One of the positives for the Montreal Canadiens, who are going through another difficult season, is the general performance of captain Nick Suzuki, who by no means goes unnoticed as he not only rewards the pool players who have tried their luck with him, but also remains himself aware of his defensive game.
Because of his 59 points in 60 games, No. 14 is on pace for his best career performance in the National Hockey League: in fact, he is seven shy of reaching his 66 points in the 2022-2023 regular season.
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In February he scored 11 goals, the second-highest total on the Bettman Tour. The striker also dominated his team with 17 points. Unsurprisingly, he won the most recent edition of the Molson Cup, having been one of the three stars of a game five times in the last month.
When asked about his 24-year-old protégé on Friday, head coach Martin St-Louis emphasized that Suzuki's performance was not just limited to goals and assists.
“Suzi is still a young player. […] On the other hand, he doesn't just run on the court; he has already made good progress. His performance is excellent, but what I really like about him is his commitment on a 200-foot rink. I would also be surprised if he doesn't become a points per game player. However, he will not be able to do it without playing responsibly at 200 feet,” commented the pilot before the clash with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Best on the power play
When it comes to the Pivot's offensive play, St-Louis is obviously happy with it, including the power play, which has regained strength in recent weeks. Montreal's power play ranks 19th in the league with an efficiency percentage of 19.5% and Suzuki's ability to carry the puck is one of the explanations. But there is more.
“Nick definitely does most of the work, except for the other four guys helping out too. There is also the moment, the surprise. Suzi has success with his zone entries, but we don't train him. We coach the rest,” St-Louis said.
For its part, the main party preferred to return the compliments to its boss.
“Martin is a creative guy, he knows hockey and he wants to get in the way of the opposing team in different ways, as he has seen from other coaches. He said he was a very intelligent guy and always had good game plans. He is always very positive and sees potential in this team, which is improving.