Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki wasn’t happy with the way the team was playing heading into the 4 Nations Face-Off break in the NHL schedule.
He wasn’t happy with the way he was playing, personally, or the way his line with Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky was performing.
Suzuki also wasn’t happy he was left off Team Canada.
After a 12-day break in the schedule, Suzuki had a lot he wanted to prove and he has been doing it in the Canadiens’ first three games since getting back in action.
After going 1-7-1 in the last nine games before the break, the Canadiens were on a three-game winning streak as they prepared to face the Sabres on Saturday in Buffalo (7 p.m., SNE, City, TVA Sports). Suzuki has 3-5-8 totals in the last three games after posting 1-4-5 totals in the nine games before the break. Caufield has 2-2-4 totals in the last three games, while Slafkovsky has 2-1-3 totals during that span.
“I feel really good mentally,” Suzuki said after scoring two goals and adding an assist in Thursday’s 4-3 overtime win over the San Jose Sharks at the Bell Centre. “I was getting pretty annoyed with myself before the break. Our line wasn’t doing much and all three of us have come back and really wanted to step it up and, as I line, I think we’ve been doing that.
“It was kind of snowballing in the wrong direction,” Suzuki said about the team’s play before the break. “From our line, I wasn’t happy with how we all were playing and myself and the team. Just a lot piled up on me mentally. It was nice to get that restart.”
Suzuki was upset his line wasn’t generating much offensively before the break.
“Forechecking was pretty bad,” he said. “We weren’t really sustaining much pressure in O-zone time. I think we kind of all lost a little bit of confidence coming into the break. When that happens you’re probably not going to produce or do much.”
That confidence seems to have returned — and it starts with the captain.
From player to fan
Suzuki said he enjoyed watching the 4 Nations Face-Off even though he wasn’t on Team Canada, which won the tournament.
“The talent was pretty insane,” Suzuki said about the tournament. “They made a lot of really good players just kind of look average out there with how much talent was on the ice. So it was fun to watch from a fan perspective.
“I’m obviously competitive and think I’m a good enough player to be on that team,” Suzuki added. “But they have to make tough calls and a lot of guys could have been on it.”
Raising his voice
This is Suzuki’s third season as captain after becoming the youngest captain in franchise history at age 23.
Head coach Martin St. Louis has watched Suzuki become more of a vocal leader this season.
“I think Nick is vocal on the bench,” St. Louis said. “I think Nick didn’t necessarily like the way his line finished before the break and you can see it in his response. Coming off the break, I think he’s in a good place and he’s leading with a lot of great actions on the ice right now. I think he’s also growing as a more vocal leader as well, which I think is important. We’re not forcing that, he’s not forcing that. But he’s getting more comfortable each and every day.”
Veteran defenceman David Savard has noticed the same thing with Suzuki, who has 18-42-60 totals in 59 games this season to go along with a plus-7 differential, which is the best on the team. Suzuki leads all forwards on the Canadiens in ice time with an average of 19:29 per game.
“I think he’s stepping up and talking more a little bit on the ice and on the bench,” said the 34-year-old Savard, who is in his 14th NHL season. “He wants the guys to be going and he’s taking his spot a little bit and picking his spots. But he’s been good for us. He’s been our leader on he ice and a lot of times in the dressing room, too.”
Savard said it isn’t easy being a young captain in the NHL.
“When you’re new in the league and you’re going through ups and downs, sometimes you feel like if your game’s not going the way you want it’s hard to speak up,” Savard said. “But I think he’s maturing that way and we need him to lead, regardless of how he’s playing, and I think he’s been doing that this year.
“We have a leadership group and we’ll go to dinners and stuff and we talk a little bit about everything,” Savard added. “We try to do our best, but he’s obviously in a little bit different situation than I am right now. But I think it’s just going through the ups and downs of seasons and you kind of learn how to handle stuff and I think he’s been doing a really good job for us.”
Suzuki is definitely starting to find his voice as captain.
“It’s coming more natural every year, I think,” he said. “Just trying to put my head down and work hard and try to do the right things all the time. I’m not going to be perfect, but you can try to be. Being a young team, I feel like I have a big voice for the younger guys to look up to and get help from the older guys.”
Trade winds blowing
This next week will be a nervous one for Savard since there’s a good chance he will be moved before next Friday’s NHL trade deadline since he can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
“I mean, it’s just part of the business,” the St-Hyacinthe native said. “I’ve heard my name a lot of times throughout the years. I’m just hoping to be here after the deadline. But it’s just something out of my control.”
The Canadiens’ Jake Evans, Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak and Michael Pezzetta can also become unrestricted free agents on July 1. Emil Heineman, Jayden Struble and goalie Jakub Dobes can become restricted free agents on July 1.
The TSN Trade Bait board has Evans listed at No. 17 and Armia at No. 18.
Hard to move up
The Canadiens came out of the 4 Nations Face-off break six points out of a wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
After winning three straight games, they had only moved one point closer following Thursday’s victory over the Sharks with three other teams — the New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins — between them and the Columbus Blue Jackets, who were holding the final wild-card spot.
“We have our moments where we show we an be a really top team in the league and moments where we kind of show our immaturity a little bit too much,” Suzuki said. “We’re really trying to find that balance. I think lately we’ve been playing a mature style and we just want to keep that up.”
St. Louis says his players still believe they can make the playoffs.
“I don’t think the group lacks any belief and I think we’ve shown that,” the coach said. “We’ve been pretty competitive. We compete. Yeah, we’re not perfect. We’re still a very young team, but I think the belief has always been there.”
Anderson keeps on ticking
If the Canadiens do make the playoffs, they’ll be hoping Josh Anderson is still in one piece.
Anderson has been taking a beating in recent games. After crashing head-first into the boards during the third period of Tuesday night’s 4-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, Anderson was back in the lineup Thursday night against the Sharks.
After falling awkwardly into the boards during the second period against the Sharks, Anderson went to the team clinic again. But when the third period started, Anderson was back on the bench and he finished the game. Anderson didn’t practise with his teammates Friday in Brossard, but he made the trip to Buffalo and is expected to play Saturday against the Sabres.
Anderson was already playing through an undisclosed injury before crashing into the boards against the Sharks.
“There’s probably not a lot of guys in the league that would play through what he’s been going through,” Suzuki said about Anderson. “He goes face-first into the boards and he’s right back in it. He’s one of the toughest guys that I’ve seen and he’s playing amazingly at the same time.
“Great leadership from him,” Suzuki added. “He’s showing his heart, how much he wants it. He wants to try to help the team and he’s doing that every night.”
St. Louis knows about dealing with pain from his own 16-year Hall of Fame playing career.
“You’re not going to have a good and long career if you only play when you’re at 100 per cent,” St. Louis said.
The coach also realizes there’s a difference between being injured and being hurt.
“To me, if you’re injured you’re out, and usually it’s the diagnosis,” St. Louis said. “For me, I broke my foot (as a player) … I couldn’t walk, but I could skate. It’s funny. It’s a different load. Maybe it’s just where it was broken that you can do that. There’s other places in your foot you might break it that you can’t skate. But you try and see how it feels. To me, it’s can you make it significantly worse that can affect long-term? If not, then it’s all about how much pain can you tolerate. I think it comes with the job.
“I played with a broken foot,” St. Louis added. “I took a puck in the eye — I was supposed to be out a long time. I think I missed three or four games, put a cage on. It takes a level of pain tolerance, but I think it comes with the job.”
Coaching Laine
Coaching Patrik Laine can be a challenge.
While Laine has an elite-level shot and can score goals — he has 14 goals in 31 games this season — his defence can leave a lot to be desired at times. A lackadaisical back-check by Laine played a role in the Sharks scoring their second goal Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in the first period.
“I think he’s tried to be more detailed defensively and that’s something that with the rest of our team we’re trying to be hard on that and with everyone,” St. Louis said. “I think he’s got good intentions. Offensively, I feel he’s playing with a little bit more pace and urgency. A big part of our game is our forecheck and we need everybody to do that and so sometimes you got to bring some pace to it. I know Patty, one of his biggest qualities he can slow the game down and he’s very good at that stuff. But to me, I think he’s had some urgency to not just try and slow the game down all the time, to play with more pace. I think it’s helped us.
“I think he knows where I stand with him,” St. Louis added. “I think I communicate that. I know sometimes he wants to play more, but I got to see more consistency in that department and it’s not just one game, it’s not one good period. It’s got to be a sequence where I see there’s a real commitment. Not just risk management. Just doing his job defensively, too. I feel like I’ve seen good intentions and more focus on that and we’re really trying to hammer that home.”
Learning to fight
There isn’t really any fighting in U.S. college hockey since players wear full cages for facial protection.
So, after playing four seasons at Northeastern University, Struble is learning to fight at the NHL level. On Thursday night, the Canadiens defenceman dropped the gloves with the Sharks’ Barclay Goodrow during the second period after a scrum in the corner.
Struble said he has been getting some fighting tips from teammate Arber Xhekaj when it comes to balance and getting a grip on the other player’s sweater.
“My first fight this year (against the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Ryan Graves on Nov. 2) was awful,” Struble said. “I was like Bambi out there. Threw one punch and slipped. It was like, OK, you got to figure out how to stay on your feet. I think the more I do it the more I’ll get comfortable and get used to it. It’s just getting in them now at this point is just experience. I felt a lot better in that one (with Goodrow). I felt like I was able to get a grip and kind of be more in control, so it was good.”
Struble said he wasn’t expecting to fight until Goodrow challenged him and said: “We’re going.”
“I was so tired (after the fight),” Struble said “It took me the whole five minutes (in the penalty box) to recover from that.”
Struble did get in a few off-ice fights as a kid growing up in Rhode Island.
“But it’s a different animal on the ice,” he said. “It’s a lot different. It’s something to get used to, but I’m definitely getting used to it, I guess.”
Jesperi Who?
Former Canadien Jesperi Kotkaniemi was back at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night and it was almost like nobody noticed. Kotkaniemi had no points, no shots and no hits in 13:46 of ice time as the Hurricanes were shut out by the Canadiens.
Normally, Bell Centre fans will boo former Canadiens when they return to Montreal — especially a third overall pick at the 2018 NHL Draft who didn’t pan out. But there were no boos Tuesday night for Kotkaniemi, who left the Canadiens after the 2020-21 season when the Hurricanes gave him a one-year, US$6.1-million offer sheet.
Marc Dumont of Montreal Hockey Now and Game Over Network, posted on X: “Kotkaniemi doesn’t even get booed in Montreal anymore. That’s much worse than getting booed.”
Good line.
Kotkaniemi is now a fourth-line centre for the Hurricanes with 11-16-27 totals in 59 games this season. The 24-year-old still has five more seasons after this remaining on his eight-year, US$38.56-million contract with an annual salary-cap hit of US$4.82 million.
Feel-good stories
Here’s a couple of feel-good stories to wrap up this weekend’s Stu’s Slapshots notebook.
In Nashville, Predators fan Billie Hammer lost the wedding ring she had worn for 49 years during a game last Sunday at Bridgestone Arena. She searched the arena with family members after the game, but couldn’t find the ring.
Hammer’s daughter, Kara, is a rink reporter for the Predators and posted on X her mother had lost the ring. Someone who had found the ring returned it to Bridgestone Arena security and Hammer got it back.
In Washington, Brayden Schenn played in his 1,000th regular-season game Thursday night when his St. Louis Blues beat the Capitals 5-2.
Blues head coach Jimmy Montgomery had Schenn’s father, Jeff, read out the starting lineup in the Blues’ locker room before the game.
Schenn’s older brother, Luke, played his 1,000th game Oct. 17 with the Predators. The Schenns are the eighth set of brothers to each reach that milestone and the first to do so in the same season.