Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishTORONTO — There are sometimes moments when Nick Suzuki’s No. 1 centre credentials are questioned, for whatever reason.The Montreal Canadiens captain is tied for 13th in NHL scoring with 87 points in 80 games, and the only centres with more points than him this season are Sidney Crosby, Jack Eichel, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Nathan MacKinnon.But even though Suzuki scored his 29th goal of the season Friday night in Ottawa in a 5-2 loss to the Senators, he had played one of his extremely rare bad games this season.It was an outlier, but it came in the first opportunity the Canadiens had to clinch a playoff spot, something Suzuki defiantly and confidently stated this group was capable of before the season began, something no one else believed.Suzuki was on the ice for three five-on-five Senators goals Friday, the first time that had happened since Dec. 23 and just the third time it happened all season. For it to happen at this moment, the moment he had predicted was possible when no one else thought so, ate at him as the Canadiens traveled to Toronto after the game to face the Maple Leafs on Saturday with the same opportunity to clinch a playoff spot in front of them.“Obviously, we weren’t happy with how we played yesterday, just a lot of little things we know we can be better at,” Suzuki said Saturday night. “If we clean those up, those goals don’t happen. We challenged ourselves tonight. Obviously, tough circumstances, but I thought our line generated a decent amount and played a lot better.”That is an understatement.Facing a rested Maple Leafs team looking to secure first place in the Atlantic Division, and with Leafs coach Craig Berube purposely putting Auston Matthews’ line with Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies out there against Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovský, the Suzuki line ate its lunch at five-on-five.That’s not even an exaggeration. Keep in mind when looking at the faceoff percentage that Matthews entered the game at 57.4 percent on the season.
Nick Suzuki vs. Auston Matthews 5-on-5 StatPercentageCF%80.95SF%70XGF%93.26FO%69
Martin St. Louis had no control over whom Suzuki would be facing playing on the road, but even if he had, this is what he would have wanted.“You don’t know exactly what the matchup will be,” he said. “I was happy that was the matchup, because it gave that line a chance to correct themselves.”This is what made the end so inappropriate, with Suzuki driving the net early in overtime and getting stuffed at the post by Anthony Stolarz before the Leafs came right back down the ice and Marner finished the game at the other end on Jakub Dobeš, who was outstanding all night in a 1-0 overtime loss.
STOLIE SAVED THE GAME!!MITCHY SEALED THE GAME!! pic.twitter.com/PLiAAkK1xN
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 13, 2025The single point meant the Canadiens did not clinch a playoff spot for a second game in a row, with only the Columbus Blue Jackets remaining in range to pass them for the final playoff spot.But that single point still proved something. And Suzuki, despite not needing to, proved something as well after a rare off night.“That’s our guy,” defenceman Kaiden Guhle said. “It shows you what type of player he is. He’s just a two-way centreman. He’s not just offensive, he can defend well. He’s so smart; his hockey IQ is off the charts. He’s our guy.”Guhle referred to Suzuki as their guy a third time shortly after that. He was making a point.The Canadiens have still not finished the job, but assuming they make the playoffs, it was not only Suzuki’s performance that bodes well for what they might do if they get there.The penalty kill was outstanding, keeping the league’s sixth-ranked power play off the board despite eight minutes of power-play time, including 18 seconds at five-on-three. And at five-on-five, the Canadiens got back to a puck management, forechecking style that has served them well so often this season.They had gotten away from that style gradually over their six-game winning streak before it bit them in Ottawa.St. Louis said after that game Friday that sometimes a bad result is necessary to get a point across.The point got across.“We really were disciplined in playing the game that was in front of us,” St. Louis said.So what’s the lesson learned? And how can it be applied in the playoffs to come?The Canadiens need to play to their identity to be successful, and should they stray from it, they can’t wait for a game like the one they had in Ottawa to realize it.But sometimes, when you stray from it and get success anyway, that can get in the way.“I don’t know. Human nature?” Guhle said as to why the Canadiens tend to forget what makes them good. “You win games, you try to find easier ways. It’s human nature. No one’s ever going to be perfect. I’ve been on winning teams, and every winning team I’ve been on has gone through stretches where you win a certain amount of games in a row, you keep winning, and things slip. And sometimes you get away with it, you win games with things slipping, it’s just human nature.“It’s up to us to fix it, and usually we do.”They did Saturday night, even if the shots on goal counter says otherwise. The Maple Leafs registered 35 shots on goal to the Canadiens’ 15, but shot attempts at five-on-five were 48-36 in Montreal’s favour, high-danger scoring chances were essentially even at 10-9 for the Canadiens, and expected goals were somewhat in Toronto’s favour at 57.06 percent.On a back-to-back with travel against a division leader coming off five wins in six games, the Canadiens will take that effort, because that effort will serve them well if they reach their goal of making the playoffs.And it was led by their captain coming off one of his worst games in months.It was led by their guy.(Photo: Claus Andersen / Getty Images)
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