On a week when everyone talks about Washington Capitals captain and super sniper Alexander Ovechkin breaking Wayne Gretzky’s goal-scoring record, the NHL still announced its three stars of the week on Monday.
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Unsurprisingly, the league’s new sharpshooting king is the first star of the last week, but Montreal Canadiens’ captain Nick Suzuki gets the second star. The top-line center collected four goals and three assists for seven points in four games.
While he led the team all season long, his contribution in the last week was impossible to ignore. In a game where the Canadiens seemed destined to lose, Suzuki scored the game-tying goal with eight seconds to go before scoring the game-winning goal in overtime against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers. That extra time lamplighter was his fifth of the season, the second highest total this season.
The captain then got a goal and an assist in his next two games against the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers, and he capped off his week with an assist in the 2-1 win over the Nashville Predators. The Canadiens have a five-game winning streak, and the fact that Suzuki is on a five-game scoring streak is not a coincidence.
The 25-year-old is 12th in the NHL in points with 84, two behind Sidney Crosby and six behind Connor McDavid. Granted, the Edmonton Oilers captain has played fewer games, skating in just 63 contests, but still. Suzuki is the Canadiens’ highest scorer since Alex Kovalev, who got 84 points in 82 games during the 2007-08 season.
Nick Suzuki continues to be on an absolute tear
📺: SNE
📲: Stream on Sportsnet+ pic.twitter.com/FdM0bdeeMH— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 6, 2025
With five games left to play, logic dictates that the captain will manage to increase that total. The Canadiens haven’t seen a player score over 90 points since Vincent Damphousse and Pierre Turgeon reached the milestone in 1995-96. There’s no guarantee that Suzuki will get there, but it is at least possible.
The fact that Suzuki is reaching such heights while the Canadiens are still looking for a real top-six second line bodes well for the future. When opponents have to deal with two actual scoring lines, likely next season with Ivan Demidov’s arrival, Suzuki should have more freedom on the ice.
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