Since the beginning of the Montreal Canadiens’ season, Emil Heineman has been playing truly excellent hockey.
Even though he doesn’t play much, averaging 10 minutes and 53 seconds per game, Heineman is accumulating points at a very interesting rate, especially for a 23-year-old rookie.
In short, for a guy who plays an average of ten minutes per game, and who was the only player under ten minutes last night (9:39), it’s a solid point haul, especially when compared to other Canadiens players.
You read that right, Heineman has double the points of Newhook, who, let’s remember, still hasn’t recorded a single assist this season.
In the second instance, it’s concerning for Newhook to have scored only six goals in 32 games, while playing an average of 15 minutes per game.
Heineman is bringing much more to the Canadiens than Newhook at the moment, and one can’t help but wonder when Heineman will finally get his chance in the top-6.
What’s the point of leaving Heineman on the fourth line when, in the meantime, Newhook isn’t producing for his teammates in the top-6?
Turning back to yesterday’s game, aside from Heineman’s great performance and Evans’, here are my key takeaways from the match.
1. Patrik Laine always finds a way to be “clutch”.
But let’s say that yesterday, it was even more important, as the Tricolore came back in the third period to ultimately win by one goal.
It’s worth noting that it was a historic goal, as Laine is the first player to score seven power-play goals in his first eight games with a new team.
Canadiens Patrik Laine
First player in NHL history to score 7 Power Play goals in his first 8 games with a team pic.twitter.com/41gbzPRQpv
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) December 21, 2024
2. Alexandre Carrier had a solid first game in the Bleu Blanc Rouge jersey.
Martin St-Louis on Alexandre Carrier:
«It’s a great first impression. His game is very calm, very calculated; he is in control all the time»
— Anthony Martineau (@Antho_Martineau) December 21, 2024
3.
In Brief
– To be continued.
ALERT Habs Prospect Ivan Demidov will be in action today on the third line!
Game Start: 9:00 AM ET
Matchup: SKA vs. Admiral pic.twitter.com/5y87Yp94fb— HABS NATION (@CoachFrenchy10X) December 21, 2024
– Nikolai Kovalenko was not expecting to be traded, let alone to the Sharks. [Responsible Gambler]
– Ouch.
Marcus Foligno: «We’re fighting through it. We’re in a little bit of a sludge. I mean, I’d rather be in this position than Buffalo. So, you know what, it’s not that bad.» #mnwild
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) December 21, 2024
– He is dominant.
Sasha Barkov does stuff normal hockey players just do not.
‘We sit and watch that in awe. It was fun to be a part of.’https://t.co/6DzN8UTzFg
— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) December 21, 2024
– This is excellent.
Wes McCauley needs to emulate this one day https://t.co/jkiBGKUhLt
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) December 21, 2024