Montreal Canadiens news and notes
- Samuel Montembeault rode the energy of the home crowd to a big third-period performance on Saturday night. [Journal de Montreal]
- A game versus the Florida Panthers was a test of Lane Hutson’s ability to quarterback a power play versus a skilled, aggressive penalty kill. [La Presse]
- Martin St-Louis is still working with Joshua Roy to help him become an NHL player, but the coach can no longer focus solely on development with the team aiming to win every game. [Journal de Montreal]
- Patrik Laine is in a class of his own when it comes to one-timed shots for goals. [RDS]
- Andrei Kovalenko sees a lot of positive signs from Ivan Demidov that he has what it takes to be a star in Montreal. [RG.org]
Around the league and elsewhere
- Alexander Ovechkin scored goal #887 to get the within eight of passing Wayne Gretzky. [NHL.com]
- Mikko Rantanen is preparing for an emotional return to Colorado now as a member of the Dallas Stars. [NHL.com]
- Craig Berube calls for more urgency from a Toronto Maple Leafs team blowing leads and tumbling down the Atlantic Division order. [Sportsnet]
- The NHL will meet with representatives from the various North American Junior leagues at the GM meetings to discuss the plan for the future with the new NCAA rules. [Sportsnet]
- What could be the other topics at the meetings? [Sportsnet]
- It’s not easy to create offence from behind the net, but it does create some of the most dangerous chances you get in he NHL. [The Athletic]
- Crossfield, Alberta; Honeywood, Ontario; Saint-Boniface, Quebec; and Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia are the finalists for Kraft Hockeyville. [NHL.com]
