Two days removed from a thrilling comeback that saw the Montreal Canadiens fall just short in a shootout with the Tampa Bay Lightning, they did it again. Facing the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night, the Habs found themselves staring down a two-goal deficit with five minutes remaining in the third period. Refusing to accept such a result, they stormed back to tie the game, but this time, they found an overtime goal to leave Sunrise with an important two points in the standings.
On the eve of Team Canada’s roster announcement for the Olympics, Nick Suzuki turned in a dominant performance.
Most points in 2025 by Canadian NHLers
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) December 31, 2025
Nathan MacKinnon 121
Connor McDavid 115
Nick Suzuki 97#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/YBJPprCP4e
Scoring the above game-winner, as well as the tying goal at the end of the third period, he added to his 2025-calendar point total that places him among the very best players from Canada. Whether he’s done enough to earn the nod from Hockey Canada remains to be seen, but making a roster chock-full of generational talents isn’t always as simple as producing. He deserves the honour, but we all know that sometimes, what you deserve has nothing to do with the final decision.
Putting the Olympics aside for a moment, as some feel he could use the break more than anything else, this was a stellar performance for his club. He’s had to deal with a rotating cast of players on one of his wings, double shifted at times to compensate for in-game injuries, and it hasn’t always allowed him to carry the team as we’re accustomed to seeing him do. A stronger supporting cast around him has helped immensely when he can’t produce, but we know this team is at its best when Suzuki is doing what he did last night.
NHL GameScore Impact Card for Montreal Canadiens on 2025-12-30: pic.twitter.com/xOHpQt6cNO
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) December 31, 2025
Alexandre Texier isn’t supposed to be on that line, but some praise is due for how well he’s handled the role in a small sample. Ever since Juraj Slafkovsky was moved to their dangerous second line, it has been a challenge for Suzuki’s trio to find consistency. Texier may not be the answer forever, but he warrants a longer look there thanks to how well he’s meshed with Suzuki and Cole Caufield in short order.
Alas, if Suzuki doesn’t get the Olympic nod, it won’t be that he didn’t do enough. He has led the Montreal Canadiens through a rebuild, putting up career-best numbers year after year in the process, and now looks to take his team to the next level. He’s put himself in conversations with elite players at the NHL level. He’s earned the C on his chest several times over at this point, and at 26-years-old, he’s far from finished.
If he does get the nod, look out, because if Nick Suzuki is a bottom-six player on any team, you should be terrified of what they can do to you.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll be back on Thursday night, when the Habs will visit the Carolina Hurricanes.
