The Canadian captain, who we haven’t seen enough of since the start of the season, has finally asserted himself. In this dramatic overtime win, Nick Suzuki led the Habs’ attack and contributed to three of his team’s four goals.

• Also read: Cole Caufield plays the hero again

The goal he scored with a precise wrist shot right at the start of the second period allowed him to finally break the ice. A first goal that seemed to take a lot of pressure off his shoulders.

“Afterwards I felt a little lighter. It was a relief. Now I can move on,” said Suzuki at the end of this 4-3 win.

However, this isn’t the first time Suzuki has taken the time to mix things up. In his first season it took him seven games to achieve this. He needed 11 games in 2021-2022. This last time he finished the season with a haul of 61 points, including 21 goals.

So there is no reason to panic yet.

“I think I was happier than him,” Cole Caufield said. He plays well. Of course there are some things he would like to adjust, but he’s our man. He is the one we follow. We are all proud of him. »

However, to increase Suzuki and Cole Caufield’s chances of having a season that lives up to expectations, they need to find a right winger who can follow them.

There’s nothing against Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, who reclaimed his front-row position after ceding it to Josh Anderson against the Devils. In addition, it was thanks to his work on the ramp that Suzuki hit the goal.

It’s nothing against Anderson either. The great winger has qualities, but not the vision necessary to develop further in the company of the two prodigies.

Monahan, the logical option

Furthermore, when we ask Martin St-Louis who could complete this duo, the answer is often the same.

“When Dvorak comes back, we will have more options,” he repeated again on Thursday morning.

Dvorak was on the long-term injured list at the start of the season and will be eligible to play again next Saturday in St. Louis.

The next option is inevitably Sean Monahan. In him, St-Louis can count on the qualities of Harvey-Pinard and Anderson in one person.

Since, unlike Suzuki, he is left-handed, he will also give St-Louis another option in the faceoff circle in the important duels that this trio will face.

Once Dvorak returns, St-Louis can count on an additional center player. He will be able to slot him in between Tanner Pearson and Brendan Gallagher and move Monahan to the right flank of the first unit.

It’s crazy how quickly things can change in the world of sports. While not long ago we wondered how Kent Hughes managed to walk away from the 27-year-old forward’s $4.5 million contract, we’re now eagerly hoping for his return.

Who would have believed that?

Because of the roof

Had Kirby Dach not suffered a season-ending injury in the second game, one wonders if Monahan wouldn’t already be sitting in that chair.

St-Louis was hesitant to give Alex Newhook a central position early in the season, preferring to initially give him running duties on the left side.

However, Dach’s injury showed that the former Colorado Avalanche has lost none of his ease on the court in the middle of the second line.

Every time he jumps on the ice something happens. This was the case again last night. His relentlessness led to scoring opportunities for Mike Matheson and Anderson.