In any hockey season, there are litmus tests. Games that crop up at any point in the season and tell you not only where you stand — but what you are.
The Canadiens had one of those games Saturday night. They were coming off a heist in Edmonton, where they had the ice pulled out from under them by an inept refereeing duo and failed to meet the challenge when their No. 1 goalie simply didn’t make the saves.
So they go roaring into Vancouver and skate the Canucks out of the rink from puck drop, right?
Oh, so very wrong.
The Canadiens, as though they had just flown 12 time zones from Irkutsk and arrived 15 minutes before game time, looked nothing at all like the swift-skating, high-pressure bunch that had been such a revelation through the first nine games.
By the time the score reached 2-0 in the second period, I was ready to concede. Perhaps, I thought, Ivan Demidov would do something. The Nick Suzuki line had been doing much of the heavy lifting and could use a bit of help.
Then the 19-year-old Russian simply took over the game. First came what Ray Ferraro called a “gorgeous” pass on the power play, with Suzuki the beneficiary after Demidov faked a shot on Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen to draw him out of position and give Suzuki an open net.
Then it was a short, crisp pass to Juraj Slafkovsky for another power-play goal to tie it at 2-2. Finally, there was the clincher, a nasty 15-foot laser shot from the slot that was the eventual winner — all from the stick of a guy who won’t turn 20 until Dec. 10.
What is most impressive about the plays Demidov is making (other than the fact that it seems there are more with every game) is the maturity. It isn’t simply a ton of talent and lightning-quick reflexes, though he has that to spare. It’s the patience, the way he will sometimes wait a beat or two for the path to clear before he does that tape-to-tape thing that Andrei Markov used to do.
This is grown-up stuff, what you might see from Nikita Kucherov or Connor McDavid, not a teenager trying to prove he belongs.
There is no doubt Demidov has arrived. Game by game, he is doing more at both ends of the ice. His presence on the first power-play unit was inevitable and now he’s there, perhaps earlier than planned. He belongs in the Calder Trophy conversation with Islanders defenceman Matthew Schaefer, giving the Canadiens a legitimate shot at two in a row after a drought that went all the way back to Ken Dryden in 1972.
Inevitably, there are comparisons to Guy Lafleur, the last superstar forward drafted and developed by the Canadiens.
It’s a different era. More distractions, infinitely more money. But Demidov has the work ethic, the temperament and the talent to pull it off.
For those still pouting because the Habs didn’t draft Matvei Michkov (one goal and two assists so far this season) look what you got instead. The future.
After a feed from Canadiens’ Ivan Demidov, not shown, Habs captain Nick Suzuki scores into an open net behind Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen as Cole Caufield jumps in front of defenceman Tyler Myers during second period Saturday in Vancouver.
Shed a tear for Patty: You have to feel for Patrik Laine, the hard-luck Finn. The latest bitter twist was what was termed a “core muscle injury” leading to surgery in New York and it’s expected to keep the big sniper out of the lineup for three or four months.
That would mean a likely return after the February Olympic break and a very short window in which to convince the Canadiens (or some other NHL team) to offer him another contract.
It’s going to be tough. Laine, who gave the Canadiens such an enormous boost when he returned from a knee injury last season and went on a power-play tear, has no clear fit with this team, certainly not 5-on-5.
We would hope some team will sign Laine. He meshes beautifully with this sophisticated city, but not necessarily with the team that brought him to town.
Playoff bound: The Alouettes lost their last game of the season in Winnipeg, a meaningless affair after they had already learned they will be playing in the Eastern semifinal at Percival Molson Saturday.
Their opponents, once again, will be the Blue Bombers — this time with both teams fielding their best available players rather than resting their stars as they did in Saturday’s yawn-fest in Manitoba.
Among the stars sitting out in Winnipeg was quarterback Davis Alexander, still unbeaten in his CFL career and the biggest reason I still think the Als are serious Grey Cup contenders, although the path would have been easier had they been able to win the East.
If Alexander does his thing, it won’t matter.
Heroes: Jakub Dobes, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, Mike Matheson, Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, Alex Newhook, Lando Norris, Ilya Kharun, Victor Wembanyama, Jordan Love, Martin St. Louis &&&& last but not least, Ivan Demidov.
Zeros: The gambling monster that has swallowed all of professional sports, Mitch Love, Chris Schlenker, Garrett Rank, Stewart Johnston, Evander Kane, Max Verstappen, Aaron Rodgers, Bud Selig Jr., Claude Brochu, Jeffrey Loria &&&& last but not least, David Samson.
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