There is an interesting development taking place with the Montreal Canadiens. Nick Suzuki has missed five games with a hand injury, and the Canadiens have won all five, every one of them in regulation time. That's the good news. The not-so-good news is that their supposed top line has practically disappeared, and the team has been getting its offence from some rather unexpected places.
Before Suzuki went down, he was leading the Canadiens with 12 points in nine games. Cole Caufield had eight and Juraj Slafkovsky seven. Together, they were carrying much of the offensive workload. Since then, Jake Evans leads the team with five points and a plus-11 differential. Caufield, Phillip Danault and Lane Hutson have four apiece, although Caufield collected all four in just two games. Slafkovsky, meanwhile, has been about as visible offensively as a referee during a television timeout.
The bigger concern is what this tells us about Montreal's lineup. Danault has averaged 19:11 of ice time over those five games, the most among Canadiens forwards. He's doing what he can, but asking him to shoulder that kind of responsibility over an extended period is like asking your backup generator to power the entire neighbourhood. It might work for a while, but eventually something is going to give.
And this brings us back to the elephant in the room: the need for a legitimate second-line centre. We keep hearing that Kent Hughes is working hard to address the situation. Frankly, that's part of the job description. NHL general managers aren't paid to admire the problem, they're paid to solve it. There are no participation trophies handed out for making phone calls.
Credit where it's due, the players have responded remarkably well to Suzuki's absence. Five consecutive regulation wins deserve recognition. But winning shouldn't distract from the weaknesses that remain. A healthy Suzuki will certainly help, and his return appears to be getting closer. However, one player returning doesn't magically turn a lineup into a contender.
The Canadiens have found a way to win without their captain. Imagine what a little help down the middle could do. Perhaps it's time for management to turn some of that hard work into results.
ON THE FLY
🥞 Josh Anderson's changing value: As mentioned in this morning's Habs-presso Shot, Anderson has six goals on the season, putting him on pace for 36 over an 84-game schedule. He probably won't get there, but his unique combination of size, speed and physicality is becoming increasingly valuable. An extension might deserve more consideration than it did a few months ago.
🥞 Engström deserves some credit: Adam Engström had a couple of unfortunate deflections into his own net in one game, and some fans were quick to jump on him. Fair enough, nobody enjoys watching their defenceman become an unwilling participant in a highlight reel. However, he's having a very good season. Smooth skater, good first pass and smart positional play. There's more to his game than a couple of bad bounces.
🥞 Beck needs more than eight minutes: Owen Beck has two assists in his last two games and has looked good when given the opportunity. Unfortunately, he's averaging just 8:30 of ice time in five games. Martin St-Louis needs to find a better way to utilize his fourth line. It's a long season, and the Canadiens learned last spring what happens when players run out of gas.
🥞 Fowler among the NHL's best: With his latest victory, Jacob Fowler is tied for third in NHL goaltender wins alongside Linus Ullmark, Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman. The 21-year-old rookie also boasts a 1.84 GAA and .932 save percentage in eight games. Not bad company to keep. The kid isn't exactly playing like someone who needs to ask for directions.
🥞 November won't be a picnic: The Canadiens face 14 games in 28 days, with plenty of playoff-calibre opponents and divisional rivals on the schedule. Fortunately, they have just one back-to-back situation, travelling from New Jersey to Carolina on November 18 and 19. Still, it's going to be a good test of their depth and endurance.
🥞 Second place and climbing: Montreal enters November second in the Atlantic Division, just one point behind Boston with a game in hand. Their five-game winning streak has helped them reach 8-1-1 over their last 10 games. Right now, nobody in the NHL is hotter.
🥞 The Atlantic is ridiculous: Detroit sits at the bottom of the division with a .536 points percentage. That same percentage would put the Red Wings fifth in both the Metropolitan and Central divisions, and fourth in the Pacific. Apparently, finishing last in the Atlantic now requires a respectable record. Somebody might want to check whether the division has been taking performance-enhancing vitamins.
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