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Canadiens' Rookie Ivan Demidov Sparks Powerplay Improvement
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- Canadiens' Rookie Ivan Demidov Sparks Powerplay Improvement
David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Montreal Canadiens rookie Ivan Demidov is off to a great start to the season, as evidenced by the fact that he currently leads all first-year players in scoring, to the tune of two goals and seven assists in 10 games.
If he manages to maintain his impressive production rate, he'll finish the season as the highest scoring rookie in Canadiens history , quite a feather in his cap when we consider Montreal's rich history of talented forwards.
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When Lane Hutson captured the Calder Trophy as the best performing rookie in the NHL last season, the Canadiens managed to qualify for the playoffs, due in large part to his influence on the rest of the lineup.
And now, they're counting on Demidov to ensure a much easier path to the playoffs, and ideally, a healthy run once they are invited to the springtime dance.
One of the biggest issues facing the Canadiens in the last two seasons has been their lack of powerplay efficiency. They ranked just 28th in the league over that span, scoring on 18 percent of their man-advantage opportunities.
However, there's been a significant and undeniable change in results since head coach Martin St-Louis decided to add Demidov to the first powerplay unit versus the Edmonton Oilers .
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As it stands, captain Nick Suzuki leads the team in points per 60 minutes of powerplay usage, but it won't be long until Demidov is threatening his reign.
Montreal Canadiens Powerplay Impact
The key for Demidov has been his anticipation, vision, and elite playmaking. A perfect example was his patience that led to Suzuki's powerplay goal versus the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
No one would have blamed him for taking a shot, especially when we consider he essentially had the Canucks on the ropes once the puck landed on his stick.
ON TOPIC: Canadiens Highlights – Welcome To The Ivan Demidov Show
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As we all know, a moving goalie is a vulnerable goalie, and yet, in this case, Demidov judged it wise to keep the Canucks guessing while he set up Suzuki with a perfect pass.
If the pass had missed its mark, the criticism resulting from the lack of a shot from Demidov would have been the topic du jour in Montreal, but there was no cause for hindsight coaching in this particular case.
The 19-year-old forward followed it up with another smart assist in the next powerplay opportunity, finding Juraj Slafkovsky with a quick, crisp pass once he was struck with the puck.
Demidov Impact On Team Statistics
It's important to remember we're dealing with a very limited sample size, and that the numbers are likely to change once we have more available data, but there's no denying Demidov's impact on the powerplay goes beyond a pair of assists.
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Without Demidov on the first powerplay unit, the Canadiens averaged 93 shots and 22 high-danger shots per 60. With Demidov, the Canadiens have produced 125 shots and 36 high-quality chances per 60.
In other words, they're taking 34 percent more shots, and generating 63 percent more high-danger chances now that Demidov is being relied upon to drive the charge on the first powerplay unit.
Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks
There's much more to hockey than just scoring on the powerplay. 5v5 play tends to dictate which teams make the playoffs, and that's an area in which Demidov's line, which features Alex Newhook and Oliver Kapanen , still has work to do.
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You could also argue Demidov needs to do a better job taking shots, and you'd be right. He's taking fewer than four shots per 60 at 5v5, which is quite low.
But as we've seen with Slafkovsky, it takes time for rookies to build the type of confidence that leads to a little extra greed when they're trying to score off the rush.
For now, Demidov is focused on setting up his teammates at 5v5, much like his modus operandi on the powerplay. It's one of the main factors why fellow rookie Oliver Kapanen has managed to find the back of the net four times in just 10 games.
But if the Canadiens are to make noise in the playoffs, they will need healthy production on the powerplay, and to do that, they'll need their first powerplay unit to do the heavy lifting, a situation that has failed to materialize in recent years.
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That's where Demidov's impressive and instant impact comes into play.
All Montreal Canadiens and Ivan Demidov statistics via Natural Stat Trick .
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