Canadiens’ Matheson finally in rhythm, living the dream with hometown team

MONTREAL — Mike Matheson was at his locker-room stall at the Montreal Canadiens’ south shore practice facility, talking about the challenge of finding a rhythm after the recent 10-day break for the bye week and All-Star Weekend.

That stall was vacant from the end of training camp until Nov. 19, when Matheson made a brief return from an abdominal strain that kept him out of what would’ve been his first 17 games as a Canadien. He lasted nine games before leaving his equipment hanging there for another four. He then returned to play on Dec. 17 for one game before missing another 13.

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Given all of that, no Canadien on this year’s team would be more qualified to speak on how difficult it could be to establish a flow to his game after a long break than Matheson.

“From a conditioning standpoint, it’s usually at least two to three games,” he said last Thursday after the Canadiens practiced for the first time since the end of January. “But to get that timing and rhythm can take much longer.”

Or sometimes it just clicks, as it has for the Canadiens over the last three games, and like it finally has for the 28-year-old Pointe-Claire, Que., native.

Matheson was a central figure in wins over the weekend — he had an assist and the overtime goal against the New York Islanders on Saturday before producing an assist in a 6-2 shellacking of the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday — and he was once again front and centre in a 4-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.

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He skated 25:37 in the first game, 24:28 in the second, and 23:17 against Chicago, and skated like the wind in all three.

And though Matheson didn’t put up any points against the Blackhawks, he made one of four shot blocks on the night to stop Patrick Kane from changing the complexion of the game on a 5-on-3 Chicago advantage in the second period. He also exerted control over the tempo at both ends from start to finish.

“It seems like he doesn’t get tired on the ice. Just constantly has that top gear,” said Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis. “And he’s tough to play against because he defends with his feet. He has an offensive element, too. But his feet are — I knew he was a good skater, I didn’t know he was that good of a skater.”

It’s been Matheson’s trademark, dating to before he was drafted 23^rd overall by the Florida Panthers in 2012.

He had a promising start to his career as a Panther, suffered some real growing pains in Florida before he was traded to Pittsburgh in 2020, and came over to the Canadiens in the summer trade for Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling after two impressive seasons with the Penguins showed what kind of potential he had.

Matheson was robbed of an opportunity to realize it right off the hop with the team he grew up cheering for, and trying to be at his best after long stints on the sidelines proved particularly challenging with everything about the Canadiens being so new to him.

But that’s all changed now.

“It’s a huge adjustment coming to a new team,” said Jake Allen, who made 22 saves for his first shutout since November of 2021. “Especially since he didn’t think the trade was imminent for him either. Makes it a little bit harder, even if he’s coming home. He knows the area and things like that, but I think it was really tough for him — the injuries and not really getting into a rhythm, not getting comfortable with the group. It takes a while. Sometimes it takes a full year to get adjusted.

“I think it’s pretty impressive that he’s coming into his own now. I don’t know the number of games he’s played — 15? — but he’s starting to get his feel.”

Matheson, who actually completed his 20^th game on Tuesday, is starting to feel like he’s not only hitting his stride but also becoming a better player.

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There was a ton of room for him to grow with the Canadiens, with a young group on the blue line and a lot of ice time available in all situations, and he’s seizing that opportunity now.

“I’m being put in situations I’ve never been in on a regular basis,” Matheson said. “In Pittsburgh, I was on the power play once in a while. In Florida I was on and then off, and same with the penalty kill. But to be full-time in both situations and playing so many minutes on a regular basis is what I’ve never had and it’s a huge learning opportunity that I’m starting to feel really comfortable with.”

Doing it here in Montreal is also a dream come true, even if Matheson had to wait a long time to experience it the way he always hoped to.

“I think it was definitely hard to come here and not be able to feel (the crowd like it was on Tuesday and over the weekend) and be in the background and not even feeling like I could get to know my teammates the way I wanted to. That was hard,” said Matheson. “It’s just such a cool feeling when I look up in the stands and think, ‘Wow, I sat there, and I sat there.’ We didn’t have all the money in the world, but we loved the Canadiens and my dad made every effort to get one ticket a year to come watch, and I remember those. We always sat at home when we couldn’t go and watched every game.

“I wanted to say this when I was first star the other day, but I don’t know if I just wasn’t confident enough in my French. But I just wanted to be like, ‘I was one of you guys, and it wasn’t that long ago, and I hope you guys appreciate that I’m still one of you and I’m giving it my all for you guys.’”

Jonathan Drouin, who had three assists to give him 12 in his last 12 games, is familiar with it after spending the last five and a half seasons with the Canadiens.

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David Savard (who scored on Tuesday), Alex Belzile (who scored on Sunday) and Rafael Harvey-Pinard (who has six goals and eight points in 10 games this season) are Quebecers who’ve been in rhythm for some time now and living out their dreams with the Canadiens.

Matheson has joined them and come on strong. And he has an opportunity to anchor this emerging defence core for at least three more seasons, with his $4.875-million salary on the books through 2026.

Matheson said he’s built up his game over the last couple of years really focusing on the process rather than results, unlike when he was struggling in Florida. He added that right now he’s focused on “defending well,” on “not just accepting the rush but making it tough and putting the opposition on their heels to allow me more time to get back and get the puck out,” and on penalty killing, where he made his biggest impact on Tuesday.

Expect Matheson to make an impact in several departments and to keep rolling now that his engine is running at full steam and he’s more acquainted with his teammates and the Canadiens’ system.

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