Suzuki’s versatility punches his Olympic ticket whereas Canadiens teammates wait

SUNRISE, Fla. — Nick Suzuki performed like a person possessed, but additionally like one who seemed to be letting go of months price of stress that had lastly begun to intrude along with his recreation just some weeks in the past.

That stress was at its peak on Sunday, in Tampa, the place Suzuki gripped his stick too tight in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Lightning for his Montreal Canadiens. It was simply the eighth time this season he’d been held off the scoresheet, nevertheless it was additionally the second time in three weeks he had performed beneath his personal customary in entrance of Jon Cooper — the coach of the Lightning, certain, but additionally the coach of the staff that Suzuki’s at all times dreamed of taking part in for.

A day later, from the Florida Panthers’ apply facility in Fort Lauderdale, the London, Ont., native opened up concerning the lengthy watch for the decision to play for Canada’s Olympic staff.

“Definitely, there’s been some anxiety about it,” Suzuki stated. “You don’t play the best game and feel like you’ve maybe played your way off the team, you play a good game and feel like you did something good to make the team.”

On Tuesday, Suzuki simply performed.

He performed realizing the Olympic determination had already been made. He performed assured he had already performed all he may to affect these in control of the choice. And he performed robust and free towards the Panthers, scoring the game-tying objective with 1:22 remaining earlier than potting the winner to go Howie Morenz for first all-time in extra time factors (19) amongst Canadiens gamers.

Those objectives have been Suzuki’s 31^st and 32^nd of the calendar 12 months. They have been his 96^th and 97^th factors since Jan. 1, making him the third-highest scoring Canadian participant during the last 12 months and sixth-highest scoring participant on this planet over that very same interval. They have been scored in a recreation that noticed him lead each groups in pictures and shot makes an attempt, a recreation that noticed him play virtually 23 minutes, a recreation which he impacted on the penalty kill, at five-on-five and on the ability play, a recreation wherein he gained 55 per cent of the 20 faceoffs he took, and a recreation that, in different phrases, was similar to a lot of the ones he performed in 2025.

Stacking up all these performances earned Suzuki the decision on Wednesday. He had made it unimaginable for Team Canada to go away him at dwelling this time.

They left Suzuki on his sofa for the video games they performed on the 4 Nations Face-Off final February. The captain of the Canadiens was at dwelling in Montreal, watching his Canadian cohorts occupy his dressing room and the ice sheet he’s starred on on the Bell Centre since 2019.

It lit a fireplace underneath Suzuki.

He then used it to place the Canadiens on his again and carry them to an unbelievable playoff berth with 15 objectives and 37 factors over the ultimate 26 video games of final season. He outscored each Canadian not named Robert Thomas and, within the course of, additionally displayed the completeness that lastly made him plain to Team Canada.

“I just tried to show that I could do anything that they ask of me to do, whether that’s be a 13^th, 14^th forward, just penalty kill, shut-down line,” Suzuki stated. “I really feel like I can do all of that and present my offensive means after I can, and I really feel like I can produce with the most effective of them.

“They want to build a hockey team. They want role players, guys that can do different things. Not everyone is going to be able to play the same amount of minutes as they usually do and you have to be able to contribute in different ways if you’re asked to do different things. I feel I can do whatever they want me to do, so I feel like I’m a good piece in that.”

Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis referred to Suzuki as a Swiss Army Knife moments earlier than Suzuki stated that.

The former Olympian, who gained a gold medal with Canada on the 2014 Sochi Games, is aware of what the Program of Excellence seems for in a participant. At the start of the month, he stated, “If you lack little details, you have to be a top-10 player in the world,” and during the last 12 months, he’d constantly highlighted the main points that made Suzuki probably the greatest and most versatile gamers on this planet.

Suzuki was nonetheless that during the last three weeks, even when he wasn’t significantly happy along with his recreation. In 10 video games bookended by the 6-1 loss the Canadiens suffered to the Lightning on Dec. 9 and Sunday’s loss in Tampa, Suzuki produced three objectives and 10 factors whereas sustaining an excellent score. He did that regardless of producing solely 5 of these factors at even-strength, and he did it whereas doing what he at all times does — matching up towards the most effective gamers on this planet. Only this time he did it over essentially the most charged portion of Montreal’s schedule up to now, and with the Olympic determination hanging over his head.

Now that it’s fallen in his favour, the hunt for Suzuki to play his manner up the lineup begins.

Canadiens teammate Juraj Slafkovsky shall be on the high of Slovakia’s. The 21-year-old was already assured of that earlier than piecing collectively his most dominant stretch as an NHLer.

Oliver Kapanen hasn’t been within the league for practically as lengthy, however he ranks first amongst rookies in objectives (seven), fourth amongst them in factors (20), and he feels he’s performed all he can to comply with in his uncle Sammy’s footsteps with Team Finland.

“I think I’ve been playing good here and doing my thing,” Kapanen advised Sportsnet on Monday. “I know there’s a couple of injuries right now, so there could be spots open.”

Sources knowledgeable us there’d have doubtless been one for him even when Aleksander Barkov and Patrik Laine have been each wholesome sufficient to go to Milan.

Meanwhile, it’d take an harm to a Team USA ahead for Cole Caufield to get there.

The unbelievable objective Caufield scored in Tuesday’s recreation was his 37^th of 2025. He put up 75 factors, but additionally had a +21 score over 84 video games to indicate to what finish his total recreation has developed since being left off the 4 Nations roster.

Caufield may’ve simply been the one to ship the one objective the Americans misplaced by within the remaining had he been on that staff, however even he is aware of his means to make that shot in essentially the most pressure-packed second may not be sufficient to get him to the Olympics.

“At the end of the day, I’m still going to cheer for the team regardless,” Caufield advised Sportsnet on Monday. “You want the best for those guys. If they don’t pick you, you still want them to win to know that they picked the right team. At the end of the day, it’s not the end of the world, and it’s not going to stop me from competing.”

It shouldn’t, as a result of there are 18-20 video games to play between now and the Olympic break and Caufield may — and may — inevitably go if one or two American forwards named to the staff get injured. The Americans will title their roster on Firday.

Perhaps Noah Dobson or Mike Matheson will get a name to switch one or two of the eight defencemen going to Milan for Team Canada if the harm bug hits their blue line. We’re undecided Lane Hutson will get the decision if one or two American defencemen undergo accidents between Friday’s announcement and the match, however he ought to.

Caufield was amongst many making the case for Hutson to make it regardless.

“I would just say watch every single one of his shifts,” Caufield stated. “His compete level, his motor, his energy, his skill is all second to none, and I haven’t seen too many players in the league who bring that every shift. What he’s able to do for our team is every time he’s on the ice, I think we have the puck. And if we don’t, he’s getting it back and he’s going to work his ass off to get it back. It’s definitely been a fun year for him, and he’s only going to get better.”

It’s unquestionable given how a lot Hutson has already improved from a rookie season that noticed him make historical past and seize the Calder Trophy.

The 21-year-old has 5 objectives and 38 factors in 39 video games thus far this season. No defenceman in hockey has greater than his 33 assists, and solely Cale Makar and Zach Werenski have produced greater than his 78 factors for the reason that starting of 2025.

As Caufield stated, Hutson has additionally proven he’s way more than simply an offensive defenceman, and his +16 score via 2025 is simply scratching the floor of proof to that finish.

Whether Hutson leads to Milan or not, he’s destined for nice issues with Team USA sooner or later.

Suzuki’s time with Canada is now.