While Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield, and Lane Hutson are the stars of the Montreal Canadiens, there may be no other player more versatile on the Habs roster than Alex Newhook. He has become an integral part of the Canadiens roster, not because he puts up an astronomical amount of points, but because he can play anywhere in your lineup and is a crucial member of the team’s penalty kill. He has always been appreciated by Habs fans since being traded to the team before the 2023 NHL Draft, but we did not fully understand his true value until these playoffs began.
Newhook can play anywhere in the Canadiens lineup
In the nine games the Canadiens have played in these playoffs, Newhook has played on four different line combinations. His speed and relentless pressure give the Canadiens the luxury of plugging and playing Newhook wherever they need him, as we saw late in the series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. When the Canadiens inserted Brendan Gallagher into the lineup prior to Game 5, they moved Newhook to the fourth line alongside him with Phillip Danault to form Montreal’s fourth line. Newhook did not miss a beat, recording an assist on Gallagher’s goal that opened the scoring in a game the Canadiens went on to win. That adaptability carried over into Montreal’s second-round matchup against the Buffalo Sabres.
When the Canadiens opened up the series against the Sabres, Newhook found himself on another new line, reclaiming his spot on the second line. After spending time at centre earlier in the playoffs, Newhook has shifted to the wing alongside Ivan Demidov and Jake Evans. While Newhook has spent plenty of time alongside Demidov during the playoffs, his chemistry with Evans has grown through their work together on the penalty kill.
Newhook's newfound chemsitry with Evans
Following the Canadiens 5-1 win against the Sabres, Newhook only had glowing things to say about his linemate and penalty kill partner. “Jake’s a great player, he plays the right way, on both sides of the puck. He is pretty predictable. I’ve played with him a little bit throughout my time here, and I think we always play pretty well together. It’s fun, we play together on the kill too, and I think we found some chemistry here, so just have to keep that rolling.”
There was no better example of the duo’s newfound chemistry than the Canadiens' third goal. Newhook and Evans were doing what they do best, killing penalties, but as the penalty was coming to an end, Noah Dobson quickly moved the puck up the boards to a free Evans. Evans calmly moved the puck up into Buffalo’s zone, letting Newhook pick up speed to blow past Rasmus Dahlin. Evans slotted a perfect pass to the streaking Newhook for the tap-in goal that put the Canadiens up 3-0. The goal was Newhook’s second of the game, delivering yet another clutch performance in these playoffs.
Newhook is now tied for the Canadiens' lead in goals in these playoffs. Newhook may not receive the same attention as some of Montreal’s stars, but few players have been more essential to the Canadiens’ playoff success.
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