There was something of a subtle uneasiness last night at the Bell Centre.
The Canadian had just won a satisfying victory against the St. Louis Blues, and Kirby Dach, with his first goal in almost two years and an assist, was named first star of the game.
A great evening for Dach, who deserves his strong comeback. But for those who followed the meeting closely, one question remained unanswered: why not Jake Evans?
Because, let’s be honest, Evans was the driving force behind this victory.
Not only with his tireless play in the back of the ice, but also by being the one who scored the first goal of the game, his first of the season.
From the first minutes, Evans set the scene, triggering the CH offensive and inspiring the team from the first period.
And that’s not all. Shorthanded, in the corners, in crucial faceoffs… he was everywhere, doing the background work that tires the opponent and allows the CH to stay in control.
"When we’re on the same wavelength, we become hard to beat," Evans commented after the match.
This sentence, which passes for a tribute to the team, also says a lot about himself.
He talks about the importance of collective effort, but ultimately it was his intensity and commitment that kept the team strong.
Evans is this player who we perhaps notice less, but who creates the atmosphere and sets the tempo. Opposite, the Blues felt it from the first whistle.
While Dach reaped the congratulations for his long-awaited goal, Evans continued to work in the shadows.
He didn’t seek the spotlight or the accolade. And yet, everyone in the rink knew that he was the defining element of this evening.
The real player who deserves the first star was Evans, the one who was everywhere to keep the Canadian on the right track.
This unease around the first star awarded to Dach is indicative of a reality in the NHL: we focus on the numbers and visible performances, but the foundations of the game often go unnoticed.
Jake Evans is one of those essential players who, quietly, stabilizes the team and gives it the foundation it needs to perform.
Of course, Dach scored a great goal and broke a long drought, but the victory against the Blues was above all Evans who shaped it.
The Canadian is in the process of rebuilding, and it is tempting to look to the future and the big stars.
But yesterday’s match reminds us that the success of this team is also built on efforts like those of Evans.
Dach received the first star, but he knows it as well as his teammates: the real light of this match was Evans.
Relive the highlights of the meeting: