We all know how much Montreal loves its hockey – specifically its Montreal Canadiens. 

There’s a lot for the Canadiens to get hyped up about, including being close to a playoff birth. But with top prospect Ivan Demidov joining the club and making his NHL debut Monday night against the Chicago Blackhawks – Montrealers are falling head-over-heels for the 19-year-old.

Demidov has been embraced by Canadiens fans, be it at the airport arriving in the city or just during practice – the affection is probably more than he expected, even with Canadiens staff trying to prepare him for life in a massive hockey hotbed.

That said, Demidov’s hardly the first Russian to potentially thrive in the fishbowl environment of Montreal.

Whether it was Ilya Kovalchuk – who played for the Canadiens briefly in 2020 – or former Habs fan favorites Alex Kovalev and Andrei Markov, Canadiens fans have never shied away from expressing their affection for the creativity, craftiness and high-energy games these players bring to the table. Canadiens management is also fully aware of the mutual admiration that exists between Montrealers and their exciting talent.

“It’s another part of what makes Montreal the best hockey city in the world,” Canadiens GM Kent Hughes said Monday regarding the Demidov hype. “We see it often with soccer around the world. When there’s a passion, there’s other aspects that come with it. But I think I have the impression that Ivan has felt the welcome to Montreal.”

Canadiens' Ivan Demidov Brings 'Mamba Mentality' And Otherworldly Skill To The NHLThe Montreal Canadiens got a pretty special talent in Ivan Demidov. 

The hype around Demidov extends to current Canadiens players. Injured Habs center Kirby Dach moved his stationary bike to the bench just to watch him practise. 

But before everyone gets carried away with expectations for Demidov, they should give him a little room to breathe and get his feet under him as he begins competing in the best hockey league on the planet. 

To that end, Kovalchuk talked to RG.org about Demidov in March and how he has to be ready for the sky-high expectations in Montreal. 

“He needs to be ready for the reality of playing in a city where hockey is like a religion,” he said. “Every move he makes will be scrutinized by management and the media. The key is to not be shy and speak their language. It goes a long way in a market like Montreal.”

Demidov needs to heed those words. If he doesn’t light the league on fire as soon as he logs his first few games, the pressure on him will only grow. And if he does excel right away, Demidov will be expected to raise his game even higher. 

Because he’s eligible to play in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Demidov reportedly has an intriguing clause in his first NHL contract, which would pay him $525,000 if he wins the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the post-season. He can make an even bigger splash as a rookie, but that’s part of the sky-high expectations that may need to be tempered this season.

Canadiens fans are already gaga for the potential Demidov has shown in his on-ice career. If he does lay the foundation to be something truly special in this initial taste of NHL action, Habs fans will surely dive headfirst into a love affair with him that will last for many years.

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The Edmonton Oilers could have another disadvantage against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the playoffs.

The Pacific Division rivals clash on Monday night as the regular season winds down. But the Oilers won’t be playing with their ideal lineup, and that could drag into the playoffs. The Kings, meanwhile, look to be fully healthy when April 19 comes around. 

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch provided injury updates on Monday. The biggest concern is that defenseman Mattias Ekholm will miss the first round. The 34-year-old only played 1:52 of ice time in April and reportedly suffered a significant injury.

Trade deadline acquisition Trent Frederic is also questionable for Game 1 of the playoffs. The 27-year-old center has only played in one game for Edmonton, and that was only for about seven minutes against the Kings on April 5.

Superstar Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman will also not play against Los Angeles on Monday for precautionary reasons. McDavid missed eight games in late March, while Hyman hasn’t played for the Oilers since Friday, when he left the game with an injury. 

Leon Draisaitl, Jake Walman and Troy Stetcher also remain out, but Knoblauch expects them to be ready for Game 1. Evander Kane still needs to be cleared to play for the first time this season, but he's looking good, Knoblauch added.

With all these injuries creating holes in the Oilers' lineup, the team called up defenseman Josh Brown from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Quinn Hutson will also make his NHL debut after signing an entry-level contract on Monday. The forward is the oldest brother of the Montreal Canadiens’ Lane Hutson and Washington Capitals’ Cole Hutson.

No Ekholm, No Hope? Oilers Face Harsh Playoff Reality After Key InjuryThere are some serious injuries that almost certainly will spell doom for an NHL team’s Stanley Cup playoff hopes.

As it stands for the Kings, they’re expected to have a mostly healthy lineup by the time Game 1 arrives.

D-man Joel Edmundson is unavailable due to an upper-body injury, and left winger Tanner Jeannott hasn’t played since March 25. It’s uncertain whether both will be ready for the playoffs.

The Kings have a three-point lead over the Oilers in the standings and can clinch home-ice advantage. No team has won more games at home this season than the Kings’ 31.

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Kick off the last week of the NHL's regular season with The Hockey News Wraparound Show.

Will The New York Rangers Be Good Next Year? by The Wraparoundundefined

Here's what Emma Lingan and Michael Augello discussed in this episode:

0:00: How much will the loss of Mattias Ekholm impact the Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs?

4:03: Could losing Nikolaj Ehlers be crucial to the playoff outlook of the Winnipeg Jets?

6:26: Do the Minnesota Wild have one of the most exciting defensive cores of the future after signing Zeev Buium?

8:27: Should Yakov Trenin have faced supplemental discipline for his actions against the Vancouver Canucks?

12:19: Looking back at Alec Martinez’s NHL career as he announces his retirement

14:05: Will the New York Rangers be competitive next season?

17:23: Is there a chance that Rangers coach Peter Laviolette will be fired?

20:11: Could the Hutson brothers become hockey’s next biggest family?

22:30: Will Nikita Kucherov go down as a better playmaker than Connor McDavid?

24:48: Which NHL teams should pursue Jack Ivankovic at the draft?

See below for where to subscribe to the show for future episodes.

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Podbean

iHeartRadio

Amazon

The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to play boring hockey – and it continues to work. 

A 1-0 overtime win against the Montreal Canadiens is a perfect example of it. Winning 4-1 with 20 shots against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday is also a safer style of game.

Since they made Craig Berube their coach last summer, the Maple Leafs have changed their style of play. Don’t get it twisted – they still lean heavily on their ‘Core Four’ of star forwards Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares. But Toronto now plays a safer, smarter, “low-event” hockey that will do the squad well in the playoffs.

The Leafs improved the most on defense, thanks to this style of play. They’ve gone from an average of 3.18 goals-against last season – 21st in the NHL in that category – to 2.85 this year, which ranks 12th. 

For his part, Berube has stressed physicality, defensive structure and resilience. By and large, the Leafs responded.

For instance, Berube is happy with the Leafs’ ability to bounce back in the wake of losing games. Toronto recently fell to the defending Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers on April 8, but the team put in an excellent effort in knocking off the Tampa Bay Lightning to solidify its hold on top spot in the Atlantic Division. 

Berube spoke after practice Friday about his team’s determination to atone for subpar performances and make opponents pay a price night in and night out.

“It’s been good for the most part,” Berube said when asked about the Leafs’ heavy, physical game this season. “Yeah, you have games where it’s not as good as it needs to be, but I just look at that Tampa game, and the competitiveness we played with on a back-to-back night, against a very good (Lightning) team – just the puck battles and the physicality that we needed to play with to get out of there with two points. 

“Blocking shots, it’s all that type of stuff. But guys were committed to doing it, and I didn’t like it in the Florida game. I didn’t think we did it well enough, and that was the difference in the game for me. But they responded, and they did it the next night.”

Should The Maple Leafs Be Worried About The First Round Of The Playoffs?Things are never easy in the Stanley Cup playoffs, nor should they be. But wherever the Toronto Maple Leafs end up in the standings, their reward will be a first-round opponent who has dummied them this season.

Whether it’s left winger Steven Lorentz, center Max Domi, left winger Scott Laughton or left winger Bobby McMann – as well as defensemen Chris Tanev, Jake McCabe and Simon Benoit – Toronto’s supporting cast is supplying the robust physical type of game Berube has been looking for.

“I think we’ve been pretty consistent with our physicality all year, “ Berube said. “It’s not just taking the body on a guy, it’s being hard at your net-front and boxing out, it’s all that stuff, puck battles and blocking shots. So I think we’ve done a pretty good job of it for most of the year, been pretty consistent.”

Meanwhile, Leafs players are echoing Berube’s sentiment. McMann, who got into a fight against Brayden Point in the win over the Lightning, also spoke Friday about his team’s willingness to provide edge and snarl in a way previous Leafs teams may not have provided in recent years.

“I think it’s a collective effort from everybody to try and be involved in every situation and make sure guys are engaged and sticking up for each other and making sure we’re sticking together as a unit,” McMann said. “That's the biggest thing.”

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