Canadiens thrive with an atypical shutdown pairing of Mike Matheson and Alexandre Carrier

MONTREAL The Colorado Avalanche thrive when they have Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar on the ice together.

With the two of them on the ice at five-on-five this season, the Avalanche have outscored opponents 42-28, per Natural Stat Trick .

When neither of them are on the ice at five-on-five, opponents have outscored the Avalanche 78-63.

Advertisement Since MacKinnon and Makar are on the ice together so often, if you can survive those minutes, there should be some advantages to be gained on the other side of them.

But surviving those minutes is not easy.

This is what made the performances of Mike Matheson and Alexandre Carrier so extraordinary Saturday night because they gave the Montreal Canadiens a chance to survive those minutes and allowed them to erase a 4-1 third-period deficit and earn a crucial point in a 5-4 shootout loss.

It was the Canadiens third comeback in the third period of the week, giving them a win and two loser points, or four out of a possible six points in those games.

Before facing the Vegas Golden Knights on the road on New Years Eve, the Canadiens were 0-13-0 when trailing after two periods.

That afternoon, the Canadiens erased a 2-1 deficit at the second intermission to win 3-2, and have put together a 6-8-3 record in games they trailed after 40 minutes since.

There is a resiliency to this group that first showed up over that holiday season road trip that has come to define them.

But that resiliency would not have had the chance to show itself in the third period Saturday were it not for Matheson and Carrier winning those five-on-five minutes against MacKinnon and Makar.

The Canadiens acquisition of Carrier on Dec.

18 for Justin Barron dramatically changed their season Montreal has a 21-11-6 record since the trade and its .632 points percentage over that span is fifth in the NHL.

But what we are seeing from Matheson lately is almost the antithesis of what he had been his entire NHL career.

Almost exactly two years ago, on March 16, 2023, Matheson was preparing to face the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Fla., and was reminiscing about his time there and how his last game with the organization was spent in a suit and tie as a healthy scratch.

I dont look back at my time here in Florida and go like, I got screwed.

I didnt, Matheson said prior to that game .

I didnt play well.

And that was all on me.

I was a risky player that wasnt defending very well.

As a coach, thats not a good person to have on the ice.

Advertisement Fast forward to Saturday night, and his current coach Martin St.

Louis could not feel any more differently about Matheson.

In fact, St.

Louis has turned Matheson into the exact opposite of the player he was in Florida, a player relied upon to play difficult minutes against difficult opponents in high-leverage situations.

And Matheson is thriving in that role.

Since facing the Edmonton Oilers on the road on March 6, Matheson has had a couple of games where he didnt have a primary matchup, namely against the Seattle Kraken and the New York Islanders.

But in all the other games, Matheson has been tasked with some tough matchups, and while the underlying numbers can look ugly at times, the most important number remains pristine.

Thats right, in just over 77 minutes at five-on-five with Matheson facing that collection of top-tier centres who have combined for 201 points at five-on-five in 395 games, the Canadiens have outscored the opposition 4-0.

And what that allows the Canadiens to do is go win games, or at least collect points, in the other minutes once the top opposing threat has been neutralized.

And the irony is that what plagued Matheson back when he was with the Panthers, what prevented him from facing top opposition like this, is exactly what this assignment is now bringing out of him.

The risk in his game gets neutralized when hes given a defensive assignment, and the result is a more efficient, trustworthy player.

With a little over seven minutes left in the game Saturday and the Canadiens trailing 4-3, Matheson collected a puck just outside the Montreal blue line in the neutral zone and began skating up ice.

Colorado defenceman Ryan Lindgren was waiting for him at the Avalanche blue line, and Matheson saw an opportunity.

Matheson made a move on Lindgren and tried to beat him to the outside, but as soon as he saw Lindgren was staying with him, Matheson stopped and chipped the puck deep.

The Canadiens tied the game a minute later when Brendan Gallagher found Christian Dvorak coming off the bench and he beat Mackenzie Blackwood with a backhand upstairs.

ON EST DE RETOUR DANS LE MATCH!!!! TIE GAME, BABY!!!! #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/oJgcfxgvIx Canadiens Montreal (@CanadiensMTL) March 23, 2025 It was a risk-free decision from Matheson because that is a mentality that his role in this game a role he is being asked to play more and more has forced him to adopt.

I think Matty, we adjusted his role this year a little bit, he doesnt get the first wave on the PP, but I think it allows us to keep him fresh for these defensive assignments, St.

Louis said.

And hes embraced that role.

Hes very valuable to our team.

And when he plays inside that role, every now and then, hes got some offence to his game and sometimes hell get tempted to do things, and I feel like hes managed that temptation better.

Advertisement He still picks his spots, but I feel when hes at his best, its when he manages that temptation.

Whats on the other side of that? Whats the downside? I feel when youre playing against those guys, whether its (Connor) McDavid or MacKinnon, you have to have the downside, protecting the downside, in the back of your mind.

And thats where hes at his best.

It is impossible to imagine what the Canadiens would look like without Carrier.

That trade for Barron has been one of the most impactful trades of the year across the NHL.

But it is also impossible to imagine what the Canadiens would look like without this version of Matheson, because of everything it opens up for them.

It allows Lane Hutson to play easier minutes and fully express himself in those minutes.

It allows the Canadiens to survive potentially treacherous minutes against top-shelf talent so that their depth can win them games.

And if the Canadiens manage to reach the playoffs, it allows them to have a completely atypical shutdown defence pairing made up of an undersized Carrier and a previously too-risky-to-trust Matheson that will be tasked with shutdown duties against the same opponents night after night.

Its great to know that you have guys like that who can defend against anyone in this league, said Juraj Slafkovsky, who scored twice Saturday, after the game.

You feel safe with those two guys on the ice.

You know theyre going to make the right play every time.

Were happy for what theyre doing.

They are big, one of the biggest parts of this team.

(Top photo of Mike Matheson and Valeri Nichushkin skating after the puck: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images).

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