Nick Suzuki has a shootout problem the Canadiens can't keep ignoring, and a number that surfaced Saturday night made it impossible to miss.
The Montreal forward hasn't scored in a shootout since Dec. 13, 2023. That's nearly three years of silence in the breakaway contest, from a player whose game runs on hands and vision.
The stat came from r/Habs, which posted it Saturday night after Montreal played Ottawa twice on the same date. The post drew 30.5K views.
Suzuki dressed for the home half and did his usual work. One assist, a +1 rating and 18:05 of ice time in a 4-2 win.
Nobody's questioning his five-on-five game. The problem lives in the loneliest moment in hockey: one skater, one goalie, a whole building holding its breath.
Picture a pitcher who carves through eight innings, then can't find the strike zone with the game on the line. That's the shootout version of Nick Suzuki right now.
Martin St-Louis faces a shootout order question in Montreal
How long does a name keep a shooter in the order? That call belongs to Martin St-Louis, and shootout coaching runs on feel far more than loyalty.
The Canadiens have other hands to trust. Juraj Slafkovsky piled up a goal and two assists Saturday, including the game-winner against Ottawa.
Phillip Danault chipped in a goal and an assist in the same win and finished plus-2. Cole Caufield added a power-play helper.
Here's the blunt part. Sending Suzuki out first again on name value alone would be a bad idea, because the shootout doesn't care about résumés.
Droughts like this get heavier the longer they last. Every empty attempt climbs onto the shooter's back for the next skate from center ice.
Goaltending gives Montreal some cover while this sorts itself out. Samuel Montembeault stopped all 14 shots he faced Saturday, and Jacob Fowler turned aside 16 of 18 in that same win.
The other half of the night went sideways. Jakub Dobes made 22 saves on 26 shots in a 4-3 loss in Ottawa.
Montreal carries a 4-1-0 mark through its recent stretch into Tuesday's trip to Toronto. Puck drop is 7 p.m.
If that one reaches a shootout, watch who St-Louis taps first. The order will reveal more about his faith in Suzuki than any quote this week.
-
Should Martin St-Louis pull Nick Suzuki out of the Canadiens' first shootout slot until he finally scores again?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Connor Hellebuyck trade saga takes a major turn as four NHL teams enter a massive bidding war
