let’s hope Martin St-Louis continues to trust him more.

Also worth noting is that Alex Newhook, who played a solid game just like his entire line, was the most used forward last night with 19:01 of ice time. Nick Suzuki closely followed him with 18:55.

6. Kaiden Guhle and Alex Carrier were again very solid.

The two form an excellent, very reliable pair, which greatly assists St-Louis in managing the defensemen.


In Brief

– Indeed.

– An interesting prospect for the Canadiens.

– Worth listening to.

– What a great achievement for Sinner.

– To be continued.

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