Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Sets up power-play strike
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Matheson recorded a power-play assist, one shot on goal, three blocked shots and one hit over 29:17 of ice time in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to Detroit.
Matheson and Nick Suzuki played pass along the boards before the captain struck from the top of the right faceoff circle to cut the Red Wings' lead to 4-3 early in the third period. Montreal's power-play unit, which was unsuccessful over 27 consecutive opportunities, scored for the first time since Nov. 12. When the unit does produce, Matheson and Suzuki are typically involved. The defenseman leads the Canadiens with 10 man-advantage points, while Sukuzi's second with nine.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Two helpers in Wednesday's win
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Matheson notched two assists while adding three blocked shots and a plus-1 rating in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Blue Jackets.
The veteran defenseman in enjoying a productive November, as Matheson has racked up three goals and 11 points over his last 12 games, including a goal and three helpers on the power play, while chipping in 26 shots on net and 24 blocked shots. Playing big minutes for Montreal does have its drawbacks from a fantasy perspective, as he also carries a minus-9 rating over that stretch, but Matheson's offensive output can't be ignored.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Buries goal in win
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Matheson scored a goal on four shots and blocked two shots in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Ducks.
Matheson put the Canadiens ahead 3-1 with his second-period tally. The 29-year-old blueliner has been solid lately with three goals and five assists over his last seven contests. For the season, he's up to 15 points, 53 shots on net, 42 blocked shots, 14 PIM and a minus-9 rating through 19 appearances.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Slides two helpers in loss
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Matheson had two assists, four shots on goal, three blocked shots, two hits and two penalty minutes over 28:08 of ice time in Thursday's 6-5 loss to the Golden Knights.
Matheson had the secondary helpers on Montreal's first and last goals, and the blueliner is on a roll with seven points over the last five games. He's logging heavy minutes (24:56 TOI per game) on the top pair and quarterbacks the top power-play unit, which sets up Matheson for new career highs in scoring. He's at 14 points through 17 games, and while that pace may not be sustainable, 40 points is within the range of likely outcomes. His career high was set last season when he recorded 34 points in 48 games.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Scores in loss
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Matheson scored a power-play goal in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Canucks. He added two PIM to his line over 23:21 of ice time.
Matheson joined the battle in front and fired a feed from Sean Monahan over the pile of players in front of Vancouver netminder Casey DeSmith for Montreal's first goal. The tally was the defenseman's fourth goal of the season, and the third consecutive game with a power-play point. On the downside, Matheson was minus-3 and is minus-9 over the last five contests.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Helps on power play in win
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Matheson had a power-play assist, two shots on goal, five blocked shots and one hit over 27:21 of ice time in Saturday's 3-2 overtime win against Boston.
Matheson fed Nick Suzuki for Montreal's first goal, giving him three assists in the last two games. The top-pair blueliner, who's averaging a career-high 4:46 PPTOI, is second on the team with eight assists and fourth with 11 points (eight on the power play) over 14 games. He also leads Montreal with 33 blocked shots.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Shakes off rough stretch
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Matheson scored a goal and had two power-play assists in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win against the Red Wings. He finished with five shots on net and one blocked shot over 27:56 of ice time.
Matheson was reeling following a two-game stretch during which he was minus-6 in losses to the Blues and Lightning. He began the bounce-back night by sniping Montreal's first goal as a trailer off a feed from Alex Newhook. It was the second multi-point effort of the season for the the 29-year-old blueliner, who is up to 10 points (seven on the power play), 40 shots on net, nine hits and 28 blocked shots over 13 games.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Plays Monday
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Matheson had three shots on goal, two blocked shots, one hit and two penalty minutes over 22:01 of ice time in Monday's 3-2 shootout loss to Vegas.
Matheson was dinged up in the Canadiens' previous game but traveled with the team and was on the ice for the first of a three-game road trip. He's provided offense from Montreal's blue line, posting two goals and four assists -- all but one of those points coming on the power play -- over nine appearances.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Suiting up Monday
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Matheson (lower body) is on the ice for warmups and expected to play Monday against the Golden Knights, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.
Matheson suffered a minor injury Saturday against Winnipeg but won't be forced to miss any action. The 29-year-old is off to a hot start, tallying two goals and six points through eight games.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Game-time call
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Matheson (lower body) will be a game-time decision Monday against Vegas, Arpon Basu of The Athletic reports.
Matheson took part in the morning skate after being injured in Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over Winnipeg. He has compiled two goals, four assists, 22 shots on net and 21 blocked shots in eight games this season. If Matheson can't play in Monday's contest, Gustav Lindstrom will replace him in the lineup.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Will travel with team
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Matheson's lower-body injury is considered minor and he will travel with the Canadiens, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.
Matheson exited Saturday's game versus the Jets with the injury, but it's not considered a significant concern. It's encouraging that he'll travel for the three-game road trip, which begins Monday in Vegas. If he can't play, Gustav Lindstrom will likely enter the lineup and Kaiden Guhle will probably take on a larger role.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Undergoing tests
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Matheson (undisclosed) is undergoing tests and is questionable to return to Saturday's game versus the Jets, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.
Matheson logged a power-play assist in 16:15 of ice time during the contest. The defenseman was able to return after one trip to the locker room, but he was clearly still bothered by the issue. If Matheson can't finish the game, he'll be considered day-to-day ahead of Monday's game versus the Golden Knights.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Scores again Thursday
Rotowire
Matheson recorded a goal and an assist against Columbus on Thursday.
Matheson had just six multi-point games last season but he's already registered his first one of the 2023-24 campaign. The Quebec native is thriving right now thanks to his role on the power play, having notched four of his five points to open the campaign with the man advantage. At this rate, Matheson could reach the 40-point threshold for the first time in his NHL career.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Collects first goal of season
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Matheson scored a power-play goal on five shots while adding two blocked shots in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Devils.
The veteran defenseman's first tally of the season was highlight reel-worthy, as Matheson made an end-to-end rush and split two defenders at the New Jersey blue line before going five-hole on Vitek Vanecek midway through the third period. Matheson's got three points through six games, supplementing his fantasy value with 16 blocked shots and 20 shots on net as the top option on the Habs' blue line.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Helps on winner
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Matheson had an assist, five shots on goal, three hits, two blocked shots and two PIM over 26:23 of ice time in Saturday's 3-2 overtime win against Washington.
Matheson's second assist of the season was the secondary helper on Cole Caufield's OT winner. The top-pair defender is entrusted in all situations -- penalty kill, power play and three-on-three OT -- and could provide offense from the blue line if he stays healthy. Matheson has two assists, 14 shots (second on the team), five hits, 13 blocked shots and six PIM while averaging 25:49 TOI.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Ready to rock
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Matheson (lower body) will play in Saturday's preseason finale against Ottawa.
Matheson, who had been hindered by a lower-body issue, will get a chance to play before Montreal takes on Toronto on Wednesday to begin the 2023-24 campaign. In 48 games last season. he registered eight goals, 34 points, 126 shots on net, 80 blocked shots and 53 hits. The 29-year-old blueliner is slated to play on the top defense pair and work on the first power-play unit, putting Matheson in position to find success in 2023-24.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Skates Saturday
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Matheson (lower body) skated Saturday, Patrick Friolet of RDS.ca reports.
Matheson is being monitored daily for his lower-body injury. The defenseman hasn't practiced since Tuesday, but coach Martin St. Louis said at the time that Matheson would have played had it been a regular-season game. Matheson had eight goals and 34 points in only 48 games last season.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Not practicing Thursday
Rotowire
Matheson (lower body) is not at practice Thursday, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.
It's the second day in a row that Matheson has missed practice. The good news is head coach Martin St. Louis said that had it been a regular-season game, Matheson would have suited up. Matheson had eight goals and 34 points in 48 games last season.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Held out with LBI
Rotowire
Matheson is dealing with a lower-body injury, which is the reason for his absence from Wednesday's game versus the Senators, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.
Head coach Martin St. Louis added that Matheson would have played if it was a regular-season contest. Most importantly, Matheson's injury isn't related to the one he sustained at the end of last season. He is day-to-day, and the Canadiens will likely exercise caution before the 29-year-old is cleared to rejoin the lineup for preseason action.
