HabsWorld.net --
January was a mixed bag for the Habs as they started off strong and faded toward the end. Nonetheless, several players still had strong showings, earning enough votes from our readers to land in our three stars.
1st Star: Jakub Dobes – The rookie showed that his debut game late in December wasn’t a one-off as he reeled off four straight victories while his first loss was a hard-fought overtime contest nearly a month into his NHL career. Not a bad way to start, by any stretch. In those outings, Dobes gave the Habs a level of goaltending from their backup that they lacked in the first half of the season. Granted, the sustainability of that type of performance is unlikely (and we’re already seeing signs of that) but Dobes was a nice story for a bit and if nothing else, he has put himself in the conversation for a longer look both this season and beyond.
Stats: 6 GP, 4-1-1 record, 2.43 GAA, .912 SV%, 0 SO
2nd Star: Nick Suzuki – Over the last couple of years, there have been questions as to whether the captain is a true top-line centre. Driving that conversation has been his production which has typically come in below a point per game. Last month, Suzuki was just above that mark as the top line played like a legitimate top trio which went a long way toward putting them in the playoff mix for a bit. He hasn’t been able to sustain that over the long haul which will be the next step for him and will be needed for Montreal to take a true step forward.
Stats: 14 GP, 4 goals, 11 assists, 15 points, 2 PIMS, +5 rating, 32 shots, 51.6% faceoffs, 20:22 ATOI
3rd Star: Cole Caufield – Not surprisingly, another member of the top line received strong support on the ballot. Caufield led the Habs in goals last month and led in shots on goal by a considerable margin; only a handful of players had even half the shots on goal he did. The streakiness remains a big factor but that’s also fairly normal for most of the top scorers around the NHL. Long viewed as a potential 40-goal scorer, Caufield has yet to hit 30 but as long as he stays healthy, he should get to that threshold at a minimum but he’ll need to get on another hot streak to take aim at 40.
Stats: 14 GP, 6 goals, 7 assists, 13 points, 4 PIMS, +2 rating, 53 shots, 18:32 ATOI
Honourable Mention: Lane Hutson – Speaking of streakiness, Hutson had himself a pretty impressive one with a nine-game point and assist streak, tying him with Shayne Gostisbehere for the longest assist streak by a rookie blueliner in NHL history. His performance helped vault him to the top of many Calder Trophy rankings as well although there’s a long way to go still and some pretty strong candidates on other teams. It felt a bit like Hutson was losing some steam by the end of the month – perhaps he was starting to hit the ‘rookie wall’ – so the long break for the 4 Nations Face-Off will certainly do him some good.
Stats: 14 GP, 1 goal, 12 assists, 13 points, 8 PIMS, -6 rating, 17 shots, 26 blocks, 23:08 ATOI
