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When we heard that Nick Suzuki was going to end his streak of consecutive games due to a hand injury, many of us thought the Canadiens were going to struggle. Yet, five games later, the Habs have a perfect record without their captain (and without a true second-line center, let's not forget): 5-0-0.
If Mise-o-jeu had offered odds on five straight Habs wins after Suzuki's absence, they would have been outrageous. Anyone who dared to bet a few hundred dollars on that would have struck it rich.
Will the Habs be able to keep up their momentum this week, with Suzuki likely to return to the lineup? Theoretically, one might think so, since the lineup will be stronger on paper. However, sports don't always follow logic. If they did, we wouldn't watch the games; we'd already know who was going to win.
Statistics suggest that the Habs will suffer a few setbacks in their upcoming games. In the medium term, things tend to even out.
When the Habs lose a few games in the coming weeks, we'll need to remember this incredible five-game streak without the team's captain.
Jake Evans, the Best
I laughed at my colleague and friend Jean Trudel when he confessed to me that he had a crush on Jake Evans during the recording of the most recent episode of the Stanley25 podcast.
The fact remains, however, that since Nick Suzuki's absence, Jake Evans has been the Habs' leading scorer. He's putting up a point per game—nothing less!
Since Suzuki's injury, in 5 games
Evans: 2 goals, 5 points
Caufield: 2 goals, 4 points
Danault: 1 goal, 4 points
Hutson: 1 goal, 4 points
Anderson: 2 goals, 3 points
Guhle: 2 goals, 3 points
Kreider: 1 goal, 3 points
Matheson: 1 goal, 3 points
Dobson: 0 goals, 3 points
7 players with 2 points
4 players with 1 point
— Guillaume Villemaire (@GVillemaire13) November 1, 2026
Playing on the second line alongside Chris Kreider and Josh Anderson allows us to rediscover the offensive side that lies behind Evans' defensive effectiveness.
Reminder: Jake Evans enjoyed success in the last playoffs as the center on the second line (with Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook).
I mentioned odds that could have made me rich
at the beginning of this article; the one on who would be the Canadiens' top scorer in Nick Suzuki's absence also had that potential.
Owen Back and Florian Xhekaj vs. Kirby Dach
Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov are both nearing a return to action. Once they're back in uniform, three forwards currently with the team won't make the lineup (and two of them are likely to be sent back to Laval).
The obvious candidates to be sent down to the Rocket are Owen Beck and Florian Xhekaj.
And if everyone is healthy, the extra forward is likely to be Oliver Kapanen, Alexandre Texier, or Kirby Dach.
Except that if meritocracy truly existed with the Canadiens, Kirby Dach would be the first to go before Beck and Florian. He was sick at the wrong time on Saturday night…
Dach has only three assists in 13 games since the start of the season. And he doesn't use his physicality to bring anything else to the ice.
Florian Xhekaj has one goal and one assist in six games, while Owen Beck has two assists in four games. And both of them hit hard, rough it up, and are ready to drop the gloves when needed.
However, Kirby Dach is protected by the fact that he must clear waivers before he can be assigned to the Rocket. But let's be honest: Beck and Florian are no less useful than Dach when they step onto the ice. Not at all, in fact!
Tough Start to the Season for Ovechkin
The Capitals (8-5-0) are off to a good start to the season overall. They're in third place in the Metropolitan Division. However, you can't say it's thanks to Alex Ovechkin's brilliance!
The Russian winger has just one goal and three assists in 13 games so far this season.
In the Caps' last four games, Ovechkin has spent only between 10:56 and 13:08 on the ice (going scoreless in each of those games). He's still on the team's first power-play unit, but he's being used on the third line with Ilya Protas and Anthony Beauvillier. Aliaksei Protas and Alex Tuch are the left wingers on the top six.
Alexander Ovechkin celebrated his 41st birthday in September and indicated a few weeks later that he is currently playing his final season in North America.
Has he played one season too many?
