Todd: Canadiens fever grips city as depth players put headlock on Sabres

The view from the back of a circling seagull hunting French fries must be astounding: A sea of red outside the Bell Centre, stretching into the distance. 

There is nothing like Montreal in May when the Canadiens are on a playoff run. After a long, dreary winter (especially long and dreary this year) the town comes alive, with the hockey team as soul and nerve centre alike, the living, breathing expression of all our aspirations. 

Stanley Cup No. 25? Hey, we can dream. 

Canadiens’ Kirby Dach puts a double chokehold on Buffalo Sabres’ Conor Timmins, left, and Sam Carrick during a scrum after the whistle in Game 3 at the Bell Centre on Sunday night. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette

When Cole Caufield’s night begins with a painfully inadequate clearance attempt, which ended up in the Canadiens’ net, and ends with the sniper scoring a redemption goal and calmly discussing the Stoic philosophers, it’s happening. Caufield took us all back to Athens in the third century BC and Zeno of Citium and the former Roman slave Epictetus centuries later, who had things to say about what we can and cannot control. 

Raise your hands, all those who saw that one coming. 

Philosophy lessons from the sniper and a profile in courage from gangly Czech goaltender Jakub Dobes, who took everything the Sabres could throw at him, including the hurtling form of Buffalo’s Beck Malenstyn, who did his level best to Kreider Dobes — and received a two-minute slap on the wrist for a blatant attempt to injure. 

Cue up Buffalo Springfield: There’s something happening here, what it is ain’t exactly clear.  

It’s hard to get a read on this team. How good are they? How fast are they improving? What is the ceiling? Are they good enough to make the playoffs? Check. Win a round against a very tough, playoff-hardened opponent? Check. 

Win a second-round series against a big, tough team that won the division and booted the Boston Bruins to the curb with very little bother? Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. They may have detonated the Sabres two games running and dominated since the third period of Game 1, but they still need two wins simply to take this series. 

Canadiens defenceman Alexandre Carrier skates with the puck past goalie Jakub Dobes against the Buffalo Sabres during second period of Game 3 on Sunday night. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette

But this team has the ability to absorb a lesson on Wednesday and apply it on Friday. Take smart players, add great coaching, and you have a fluid squad that can adapt to almost any situation and adapt quickly. 

This didn’t just happen by some divine accident combining hockey gods and Stoic philosophers. It’s the very deliberate product of intelligent, thorough management. It’s uncanny how almost every move GM Kent Hughes has made is on view in these playoffs and how they’re paying dividends minute by minute.  

It’s hard, for instance, to imagine the Canadiens getting this far without Alexandre Carrier — a smallish defenceman who more than makes up for his lack of size with intelligence and steady nerves in critical situations.  

Had Hughes not reached out for former Canadien Phillip Danault, he would not have the useful depth in the faceoff circle that is so crucial — or the player whose deft stick on the penalty kill Sunday night broke up a dangerous play. 

I find it hard that anyone would criticize the deal that sent Logan Mailloux to St. Louis for Zachary Bolduc, but hey — this is Montreal. Now, it seems Bolduc is in the thick of everything that happens on the ice, hitting, skating, chirping, scoring.  

Bolduc’s former Blues teammate Alexandre Texier, incredibly, did not cost Montreal anything in terms of assets: he signed a one-year, US$1 million contract with the Canadiens in November after the Blues terminated his contract. By January, Hughes was sufficiently convinced to add a two-year, US$5 million extension for the 26-year-old — a heady, physical player who has been as deeply involved in this playoff drive as anyone. 

Montreal Canadiens’ Cole Caufield, from left, Lane Hutson, Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov celebrate Caufield’s goal against the Buffalo Sabres during second period of Game 3 on Sunday night. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette

Kirby Dach was the target of a complicated three-team deal in July 2022, which basically saw the Canadiens swap defenceman Alexander Romanov and a 13^th overall pick in the draft for the young Chicago centreman, whose Montreal career to date has been mostly injuries and doubt. 

No more. Since the beginning of the playoffs, Dach has been a tower of power — big, physical, talented, a presence around the net. 

Then there is Alex Newhook, the flying Newfoundlander who is making the Rock proud. Newhook was acquired for the 31^st and 37^th picks in the 2023 draft along with defenceman Gianni Fairbrother, last seen toiling in the Slovak league. Only in Montreal could that be considered a bad deal. 

The book on regular-season Newhook was great speed, mediocre finish. Now, he’s finishing those chances, to the tune of four goals in two games. 

Finally, there’s Montreal’s superpower — that sea of red and the thunderous, unmatched crowd inside the Bell Centre. If the Forum ghosts join the party, you might start planning to attend the parade along the usual route. 

Heroes: Alex Newhook, Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield, Mike Matheson, Josh Anderson, Kaiden Guhle, Zachary Bolduc, Alex Texier, Kirby Dach, Kent Hughes, Martin St. Louis, Epictetus &&&& last but not least, Jakub Dobes. 

Zeros: Carter Hart, the Vegas Knights, the NHL draft lottery, Keith Pelley, John  Chayka, Auston Matthews, Wayne Gretzky, Bud Selig Jr., Claude Brochu &&&& last but not least, David Samson and Jeffrey Loria. 

Now and forever. 

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