Nick SuzuWHO?: The CH’s centers made everyone forget the captain’s absence

Mathis Therrien
Nick SuzuWHO?: The CH’s centers made everyone forget the captain’s absence
Credit: Capture d'écran Twitter

Last night, the Montreal Canadiens played their first game without Nick Suzuki since April 6, 2019—more than seven years ago.

Suzuki hadn't missed a single game since joining the National Hockey League, playing 546 consecutive games before injuring his hand against the San Jose Sharks.

Obviously, the Habs without Suzuki (and without Ivan Demidov) is a cause for concern, and we were all eager to see how the guys would perform in this first game without their captain.

Well, aside from a slow start, the Montreal Canadiens played very well last night, and most importantly, the Habs' centers all stepped up with solid performances of their own.

In fact, Oliver Kapanen, Alex Newhook, Phillip Danault, and especially Jake Evans had a strong game in Nick Suzuki's absence, as evidenced by their faceoff percentages.

The Habs' centers were therefore dominant in this aspect of the game, and their strong performances helped us forget Nick Suzuki's absence.

All four centers played more than 15 minutes, which is partly due to the Canadiens' five penalty kills.

  • Phillip Danault: 18:15
  • Jake Evans: 17:12
  • Alex Newhook: 15:12
  • Oliver Kapanen: 15:04

The Habs' new top center, Oliver Kapanen, saw the least ice time last night, which obviously affected the ice time of his linemates, Cole Caufield (16:11) and Juraj Slafkovsky (16:03).

We didn't see much of the Habs' first line, but that doesn't mean they played poorly.

It's simply that Jake Evans and his fourth line had a strong game, and the French-speaking line was true to form, generating plenty of scoring chances.

In fact, Evans recorded his first three points of the season last night—a performance that reminds us just how much of a luxury depth player he is for the Habs.

If he keeps this up, he could very well get a chance to play with Caufield and Slafkovsky by the time Suzuki returns.

In short, the Habs' centers really stepped up in this first game without #14, but now we'll have to see if this is sustainable in the long run.

Jake Evans is capable of putting together games like this, but can he do it consistently? We all have our doubts.

It was just the Chicago Blackhawks (3-7-0), so bigger tests are coming for the Habs' center line, which, despite everything, remains a cause for concern.


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