Last month wasn’t the start the Habs wanted to get off to, to say the least. Despite that, there were a few decent performers. Here are the results from our reader vote for the three stars of the month.
1st Star: Cole Caufield
Over the grand scheme of things, everyone knows that he’s not going to be able to sustain a 31.3% shooting percentage. But 10 goals in 11 games is quite impressive as Caufield lit the lamp early and often even though the first line struggled in terms of possession. What’s notable is that a lot of those goals were scored closer to the net compared to a year ago so it appears he’s made an adjustment on that front. One element he’ll need to work on is affecting the game outside of his shot. He did so in the second half last year but that hasn’t happened much this year.
Stats: 11 GP, 10 goals, 1 assist, 11 points, even rating, 2 PIMS, 32 shots, 18:08 ATOI
2nd Star: Nick Suzuki
The numbers don’t quite tell the tale. Suzuki was held without a goal for the first six games of the season and was taking some heat for that. But a hot finish to the month gave him a respectable goal total while also putting him at better than a point-per-game pace. While it might not feel like it at times, that’s legitimate top-line production (though again, that trio struggled despite the offensive exploits). That’s not a great start but not a bad one either necessarily, helping him tie Caufield for the highest ballot percentage at over 90%.
Stats: 11 GP, 4 goals, 9 assists, 13 points, even rating, 2 PIMS, 27 shots, 49.7% faceoffs, 19:50 ATOI
3rd Star: Lane Hutson
Two months ago, it was far from a certainty that he’d be breaking camp with the team. While many hoped he would, lots of college players need an adjustment period and it was fair to wonder if he’d need that as well. Fast forward to today and the thought now seems laughable, doesn’t it? Hutson has adapted quite nicely to the NHL and he’s learning what will and won’t work at the top level. Perhaps more impressively, he has broken up some plays off his own turnovers. Someone who handles the puck as much as he does – he’s among the league leaders in that regard – is going to turn it over at an above-average rate. But his hustling back defensively to break those up is a particularly encouraging element on top of the offence.
Stats: 11 GP, 0 goals, 7 assists, 7 points, -4 rating, 6 PIMS, 8 shots, 20 blocks, 22:48 ATOI
Honourable Mention: Jake Evans
It’s a contract year for Evans as he’ll be eligible to hit the open market for the first time in July. He got off to a good start to his platform season as he showed a bit more offensive spark than we’re used to seeing while also anchoring what was probably Montreal’s most consistent line of the month, a veteran-laden one with Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher, two players who underachieved last season. Evans also played a key role on a penalty kill that was better than expected. I’m skeptical he can keep this up but this is a results-oriented vote and last month, he was definitely one of Montreal’s better performers.
Stats: 11 GP, 2 goals, 3 assists, 5 points, -2 rating, 4 PIMS, 13 shots, 48.8% faceoffs, 15:50 ATOI
