'Dach'—a breathtaking song by Céline Dion—and soon another retiree

Josh Anderson (one goal, one assist, four hits, and +2) and Kirby Dach (one assist, one hit , and +1) used their size to make a difference in Toronto, even though they weren't overused. Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, Chris Kreider, and Alex Newhook, however, failed to get on the score sheet. Nick Suzuki, in particular, looked crazyfrom a Selke Trophy winner on William Nylander's first goal.

At least Cole Caufield had three hits. #Sarcasm

Chemistry still needs to develop on the first two lines, with Kreider's arrival and Kapanen's injury. The few days of practice in Pittsburgh will help with that.

Defensive Solidity

On defense, Jakub Dobes, Alexandre Carrier, Noah Dobson, and Mike Matheson have taken charge. I just hope Jakub Dobes stays focused and doesn't lose his way over the next few months. It's a long season.

Taking it out on John Tavares, and then on the fans and members of the media who expressed doubts about you, can end up backfiring.

The good news is that the Habs found a way to win a game that Martin St-Louis wasn't very happy with. Being perfect on the penalty kill certainly helped avoid overtime. Let's call it the Lalonde effect.

Let's mourn Kirill Marchenko

Kirill Marchenko was a threat every time he was on the ice. Unlike the Montrealers, the Torontonians were able to count on two of their best forwards yesterday: Marchenko and William Nylander.

How many times did you find yourself thinking during the game: “Damn, that guy would've been perfect in Montreal.”

Especially since Montreal was at the top of his list…

But oh well, we'll just have to learn to hate him for many years to come.

After François Gagnon, Luc Gélinas?

I was on the road between Montreal and Repentigny last night—after stopping by Marc-André Perreault's brand-new show, Mapper—when I got a call from a reporter.

He told me to keep an eye on Luc Gélinas after the holidays. According to rumors circulating in Toronto last night, Gélinas is set to be the next big RDS star to retire. And it might even happen before the end of the current season…

Every morning when I wake up, my body reminds me that I'm getting older. That said, seeing all these people I've been listening to and watching since I was a teenager retire really drives home the weight of the years.

Here's hoping the person who called me yesterday was wrong…