Milan Games: Nick Suzuki’s role becomes clearer

Yesterday, Lane Hutson (two points and +2) was more effective than Cale Makar (no points and -2), both in his zone and in the offensive zone.

Nick Suzuki (three points and +2) was more productive and responsible than Nathan MacKinnon (no points and -3).

Mike Matheson was better than Brent Burns, Juraj Slafkovsky was better than Artturi Lehkonen, Ivan Demidov was better than Martin Necas, Jakub Dobes was better than Scott Wedgewood, and so on.

It’s crazy to say that Hutson and Suzuki had the upper hand over Makar and MacKinon, but that’s the reality. Nick Suzuki played like Nathan MacKinnon last night on the ice, both with the puck and as a leader for his team.

With his three points (two goals and one assist) last night, Nick Suzuki is now bilingual and ranks 11th among NHL scorers this morning. And he’s the fourth-highest scoring Canadian (in the sense of Canadian citizen) in the entire NHL!

And with 12 points in his last seven games (and a +6 differential during that period), Suzuki will arrive in Milan with the wind in his sails. #Momentum #Timing

What role will Jon Cooper have in store for Nick Suzuki in Italy? We can all agree that, playing the way he is right now, Suzuki can’t start the tournament in the press box. Impossible!

But with Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, and Macklin Celebrini in the lineup, it’s clear that Suzuki won’t be playing center on one of the top three lines. Jon Cooper will have to decide whether to make Suzuki his fourth-line center or a winger on one of the top nine lines.

Either way, Suzuki will be able to help the Canadiens, but I have a feeling he would be more effective at center on the fourth line ( with penalty killing minutes to start).

Anthony Cirelli will be eating popcorn at that point…

Remember that the NHL will take a break from February 6 to 24, and the men’s Olympic tournament will open on February 11. It’s coming up fast!

The last time Nick Suzuki represented Canada was in 2018-19… at the World Junior Championships. Yes, the Canadiens captain has come a long way since the trade involving the Golden Knights, Max Pacioretty , and the Canadiens. Now it’s up to him to prove that he belongs among the cream of the crop.

Overtime

– Kirby Dach finished his night with a goal, an assist, a +3, two shots, and a blocked shot yesterday. He hadn’t recorded a point since November 8, before his foot injury. The line he forms with Zachary Bolduc and Jake Evans is having a good run right now.

Dach clearly played his best game in a long time against the Avalanche. His challenge will be to 1. Repeat such performances on a regular basis and 2. Stay healthy. It’s up to him to find a way to do that.

– Jakub Dobes may have just had his two best games of the season. He is 8-0-1 since December 14. Martin St-Louis, Éric Raymond, and Marco Marciano have no choice: they have to send Dobes into the fray tomorrow night in Buffalo. #NumberOneRightNow

– The Canadiens (30-17-7) currently have 67 points, eight more than the Panthers (sixth in the Atlantic and ninth in the East). Mathematically speaking, the Habs have a 71.8% chance of making the playoffs this spring. The Montreal club therefore has its destiny in its own hands. It’s up to them not to choke.

– Phillip Danault does a lot of good things on the ice, but he seems afraid of getting hit. Watch him closely…