On Tuesday night, after a hard-earned win, the Montreal Canadiens put themselves in a playoff position. For once, the win didn’t come after a fantastic performance of the first line formed by Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky. That time, the tireless work and dedication of the third line, led by Josh Anderson’s physical play, delivered the desired result.

3 Takeaways From The Canadiens’ Crucial Win
Examining Why the Canadiens Own The Senators This Season
Former Canadiens Goaltender Gives Montreal A Hand In Playoffs Race

Lost among Anderson’s two goals, Brendan Gallagher’s three points, and Christian Dvorak's four-point production was Captain Nick Suzuki’s game-winning goal, which was his 70th point of the season. It wasn’t the first time in his career he reached the milestone; he finished last season with 77 points in 82 games.

He got his 70th point in 67 games, making him the fastest Canadiens player to reach the milestone since Vincent Damphousse and Pierre Turgeon in 1996. This is no small feat and is a very encouraging sign for the future.

As things stand, the captain is on pace for an 86-point season, which would be a career-high. His offensive performance and leadership this season, including scoring the game-winner on Tuesday in the Canadiens' most crucial game, made him an invaluable player and led him to ask the GM not to break up the team.

Last season, 86 points was the 21st-highest total in the league. Robert Thomas from the St. Louis Blues got that total, and he’s signed to an $8,125,000 contract, $250,000 more than Suzuki’s contract, which keeps being a good bang for your buck deal. Kent Hughes inherited that contract but was smart enough to set that cap hit as one his players couldn't go above.

Of course, with the cap set to go up massively, Hughes is bound to sign someone to a more significant contract soon, but the fact he kept the cost of the Slafkovsky, Caufield, and Guhle low will allow him to spend more what the Canadiens are ready to contend. It doesn’t matter, though; the captain doesn’t have to be the highest-paid player on the team to earn respect; he’s put everyone on notice this season that he is the Canadiens’ best player and a true number-one center in the NHL.

Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story.  

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.