Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Hands out helper in loss
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Matheson notched an assist and three shots on goal in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Jets.
Matheson got the puck to Lane Hutson for the rookie defenseman's first NHL tally on a blast from the faceoff dot. The helper ended a four-game slump for Matheson, though that dry spell hasn't cost him his top-pairing spot. The 30-year-old is at 16 points, 50 shots on net, 62 blocked shots, 29 PIM and a minus-10 rating through 28 appearances. It's unlikely he replicates the 62-point career year he had in 2023-24, but Matheson is still a steady source of points, shots and blocks from the blue line.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Logs assist in OT win
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Matheson had an assist, two shots, three blocks and one hit in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime win over the Islanders.
Matheson set up Nick Suzuki for the game-winner in the extra period, giving him six points (two goals, four assists) over the last eight outings. The defenseman is up to two goals and 13 assists through 23 outings.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Scores in return
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Matheson scored a goal on four shots, blocked three attempts and had two PIM in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Rangers.
Matheson put the Canadiens on the board in the first period with a shot from the high slot that eluded a screened Jonathan Quick. It was the second goal of the season for Matheson, who returned to the lineup Saturday after missing two games due to a lower-body injury.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Set to return
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Matheson (lower body) will play Saturday versus the Rangers, according to Eric Engels of Sportsnet.
Following a two-game absence, Matheson will be back on the top pairing and first power-play unit in Saturday's matchup. He has accounted for one goal, 13 points, 29 shots on net and 48 blocked shots across 20 appearances this season. Matheson's return will make Jayden Struble a healthy scratch against the Rangers.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Out Wednesday
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Matheson (lower body) will miss Wednesday's game against Columbus.
Matheson was also absent for Montreal's 3-2 overtime loss to Utah on Tuesday. He has a goal and 13 points over 20 appearances in 2024-25. When healthy, Matheson typically serves on the Canadiens' top four and first power-play unit. Lane Hutson is getting increased power-play responsibilities while Matheson is unavailable. Kaiden Guhle, who usually doesn't factor in on the power play, is projected to serve on the second unit Wednesday.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Will be on road trip
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Matheson (lower body) is expected to travel with the Canadiens to Columbus ahead of Wednesday's game versus the Blue Jackets, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.
Matheson was a late scratch Tuesday, but his presence on the upcoming three-game road trip is a sign his injury isn't too significant. The 30-year-old blueliner has 13 points, 29 shots on net and 48 blocked shots over 20 appearances this season. He'll resume a top-four role with power-play time once he returns to the lineup.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Unavailable Tuesday
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Matheson (lower body) won't play Tuesday against Utah.
Matheson has registered one goal, 13 points, 29 shots on net and 48 blocked shots across 20 appearances this season. With the 30-year-old Matheson unavailable to play, Jayden Struble will dress against Utah, while Lane Hutson could get time on the top power-play unit.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Helps out in win
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Matheson recorded an assist, one shot on net and one block with a plus-3 rating in Monday's 3-0 win over the Oilers.
Matheson's harmless-looking shot from the boards was redirected by Brendan Gallagher to give Montreal a 1-0 lead with 29 seconds remaining in the second period. It was the third time in the last four outings that Matheson has made the scoresheet. He's tied for the team lead with 12 assists. Repeating last season's career-high 62 points may be too much to expect, but the blueliner is on pace to reach 50.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Two-point effort Saturday
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Matheson scored his first goal of the season on the power play and added an even-strength assist in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Blue Jackets.
The veteran blueliner opened the scoring early in the first period by blasting a one-timer past Daniil Tarasov from the high slot, then helped set up Josh Anderson for the game's final tally late in the third. It's Matheson's first multi-point performance since Oct. 26, and on the season he's accumulated 12 points in 18 contests with 47 blocked shots -- fourth in the NHL behind Chris Tanev, Rasmus Andersson and Brandon Carlo.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Adds power-play helper
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Matheson logged a power-play assist and three blocked shots in Monday's 7-5 win over the Sabres.
Matheson snapped a five-game slump by helping out on Cole Caufield's game-winning tally in the third period. The 30-year-old Matheson was hot before that dry spell, so he should be able to get his offense back on track. The blueliner is looking for his first goal of the year, but he has 10 assists (six on the power play), 24 shots on net, 27 PIM, 45 blocked shots and a minus-9 rating over 16 appearances in a top-pairing role.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Generates late assist in loss
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Matheson had an assist, four shots on net and one block in Tuesday's 8-2 loss to the Kraken.
Matheson entered the zone and found Josh Anderson behind a defender for Montreal's second goal. It was the ninth helper on the season for Matheson, who has points in five consecutive games.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Grabs power-play helper in win
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Matheson notched a power-play assist, two shots on goal and seven blocked shots in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Flyers.
Matheson has earned five assists during a four-game point streak, and all but one of those helpers has come with the man advantage. The 30-year-old defenseman is doing well to stave off Lane Hutson for a spot on the first power-play unit. Matheson is up to eight assists (five on the power play), 10 shots on net, 27 blocked shots, 23 PIM and a minus-1 rating through nine contests this season.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Point streak at three games
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Matheson had two assists, including one on the power play, two blocks and two PIM in Saturday's 5-2 win over St. Louis.
Matheson picked up secondary helpers on Kirby Dach's 5-on-5 tally and Alex Newhook's power-player marker. It was the third consecutive game with at least one point for Matheson, who has seven assists (four on power play) over eight games.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Racks up PIM in loss
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Matheson had a power-play assist, a blocked shot and 19 PIM in Tuesday's 7-2 loss to the Rangers.
Matheson recorded his fifth assist of the season and third on the power play before getting whistled for his role in a melee. He jumped in after New York's Jacob Trouba delivered a high hit on Justin Barron. Matheson got two minutes for instigation, five for fighting and 10 for misconduct. He also received a two-minute minor for roughing in a separate incident earlier in the game.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: No worse for wear
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Matheson logged a power-play assist, five blocked shots and two hits in Saturday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Islanders.
Matheson left Thursday's game versus the Kings due to an upper-body injury, but he didn't miss action. He led the Canadiens with 28:10 of ice time Saturday, proving he's no worse for wear after the injury scare. The 30-year-old blueliner has chipped in four assists, seven shots on net, 17 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating over six contests while serving as the Canadiens' top overall defenseman.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: In lineup Saturday
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Matheson (upper body) is good to play Saturday versus the Islanders, per Guillaume Lefrancois of La Presse.
Matheson won't miss additional action after leaving Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Kings. He has three assists, one hit and 12 blocks through five appearances in 2024-25. Matheson is projected to serve on the top pairing alongside Justin Barron on Saturday.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Two assists in loss
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Matheson had a power-play assist and an even-strength helper in Monday's 6-3 loss to Pittsburgh. He added two shots on net and three blocked shots.
Matheson had the primary assist on Kaiden Guhle's goal in the first period then was the secondary helper on Juraj Slafkovsky's power-play marker early in the second period. Matheson has three assists over the last two games. He's been the Canadiens' top defenseman, averaging 25:49 of ice time per contest this season.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Records first point
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Matheson had an assist, two shots on goal and one blocked shot in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Senators.
Matheson picked up the primary assist on Cole Caufield's first-period marker. It was the first point of the season for Matheson, who had a career-high 62 points in 2023-24, ranking ninth among defensemen.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Works with coach on PP
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Matheson worked with head coach Martin St. Louis on a whiteboard following Tuesday's practice, going over situations and how the club's top power-play unit should adapt to those situations, Arpon Basu of The Athletic reports.
Matheson is once again expected to quarterback the Canadiens' top power-play unit and is coming off a career year in 2023-24, during which he finished eighth among defensemen with a career-high 28 power-play points. The Habs need to improve in this area -- Montreal ranked 27th in efficiency last season -- and the club was abysmal during the preseason, going 0-for-30 with the man advantage. The 30-year-old blueliner may eventually look over his shoulder at rookie Lane Hutson, who will quarterback the second power-play unit, but Matheson will be the dominant defenseman on that special-teams group to start the 2024-25 season.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Point streak to six games
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Matheson logged an assist, three blocks and one hit in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Islanders.
Matheson continued a remarkable stretch during which he's distributing at an elite level. The defenseman has nine assists during a six-game point streak and 12 helpers over the last eight contests. His career-high 50 assists ranks ninth in the NHL among blueliners.
