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Nick Suzuki Ends 17-Year Drought for Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki reached a milestone the team hasn't seen in almost two decades.

Jon Alfano

Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki (14) plays the puck against the Colorado Avalanche in shootout at Bell Centre.
Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki (14) plays the puck against the Colorado Avalanche in shootout at Bell Centre. / David Kirouac-Imagn Images
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As the Montreal Canadiens make the jump to playoff contender status, their captain is making the jump from a good player to a great one.

Nick Suzuki is now in his third season wearing the C for the Habs, and it's already the best of his young career. In 75 games, the London, Ontario native is already up to 81 points (26 goals, 55 assists), a new career-high with seven games to spare. He's also a plus-14 on the season, by far the best of his career and the first time he's had a positive rating.

Suzuki isn't just having a great season by his own standards, but by the standards of his team as well.

With a goal and an assist in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins, Suzuki became the first Canadiens player with 80 points in a season since Alex Kovalev scored 84 (35 goals, 49 assists) in 2007-08. The 25-year-old grew up watching Kovalev, so to be in the same category is him is a big deal.

“I remember him in the All-Star Games a lot, doing tricks with his feet,” Suzuki said after Thursday's game, per NHL.com. “It’s nice to be in the same category as him for something. It was something that everyone kind of wanted from outside, a point-per-game player, but in the future we’ll probably have a bunch.”

Suzuki came very close to hitting the 80-point milestone last season, when he scored 77 points (33 assists, 44 goals) in 82 games. This year, he's not only reached that milestone, but surpassed it.

Suzuki taking his game up a level is fantastic news for the Canadiens, who are seeking their first playoff appearance since 2021, when they made a shocking run to the Stanley Cup Final. Montreal currently occupies the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, and with a manageable remaining schedule, the odds seem to be in its favor.

“It’s been too long,” Gallagher said about being in playoff contention. “Really, it makes you appreciate this building, this atmosphere and everything that comes with being a Montreal Canadien. So it’s special coming to the rink. It’s definitely given us a boost right now. The crowd’s unbelievable and I’m really happy that the guys are getting to experience it that maybe haven’t seen it before.”

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

Jon is a lead writer for Baltimore Ravens On SI and contributes to other sites around the network as well. The Tampa native previously worked with sites such as ClutchPoints and GiveMeSport and earned his journalism degree at the University of Central Florida.

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