With the playoffs assured, the final stage for the Montreal Canadiens is to finish strong in preparation for the most important games of the season. The Canadiens are defending too much these days, getting regularly outshot and out-chanced.

While thoughts are on milestones being reached, for the organization, they’re focused on Montreal playing its best hockey. The Canadiens are in a low energy moment and they almost lost to the Florida Panthers in regulation, but some late heroics forced overtime before a shootout produced a 4-3 win.

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There was only one standout on the entire roster in this one for the longest time: Ivan Demidov. He was a magician with the puck at times, making world-class moves. The crowd was a chorus of oohs and aahs; Demidov was so exciting to watch. His head coach recognized it as Demidov led the club in ice time for the first two frames, which hasn’t happened this season.

It was Demidov who got the Canadiens on the board as deserved. It was a power play marker as Cole Caufield fed it across ice, where Demidov wired it home. It was one of only two solid chances in the first two periods.

The other good look was Phillip Danault stealing it and feeding Josh Anderson for a tip-in, but he directed it right into Daniil Tarasov’s pads for the save. That was it for 40 full minutes. In the third, early, Danault counted for 2-2, but it didn’t look like anything good was going to happen.

That was until Lane Hutson showed why he is one of the most exciting players in hockey. With 20 seconds left, it was Hutson by himself deciding to take on three Panthers, and he beat them all. The goalie bit on his last move, but he was already behind the net.

Hutson kept his head and fed Nick Suzuki for the late tying marker as the Bell Centre absolutely erupted. It went to overtime. Montreal finally played some inspired hockey in the extra five, but couldn’t convert.

It went to a skills competition where the Canadiens had more skills. Caufield went five-hole with his effort for a goal, then Alexandre Texier made a perfect shot under the bar for two-for-two. A third shot wasn’t even needed as Jakub Dobes stopped both of the Florida efforts.

This was hardly pretty, but a good team found a way.

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The Canadiens picked a poor time to get somewhat out of sync. This is the first time all season that they are playing low-event hockey for an extended period. They don’t seem to have much energy, and they’re unable to generate a good forecheck, or a good cycle.

The fact that two players were healthy and rested and added to the lineup should have provided a spark, but it didn’t. The line switching didn’t ignite the second line at all as Texier had a poor game. Texier wasn’t committed to the task, physically hinting that he’s not sure that he is fully healed.

Oliver Kapanen moved to the fourth line, which he likely took as a slap in the face. However, it’s not a surprise at all as he has been looking fatigued in the last quarter of the campaign. Offensively, the Canadiens played 116 minutes of hockey between goals. That’s the longest stretch all season.

The real issue on the night, though, from a goals-allowed perspective was Arber Xhekaj and Adam Engstrom. The partnership was on for both goals against. Engstrom was the goat on the first goal and Xhekaj the goat on the second goal.

Alexandre Carrier and Kaiden Guhle are missed. Thankfully, for the head coach, both will be back for the playoffs. They need their energy to be back for the playoffs. The Devils Sunday was understandable with six games in nine nights, but this one will concern the organization more: They were rested. They were ready, but they need to bring more pace in the four games that are left.

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Difficult decisions of the best kind are in the future for Head Coach Martin St. Louis. When he has a healthy roster, he won’t be sure what his starting lineup should look like for the playoffs.

Historically, head coaches choose experience. However, St. Louis may not be cut from the same cloth as his predecessors. This morning, after practice, there was a hint that he could choose the best players regardless of pedigree.

The most difficult choice is obvious. Brendan Gallagher has been a warrior for the Canadiens for 14 years. However, he is likely not one of the best 12 forwards on the Canadiens presently. In order of strength on the top two lines: Suzuki, Caufield, Slafkovsky, Demidov, Kapanen, Newhook. That’s the easy part.

In order of strength on the next two lines: Evans, Dach, Texier, Danault, Anderson, Bolduc, Veleno, Gallagher. That order of strength is fluid. On any given night, that list can rotate from almost top to bottom.

It may come down to the opponent. Against the Buffalo Sabres, more brawn will be required against a big team. Against the Tampa Bay Lightning, more experience may be required against a team that is savvy and plays on gamesmanship to get their opponents off-balance.

Gallagher drawing in against the Sabres is more difficult to imagine than drawing in against the Lightning. Perhaps, if penalty killing becomes important and forechecking as well, then Veleno is a strong choice.

If it comes down to raw skill to finish plays throughout the lineup, and if balanced scoring wins the day, then Dach and Texier are needed most. Faceoffs will always be key, so Danault would never leave the lineup.

One can attack this from a number of ways. It’s not written in stone for this head coach who sees action and who doesn’t.

However, if they head into the playoffs with 14 healthy forwards, the best guess here is Gallagher and Veleno will sit. That almost seems impossible, but there it is.

It’s a good problem to have, but it sure is open to second guessing as well.

Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.

5:28
Call of the Wilde: Habs win three in a row

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The Montreal Canadiens late-season success is the talk of the hockey world. They went into a home-and-home series with the New Jersey Devils this weekend with seven straight victories. The Devils hosted the Saturday’s opener, and Montreal extended its streak to eight games, winning an absolute thriller 4-3 in a shootout.

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All the talk these days is about the Canadiens top line and deservedly so, but this contest had an important development on the second line.

Alex Newhook, Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov have been defending too much in the last couple weeks. They are talented when they get in the offensive zone, but they haven’t been in that area of the ice enough. Against the Devils, they dominated the first period. They had an Expected Goals shot share of 75 per cent. They finished with a 60 Corsi.

Ivan Demidov was the most noticeable of the three. He is levelling up in a massive way right now. It hasn’t translated to big nights on the scoreboard yet, but scoreboard victories start with possession victories. Puck-battling is a vital skill,  and a player can’t do great things, if he can’t win the disk. That’s where the magic starts.

It’s becoming nearly impossible to take the puck off Demidov. He dangles it with such talent and efficiency, and he’s starting to realize that opposing players simply cannot take it off him. He has the ability to move through defenders like they’re not even there.

Demidov is also shooting more, which is another strong sign of an increasing comfort level. He would normally defer, but now he is seeing that he has the talent to hold on to the puck and make plays.

Demidov has learned another valuable lesson on the power play this season. He used to stay on the half-wall and wait for a pass to come to him. Generally, he was static, and easily defendable. Recently, he has been moving up and down between the half-wall and moving toward the net.

By doing this, he changes the angles for passes and he loses his defenders more easily. On Saturday, it made him available for a scintillating back-door pass from Cole Caufield, giving Demidov his 60th point of the season on his 17th goal. Nick Suzuki picked up his 95th point of the season on the tally.

Only a minute and change later, Lane Hutson notched his first point of the night as he continues his assault on the record book with his 74th point on his 12th goal. Suddenly, the Canadiens had a 3-0 lead. Hutson said before the season began that he could score more goals. He was right. He’s doubled his total from his rookie season.

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Some of the support staff had notably good games, too. Arber Xhekaj is getting more and more comfortable, and Jayden Struble put in a strong performance in addition to scoring his second goal of the season. At forward, Joe Veleno is also playing strong hockey. He’s a hard worker on the forecheck. Zachary Bolduc continues to improve his decision making to help the play progress positively.

The shootout was thrilling, too, with Caufield and Demidov scoring for Montreal with perfect shots. Still, it took five rounds to decide the game, with Oliver Kapanen smoothly going to the five hole to extend the Canadiens winning streak . The Canadiens magic number to make the playoffs is one single point.

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Saturday’s game was well in command. The Canadiens were up by two goals and were on a four-minute power play. Then they lost their concentration. With the man advantage they gave up consecutive two-on-ones in about 15 seconds. The Devils scored on the second one to get back into the game.

It’s hard to criticize a club that has won seven consecutive games for poor game management, but in that moment, the Canadiens forgot that a two-goal lead after two periods would be a good result. Certainly, a power play goal at that moment would have been preferred, but the game is yours if it’s managed well. Instead, they gave the Devils life.

All that is positive that can be said about the sloppiness is learn that lesson in the regular season, because in the playoffs, that’s exactly how to lose games.

That shorthanded goal mattered because the Devils tied it with the goalie pulled and two minutes remaining.

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The line is unstoppable. It is among the best lines in the NHL, and it might just be the best.

Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky have been on an absolute tear since being reunited. It’s been 15 games since head coach Martin St. Louis took Slafkovsky off the second line and put him back with Suzuki and Caufield. They have, in that short time, 30 goals.

Caufield is so hot he is scoring at more than a goal-per-game for almost a half season. He has 28 goals in 27 games. Slafkovsky is having a breakout season looking for his first 30-goal campaign. Suzuki is on the verge of his first 100-point season — and the first for the franchise since Mats Naslund in 1986.

The Canadiens have fallen short offensively for a long time. The last time they were truly powerful offensively was 1993. That was the last time they had a 100-goal line with Kirk Muller, Vincent Damphousse and Brian Bellows. They counted 110 goals the season they won the cup.

The numbers for this year’s top line are impressive, but they are even more impressive when compared to the rest of the league. With Caufield’s 49 goals this season, Slafkovsky’s 29 and Suzuki’s 27, they are at 105 goals in total. That compares quite favourable to the best lines in the league.

Nathan MacKinnon with Martin Necas and Artturi Lehkonen have 105 goals. Anthony Cirelli with Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov have 99 goals. Mark Scheifele with Gabe Vilardi and Kyle Connor have 96 goals.

The only caveat for the Suzuki line is that they weren’t together all season to achieve these totals. That says that they could do even better if they were always together. It makes it an exciting proposition for next season when the organization hopes it can find a strong second line. That way, it won’t  have to tinker with the chemistry of the top line to find balance.

The other three top lines this season that will eclipse the 100-goal plateau all have one thing in common that the Canadiens line doesn’t. They are all veteran players at the height of their powers. The oldest member of the Canadiens line is 26. They’re just getting started.

Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.

5:08
Call of the Wilde: Habs fall to Red Wings 3-1

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It was a trap game. After running the gauntlet beating hot teams like Columbus, Carolina and Tampa Bay, the Montreal Canadiens had to make sure that they didn’t take it easy against the struggling New York Rangers.

They didn’t, giving it another strong effort against a Rangers team that gave it all they had. It was a 3-2 Canadiens victory.

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It took until near the midway point of the second period, but the stars did come out to shine on Broadway in the end.

The first moment of brilliance was from Ivan Demidov. He didn’t just pass it over to Alex Newhook, which would have had a limited level of effectiveness. He looked right at the Rangers goalie for a shot, then passed it.

It’s that high level of deception that makes all the difference in the NHL.

It was the same intelligence and creativity on the second Canadiens goal. Nick Suzuki knew the pathway to passing to Juraj Slafkovsky wasn’t there if he tried it direct, so he banked it off the boards at the perfect angle instead. Slafkovsky redirected it in a deft fashion 90 degrees to Cole Caufield. He wired it home with a one-timer into the top corner with the perfect shot.

That wasn’t it for the night, though, as they just kept on going. With five minutes remaining, it was a defensive zone draw, but seconds later, it was in the net. Suzuki with won draw to Mike Matheson to a streaking Caufield. He danced around the defender, then slid in his second of the night.

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The numbers are stunning for the line. That’s 30 goals in the last 15 games since being reunited. The sample size is getting bigger and they’re not slowing down at all. Caufield has 49 goals this season, 28 of them in his last 27 games. Caufield is only one goal behind the league-leader Nathan MacKinnon for the Rocket Richard Trophy.

Suzuki has 94 points with another two point game. The milestones are within reach with seven games remaining. From that line, it’s remarkable. They are a top-three line in the NHL in the same category as the MacKinnon line in Colorado and the Mark Scheifele line in Winnipeg for goals this season.

The Canadiens got yet another stellar game from their goaltender. The issue with the team when Samuel Montembeault was struggling has become a strength. Jakub Dobes is seventh in the entire league in Goals Saved Above Expected. They gave him a rest, so Jacob Fowler put in a Dobes-like number himself. Fowler stopped 21 of 23 shots for a GSAE of .96.

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The Canadiens have won seven straight games. The Canadiens have seven games remaining and a playoff spot is almost a certainty. They need four points. They have allowed only eight goals in their last six games. They are sixth in the league in points.

It’s excellence all around. No goats.

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Lost in the shuffle of Nick Suzuki making a charge to be the first 100-point player on the Canadiens since Mats Naslund in 1986 is Suzuki’s status to win the Selke Trophy.

The award is given to the best defensive forward in the NHL. Aleksander Barkov won the award the last two seasons, but with his serious injury this season the race is wide open.

Suzuki has had such a remarkable campaign leading the Canadiens to huge success that he has become the favourite — only a slight favourite, though, over Nico Hischier. Suzuki has a 31 per cent probability to win the Selke, while Hischier is second at 26 per cent.

Suzuki is finishing the season with a charge while Hischier is on a weak Devils club. Suzuki has a plus-34 to lead the Canadiens. Hischier has a minus seven on the Devils. Based on that metric, it’s difficult to understand at all why Hischier would be second favorite to win the Selke.

Offence does have some sway in the vote done by the NHL hockey writers association, and Suzuki is on his way to a 100-point season. Hischier is on pace for only 65 points.

Looking at the statistics and how the clubs are performing, the bettors may have this one wrong. This doesn’t look close at all. Suzuki should be the insurmountable favourite to win the Selke.

Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.

5:08
Call of the Wilde: Habs fall to Red Wings 3-1

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With five straight victories for the first time this season, the Montreal Canadiens faced a difficult challenge for number six.

It’s practically their archnemesis in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Whenever everything seems to be going right, the Lightning bring the kryptonite.

It always seems to get away from the Canadiens when they play Tampa. Not this time, though, as this Canadiens team is absolutely on fire.

Montreal posted a 4-1 win.

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Juraj Slafkovsky turned 22 on Monday. It’s difficult to believe that he is so young, because it seems like he’s been around so long. His career is just getting started, yet he’s already put terrific numbers on the board. This is clearly his breakout season.

He had four goals in a shortened first season, then 20, then 18 goals. He started slowly all three years, and he vowed that he was going to be ready to roll right from the opening faceoff this year, and he was true to his word.

Slafkovsky has become the player that the organization believed in when they made the bold choice to not go with the consensus Shane Wright first overall. In the first period, on a five-on-three power play, it was Ivan Demidov to Slafkovsky and he ripped his excellent one-timer.

It was goal number 29 for Slafkovsky. He wasn’t done. In the second period, Slafkovsky went for a skate down the left side. He’s learning how to protect the puck, so the defender had zero chance to take it from him. Slafkovsky then found Cole Caufield streaking down the side for an easy tally.

GM Kent Hughes hoped at the age of 25 that Slafkovsky could give the Canadiens a 30-goal season. He’s on the verge already the day after he turned 22. It was an absolutely vital moment for Nick Bobrov, and the head scout got it right.

Credit to Trevor Timmins for getting some choices right as well. Caufield is close to the best choice from the 2019 draft taken at 15. Caufield’s marker was his 47th of the season. He has eight games to get three goals. The last time a Canadiens player hit the 50-goal plateau was Stephane Richer in 1990.

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It was another stellar night in the net for the first star of the week in the NHL, Jakub Dobes. He has answered the call as the team’s number one in a stunning manner. He’s winning some of these games almost by himself. His last two starts he was a 2.84 Goals Saved Above Expected against Columbus, then followed it up with an even more remarkable 3.79 GSAE over Carolina.

Dobes is now seventh in the league in GSAE. The team’s weakness is no more a weakness.

At some point, certainly, he has to look human, but it wasn’t against the Lightning as he kept it going. It was a GSAE of 3.09 as he stopped 36 of 37 shots.

Dobes has always been athletic, and he’s used that athleticism to get to the NHL. However, against the best shooters in the world, technical skills are needed as well, and in the last month, the improvements are massive.

Under Marco Marciano, Dobes is looking entirely different. His positioning is tremendous. He’s cutting down the angles intelligently. He’s square to the puck. He is up and down and back up with outstanding balance meaning he is ready for a second shot.

There are times when the rebound control on long shots could be slightly better, but, overall, this is a much better goalie.

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A win over the Lightning in Tampa Bay when they’re battling for first place in the Atlantic Division is simply a remarkable achievement. No goats.

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The Canadiens have lost the services of Alexandre Carrier to an upper-body injury for the next two to four weeks. It’s an unusual announcement from the organization, considering Carrier played over 19 minutes on Sunday in Carolina and didn’t miss a shift.

What’s more unusual, though, is who GM Kent Hughes called up from Laval as a replacement. Carrier is a right-shot defender, so this was the absolutely perfect opportunity to call on David Reinbacher to make his debut in the NHL. Reinbacher is the only player among the top 13 picks from the 2023 draft to not have played a game in the NHL yet.

However, the brass went to Adam Engstrom for the backup role. Engstrom is strong. It’s not a slight against him to suggest that he shouldn’t have been called up. It’s simply that Reinbacher is the obvious choice, and they refused to make it.

Engstrom is a left-shot defender. He is one of those defenders that can move over to his wrong side and still play a strong game, though. This has been a big theme inside the Canadiens for a long time — that they have to use a player on their unnatural side of the ice to fill out their top-six.

In fact, when trying this with Mike Matheson, it was an absolute nightmare. They’ve tried it with Kaiden Guhle as well with similar bad results. Lane Hutson is the only one who maintains some level of the same skill set when moving across the sheet.

A weaker right side is an organizational issue, and it’s one of the reasons that the Canadiens even drafted Reinbacher. They had a chance to minimize the issue Tuesday, and they didn’t choose it.

The most likely reason to pass up the opportunity to bring up Reinbacher is that the call-up isn’t likely to play a lot, considering Arber Xhekaj draws in as the sixth defender, leaving Engstrom in the press box anyway. Anyone watching proceedings this year knows though that the way they feel about Xhekaj, Engstrom is likely to play eventually in the next month.

Hughes may feel as if Engstrom’s tutelage in the minor leagues is over while thinking Reinbacher can still benefit from the ice time in Laval. They may not want Reinbacher to sit for two to four weeks not playing. This is a minor concern in itself, as why is Reinbacher not ready yet in their minds?

No one has the answer to that one, and no one is going to get that answer by asking. It’s simply a matter of wait and see on Reinbacher. He’s playing well in Laval. He probably wants the NHL test now, but apparently, it’s still time for sowing, and not time for reaping on this pick.

Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.

5:07
Call of the Wilde: Habs Win Three Straight

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A busy week for the Montreal Canadiens got busier with back-to-back road games in Nashville on Saturday and in Carolina on Sunday. The Predators are playing strong hockey with only three losses in their last 10 games, but they met their match against Montreal. The Canadiens dominated in every facet, winning 4-1.

Wilde Horses 

Ivan Demidov is levelling up — and the evidence isn’t in only in goals and assists. It’s in the ability to keep plays alive and earn time on the puck. Earlier this year, Demidov wasn’t getting enough touches five-on-five. He skated for much of the night not implicated in the play.

Late last week, Demidov started to battle for the puck with greater acumen. Puck-battling is a science of how to use the body, have strong balance on skates and angle off opponents. It’s not necessarily about brawn; it’s much more than that, and Demidov is figuring it out.

Demidov is also beginning to understand that when he is in open spaces, opponents can’t take the puck from him. He doesn’t have to immediately move it to someone else or relinquish control. He can keep it practically as long as he wants and wait until the lane opens up to a teammate. He was involved in four high-quality chances in the first period alone in Saturday’s game.

A lot of this often gets described as gaining confidence, but a better word is comfort. Demidov is getting comfortable with the idea that he can win the puck and then keep the puck. When his comfort is fully developed, he will be unstoppable. It’s already happening.

In the first period against the Predators, the Canadiens dominated, but only managed a single goal on a perfectly placed shot to the far side by Demidov for his 16th of the season. Demidov is tied for the rookie scoring lead with Beckett Sennecke and Matthew Schaefer at 56 points.

The rookie class is outstanding this season. Connor Bedard won the Calder Trophy two seasons ago with 61 points. Three players could surpass that total this year. Demidov’s ceiling is far higher than 60. If Nick Suzuki isn’t the first 100-point player for the Canadiens since 1986, then it will be Demidov.

Head coach Martin St. Louis is gaining confidence in Demidov for entirely different reasons. The head coach likes what he is seeing defensively.  Demidov is committed to what the head coach describes as the “non-negotiables.” That starts with understanding that before you get to shine on offence, you have to take care of your responsibilities on defence. Demidov is looking much better in this aspect of the game as well.

Mark this down as the week that Demidov began to get even more of an idea how to be a superstar in the NHL.

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Demidov’s levelling up comes at exactly the right time for the Canadiens, who have been relying on the top line too much in the last three weeks. They needed the second line to contribute. They did in the second period as well, when Demidov won the puck with his speed on an expected icing call. That led to Alex Newhook feeding Oliver Kapanen for his 22nd of the season.

That line made the Predators look like figure skaters doing pirouettes as they counted again. Demidov rang it off the bar, got it back and fed Newhook for an easy tally. Five guys in yellow were caught watching the puck move like it was magic.

The top line also contributed. Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky is a top-three line in the NHL right now. In 12 games since being reunited, the line has 22 goals.

In the second period, the Canadiens had been dominating, but only had two goals. Until the line went to work, that is. Caufield shouldered off his check. That led to Suzuki feeding Caufield for a little three-foot pass to free him. Caufield went five-hole for his 45th of the season.

The hot streak has led to a chance for some extremely lofty milestones for Caufield and Suzuki. Caufield is mathematically set up to get 50 goals, needing five in the final 10. Suzuki had two points to move to 88 on the season. He, too, is on pace, needing 12 points in the final 10 for the century mark.

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Jacob Fowler barely had to work for his success stopping 24 of 25 shots. He had a plus .77 Goals Saved Above Expected. It was absolute dominance from Montreal. The advanced stats told the story as the Kapanen line had an 87 shot share, with the Suzuki line at a 63 shot share. On defence, the Lane Hutson-Jayden Struble pair had a 92 Expected Goals share.

It was all Montreal. No goats.

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It was an unusual night for the Canadiens’ top prospects still contesting in the playoffs. All eyes were on Michael Hage and the Michigan Wolverines to see if he would continue his season, making it difficult to see him coming to the Canadiens this spring.

All eyes didn’t even see him play. Hage took a shot off his leg last week in the Ohio State contest that completed the Wolverines romp through the competition in the Big 10 conference final. The coaching staff kept it quiet that the shot left Hage unable to play in Friday night’s regional semi-final in Albany.

The Wolverines won easily over Bentley (5-1) without Hage as TJ Hughes had another strong contest. The rumour is that the Canadiens are interested in signing Hughes, however, he is 24 years old and still a collegian. It’s a long shot at that age for any player to make a successful jump from college to the pros.

The Wolverines head to their Sunday afternoon final against Minnesota-Duluth, who edged Penn State 3-1 in the second semi-final of the region. Michigan won’t say whether Hage will be available, nor how serious his injury actually is.

If Michigan beats the Bulldogs on Sunday, they advance to the Frozen Four in mid-April in Las Vegas. That means Hage couldn’t arrive until the Canadiens playoffs. If Michigan loses, then GM Kent Hughes could sign Hage as soon as Monday.

Bryce Pickford also had an unexpected night in his first game of the playoffs in the Western Hockey League. That the Medicine Hat Tigers romped 6-2 over the Regina Pats was expected. That Pickford scored a goal was also expected. It was a goal in nine straight playoff games for him

What was unexpected, however, is that he didn’t play the last five minutes of the game after getting sandwiched between players. Pickford is an absolutely vital player to the Tigers success. His head coach did offer encouraging words in suggesting the score dictated not using Pickford for the rest of the game.

It appears the Tigers are simply being careful and the injury isn’t serious. Good news on the Pickford front, but on the Hage front, Michigan is being so secretive that there is really no idea how badly he is compromised by the shot off the leg.

We’ll know better when we see the starting line up for the regional final in Albany to see if Hage is playing. It was easy to rest Hage for Bentley. They were expected to be dominated, and they were. The Minnesota-Duluth game against Michigan is a pick-em. The Bulldogs looked well organized in shutting down Gavin McKenna ending his season for the Nittany Lions.

It’s the home stretch with the Montreal Canadiens on pace for 102-points, but not even close to secure for a playoff spot. The Columbus Blue Jackets came to town showing why they are one of the hottest teams in the league under Rick Bowness.

The Blue Jackets had control for two periods, but the Canadiens found a way to win 2-1.

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A player in a scoring slump has to find some way to stay strong in his game. He has to make a difference, even if he can’t find the back of the net. If he stays 0-0 in his match-ups at the end of the night, or has a positive shot share, a head coach will have a long leash to keep him in the lineup, even without scoring.

Finishing the night at even usually doesn’t excite the player much, though. Emotionally, he doesn’t feel in the game. The solution is to get physical. That has been the impetus for better for Zachary Bolduc the last two weeks.

He has been extremely effective on the forecheck. As F1, he has been crushing defencemen every single dump-in. Not once has he allowed the defender to get his first touch without taking the pain of Bolduc’s big frame. Somehow out of that, confidence grows.

Each game Bolduc was getting better. He has developed chemistry as well with his linemates who have found him reliable. With Jake Evans and Josh Anderson against the Blue Jackets, they were the best line on the night for Montreal.

So when the goal came — the goal that broke a 31-game drought — it wasn’t all that unexpected. Evans made a gorgeous pass through traffic, cross-ice, and Bolduc ripped it home beautifully. Next shift, he was the first forechecker, and he nailed another defender.

Joe Veleno picked up the theme of the moment, laying out a huge hit on the forecheck as well. Sometimes, the way back into a hockey game that’s going poorly is hit first, score later. That’s how the Canadiens solved a riddle that looked unsolvable for two periods.

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Talent wins, but talent doesn’t always have an easy pathway. Sometimes the tide turns in the desire to be more physical, to punish your opponent first, then the goal comes. That’s how the Canadiens turned a game around that they were second best for 40 minutes.

It also helps to have the hottest goalie in the NHL in the last three weeks. Fresh off a Goals Saved Above Expected of 2.41 on Tuesday night, Jakub Dobes gave another stellar performance with a 2.31 GSAE. He’s been a phenomenal goalie. There isn’t another word for it. Simply phenomenal.

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The Canadiens have had difficulty with a strong forecheck this week. They’ve been running around in their zone trying to handle an aggressive cycle, and not being all that successful at it. They’ve relied on goaltending to stay in games.

The preference, of course, is to not need amazing goaltending to win. The Hurricanes had 16 shots in the first period on Tuesday night; the Blue Jackets had 13 shots in the first on Thursday night. It’s too much defending, and it’s not the formula for success.

It hasn’t been an issue for much of the season, and it’s a mystery why it’s suddenly hitting so hard. The Canadiens have won a lot of games this season, and the goalie hasn’t been the story for most of the year, except when he was bad.

Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson are getting hemmed in a lot. Lane Hutson is on his wrong side with a ‘tweener in Jayden Struble. The only pair that is performing above average recently is Alexandre Carrier with a revitalized Kaiden Guhle.

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The courage of this Canadiens front office to admit they have an issue with a veteran is noteworthy. Usually, the general manager doesn’t like his bad contract exposed, so the head coach has to keep dressing a player clearly struggling. It’s been a pattern in sports for ages.

Through history, the best example in Montreal is likely Scott Gomez. General Manager Bob Gainey didn’t catch that Gomez was absolutely falling apart in New York City and traded for him anyway. He gave up a defender who is still enjoying a sparkling 17-year career in the NHL in Ryan McDonagh.

Gomez was lost in Montreal. He went 60 games without a goal. He went a full calendar year from one February to another between goals. Every single match they went back to Gomez in the same role as if he were a star. They couldn’t admit they messed up the trade. He didn’t even get his ice time reduced. He played three seasons for the Canadiens, and not one of them was good.

This year, the maturity in the front office is obvious. The desire to ice the best team possible isn’t being sacrificed for ego. If an important contract isn’t performing, he’s not playing.

It has taken courage to sideline Samuel Montembeault. The organization thought he was the best man for the job this year, having played 62 games last season. They could have still been choosing Montembeault stubbornly, like Gomez in another era, and the results would have been catastrophic for their playoff chances.

Jakub Dobes has logged a .926 save percentage the last three weeks, which is the best in the entire NHL. If they didn’t acknowledge Dobes had to take over, they’d be outside of the playoffs looking in by now.

To a lesser extent, it’s taken conviction to not ice Patrik Laine. He deserves a shot to show what he can do with two good knees. However, they won’t do it. They think he upsets the balance and weakens the team. They’re sticking to their convictions.

This is an organizationally courageous decision. That’s $8 million sitting, eating popcorn. That makes a general manager look bad for acquiring him, but they are only focused on wins.

You might think wins is an obvious bottom line. It’s not. Teams will play the aging also-ran on a fat contract over a young player almost every single time.

Not now. Not in Montreal. This is a regime that doesn’t need change.

Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.

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TORONTO – Macklin Celebrini is often looking down on the bench.

The San Jose Sharks star centre isn’t in pain or checking his laces. He’s usually going over what just transpired — on an iPad.

“If a play didn’t work out how I wanted,” Celebrini explained. “Or if one of my teammates was talking to me about something and I didn’t see it, I think it’s good just to be able to go back and look.”

Technology and sports have countless intersections. One trend in the NHL over the better part of the last decade has been the use of digital tablets in-game that can provide coaches and players with near-instant replays.

Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki is a big fan.

“Love the iPad,” he said. “We have a rule on our team where you only get to watch it during TV timeouts … you don’t want to be on the iPad when you’re trying to make a change.”

That’s where the bench balancing act comes into play.

“Sometimes we feel as coaches we’re working at the Apple Store when the guys are asking for iPads, but I get it, in a sense,” Sharks bench boss Ryan Warsofsky said. “I don’t really appreciate it when they look to see how much they missed the net by.”

Seattle Kraken captain Jordan Eberle said there’s no such thing as too much information, but tablets can become a distraction.

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“The game is so fast, mistakes are going to be made,” he said. “If you’re looking on the iPad to see the mistake, it should already be forgotten and move on to the next shift.”

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New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe said while there are plenty of benefits when it comes to parsing technique or structure, the tech can be overused.

“A goalie that made a big save or you flubbed on a pass — don’t waste your time on that,” he said. “Let’s stay in the moment and then move quickly on.”

Keefe, however, added the league’s younger generation grew up with screens and expects immediate intel from the video coaches splicing tape.

“They’ve come up in an era where they’re used to having things at their fingertips,” he said. “They want the information.”

Minnesota Wild forward Matt Boldy will only really look at the iPad, which officials also use at the timekeeper’s bench on coach’s challenge and other replays, after specific sequences.

“I’m not a huge believer in nitpicking every shift and saying, ‘Why didn’t you pass it to me right here?’” he said. “I’m sure they have plenty of clips of me not passing to them, too.”

Celebrini’s screen time last season as a rookie got some attention.

“It was pretty public that I used the iPads quite a bit,” he said. “I think I got caught (on camera) every time I used it, so it looked like I was on it more than I was.”

Anaheim Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville, who played more than 800 NHL games and owns over 1,000 victories behind the bench, has had a front-row seat to plenty of change in hockey.

“Not a fan (of iPads),” said the three-time Stanley Cup winner, who mostly searches out replays for calls by on-ice officials. “I’m not gonna discourage it, but I don’t promote it.”

Devils centre Jack Hughes said screen use can negatively impact players in the moment.

“You miss a big chance, and you’re upset about it,” he said. “You go back and look at look at it, but then you just get more frustrated. Every guy’s different, but think it’s very useful for some parts of the game.”

“Anything’s good in moderation, right?” New York Rangers winger Will Cuylle added. “But you don’t want to be like a little kid out there on his iPad.”

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube, another former NHLer from a different era, noted players are sometimes only interested in tablet-based replays when it makes them look good.

“I love the iPads,” he said in a muted, sarcastic tone. “They want the iPads after a shift when they have a scoring opportunity, but they don’t want the iPad when they screwed up defensively.

“That’s when the assistant coach goes down and shows them.”

TIME CRUNCH

The NHL’s return to the Olympics offered fans a riveting mid-season tournament. That 2 1/2-week break has also left coaches with even less time for on-ice preparations throughout 2025-26 due to a compressed schedule that offers little wiggle room.

“Our morning skate is, a lot of times, our practice,” Quenneville said. “We just go 15, 20 minutes.”

He added that making sure players are ready for important games down the stretch is paramount.

“The other team’s in the same boat,” Quenneville said. “Rest, I think, is probably not a bad idea … we’ve been trying to be aware of that.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 25, 2026.

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press

The Montreal Canadiens had what was billed as a battle for first place against the Detroit Red Wings in January. The Canadiens were dominated at the Bell Centre, losing 4-0.

Since then, both clubs have settled lower in the standings, yet both are still having outstanding seasons.

The Canadiens looked for revenge in Detroit, but they allowed a late goal to fall again to the Red Wings 3-1.

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It’s time that ‘load management’ comes to the National Hockey League. It’s a concept almost overused in the NBA, but in the NHL there is a reluctance to allow a player rest.

This makes no sense. Hockey may be the most gruelling sport of all: an 82-game schedule with physical punishment doled out on a regular basis.

There’s no shame in Brendan Gallagher needing a rest. He’s an aging player. The way to get the most out of Gallagher in the playoffs is to rest him right now for Alexandre Texier or Joe Veleno.

Recently, we have seen both Veleno and Texier back in the lineup and immediately improving the Canadiens. Texier and Veleno may not be better than Gallagher and Josh Anderson, but when the aging vets are tired or injured, the younger players are better options.

Veleno played his first game in 42 days in Detroit and he brought tremendous energy. Veleno is an excellent penalty killer. He is active. He has determination. He commits his entire body in an attempt to block shots. Veleno brought hunger to the contest.

The line with Veleno on it was sensational. With Phillip Danault and Gallagher joining Veleno, the line had 10 shots for and zero against on the night for a 100 per cent Corsi. Remarkable.

Texier brought the same intensity when he got back into the lineup. Texier remains strong. Though the goals haven’t come, he brings strong 200-foot play. Load management if the Canadiens were bringing in terrible players from the press box would be a terrible idea, but there are high-quality players waiting to play.

It was another defensive contest between these two clubs. Juraj Slafkovsky finally broke the deadlock of zeroes late in the second period with a power play marker. It was another goal for the big three as Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki provided the helpers.

Slafkovsky has 25 goals this season, and the line has 14 goals in eight games since being reunited.

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The Canadiens are not getting enough from their second line. A second line is responsible for goal scoring, but since it became Alex Newhook, Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen eight games ago, the line has only three goals.

What’s worse than that goal total is that they are spending far too much time in their own zone. The Corsi share in their eight games together is only 41 per cent. They are getting caved in.

Kapanen is a fine 200-foot player with a good brain for the game, but he is not a player who creates transitions. He is not a puck carrier. When the second line was successful, it was during a time when Slafkovsky was carrying it up ice well and creating fast transitions into the offensive zone.

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Newhook and Demidov are wingers. They do not transition well, though they both should be fairly good at it with their puck skills and speed on their skates. The second line is desperate for a player who can transition effectively from defence to offence.

Kapanen may not be a centre, or he is a centre who needs easier match-ups. There is presently too much defending. With Slafkovsky looking so comfortable with Suzuki and Caufield, the organization is in the hunt for a second line centre who can ignite the success of his wingers.

Demidov is simply not getting the puck enough in the offensive zone with Kapanen as his centre. Demidov barely gets five-on-five touches all night, and is forced to wait for a power play to exhibit any offensive skills at all.

A defending Demidov is not a good Demidov. Right now, that’s most of his night: chasing the puck in the defensive zone for 45 seconds. It’s three talented players, but three players who do not mesh well together to get the most out of each other.

It was the second line that was on the ice for the tying goal. The actual goal was a lucky bounce off a forward standing in front of the net, but the shot only came because the line was far too passive in defending. Newhook stood passively in front of Patrick Kane allowing him to get the puck to the net.

The goal itself was unlucky, but hockey is chaos, and luck is created by playing the game in the attacking zone. That’s not a place that the second line is getting to. Every once in a while they have an offensive rush, but they simply don’t ever get a cycle going.

The game was lost with a stunning gaffe from Mike Matheson with only three minutes remaining. Matheson had it in his own zone facing no pressure, but then the puck rolled on him, and then he fell down. Alex Debrincat moved in all alone to count the winner.

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It’s not expected that both an organization’s prospect club and top club are strong at the same time. Either the prospects have graduated for NHL strength, or they haven’t for AHL strength. The Canadiens have both rolling.

The Laval Rocket became the third team to qualify for the playoffs with a 5-1 win over Wilkes-Barre Scranton Wednesday night. It was an impressive win as the Penguins are one of the top teams in the league, and they were crushed by the Rocket.

Adam Engstrom was back in the lineup after a month-long absence. His presence was felt immediately forming a first pair with David Reinbacher that dominated.

Much like Juraj Slafkovsky branched out, and stopped deferring when taken off a line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, the same thing happened when Reinbacher was forced to be the leader on defence without Engstrom.

Reinbacher has levelled up significantly with almost a point-per-game pace in his last eight with seven points. Reinbacher is also a plus-eight in his last eight. Reinbacher has started to get massive ice time with over 28 minutes in one contest as Head Coach Pascal Vincent has found a new favourite.

The ice time is significant. The reason is that it shows that the player can still mentally perform at a top-level without losing his concentration in decision making. Fatigue physically translates into fatigue mentally. Not many players can handle a massive amount of ice without their play degrading.

This is a significant development for Reinbacher and the Canadiens. It seems like he can handle anything at the AHL level.

Another prospect that’s on fire is Florian Xhekaj. The organization has high hopes that he can find another level to become a fourth line winger with toughness in the NHL. The Canadiens lack players with grit. Making their opponent play hard and punishing minutes is important, especially in the playoffs. Xhekaj has four goals in his last five games.

The only organizational issue for the playoffs is goaltending. With Jacob Fowler in Montreal, the Rocket absolutely must have Kaapo Kahkonen stay healthy and strong. His save percentage is .902, but the new backup, Hunter Jones, is only .844 in three appearances.

Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.

The Montreal Canadiens are on pace for a 102-point season, but after back-to back losses on the weekend, it almost felt like it was slipping away.

They needed a result against the Boston Bruins at the Bell Centre, and they got it in thrilling fashion with a 3-2 overtime win.

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Cole Caufield has done it. Thirty-two years of the Canadiens not having a 40-goal scorer is finally over. Vincent Damphousse’s run as the last man to do it will be quoted no more. Caufield got number 40 in as dramatic fashion as is possible.

It was the last seconds of overtime. Lane Hutson, Nick Suzuki, and Caufield had been on, it seemed, for the entire five minutes. They gave it one last try before a shootout. Hutson won the zone. He and Suzuki were working the high slot.

At the same time, Caufield slid across the crease and parked behind the coverage. He got lost there, until Suzuki found him. It was a tap-in for number 40.

The Canadiens have a true first line. They score at a clip that rivals any line in the entire league. Suzuki has been reunited with Juraj Slafkovsky and Caufield for seven games. The line has a remarkable 13 goals. For a line, this pace is unheard of.

The number one line in the entire league in any given season will finish with about 120 goals. That’s 40-40-40 for the three members. It’s an easy number to see as remarkable. Since Slafkovsky returned, the line is running a clip of 140 goals.

It’s highly unlikely that they can continue a pace as sparkling as that, but they can, at least, make the 100-goal mark. In the first period, the Canadiens were down one and needed a goal badly, and the three came through yet again.

Caufield and Slafkovsky set up Suzuki for his 24th goal of the season. He made a tremendous move in front of the net on Jeremy Swayman. However, the Canadiens need another line to help out, and recently it’s been a struggle.

They needed the Phillip Danault line to contribute and in the second period, they did. Hutson was the primary architect as he was weaving all around the offensive zone before floating one to the net that Josh Anderson deflected.

There were other strong performances: Jake Evans was around the puck a lot. Alexandre Texier is strong on the puck and doesn’t get enough credit for his all-around play. Anderson did a lot more than just score one of the goals.

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None of the good vibes of the night happen without the play of Jakub Dobes. He was sensational. The Goals Saved Above Expected was tremendous with a plus 2.85. The Bruins could have won it easily, if not for his work to keep it close.

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There are a lot of deep statistics in the NHL. For fans who aren’t into analytics, some of the new numbers must seem like calculus. However, for all who love the game, there are some statistics that have been vital since the beginning of the game.

Two of those old reliables are ‘goals against’ and ‘penalty killing success’. They say more than any Corsi or Fenwick could. They speak simply. They say it all.

As wonderful as the Canadiens are on offence, the defensive numbers say that they have significant issues, and they have had them long enough that they shouldn’t expect different outcomes next season unless changes are made.

The Canadiens are 24th in the league in goals against. The Canadiens are 28th in penalty killing success. Top-calibre teams are always strong in these two categories. Teams that go far in the playoffs are always strong at killing penalties.

Penalty killing is naturally about manpower on the ice, but it’s also about attitude. The Canadiens are passive in their pursuit, and find themselves in a box structure defending far more than is seen around the league. They allow offence too easily.

Improving the penalty kill isn’t about collapsing into a box in practice and letting attacking players pass it around, playing keepaway. Improving the penalty kill is about demanding players change their mindset and attack at every single opportunity.

It’s a mindset, and the Canadiens don’t have it. They don’t pursue the puck. They don’t take away time and space. They hope that they can seize the rebound first.

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Defence overall is also talent and mindset. The greatest offensive team of this generation, the Edmonton Oilers, needed one goal in game seven of the Stanley Cup finals to tie it late. In the last five minutes, they didn’t even get a single chance. They couldn’t even get in the zone to establish possession against the Florida Panthers. That’s defence.

On the Bruins’ second goal, Jayden Struble was passive, and then Hutson and Oliver Kapanen took the same man allowing Pavel Zacha to score. Kapanen and Hutson are intelligent defensive players. Why is simple coverage breaking down so often?

The Canadiens need to make changes to their coaching staff next season. Head Coach Martin St. Louis needs help with 24th in goals against and 28th in penalty kill. He can’t be responsible for all aspects of the team.

They can’t run it back like this next season. The same issues will persist.

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Kirby Dach is the unluckiest or most brittle player in all of sports. He gets back into the lineup after suffering a significant injury, and then nearly immediately suffers another significant injury.

Dach was hit on Sunday night by Jeffrey Viel of the Anaheim Ducks. He fell hard on his left side, and couldn’t hold his stick as he made his way back to the bench. On Tuesday, the Canadiens announced that he is gone for two to four weeks.

That’s a wide-open window for recovery; it’s not usually a timeline with so much doubt. At its worst —and with Dach, assume that — he will be out for the rest of the regular season. However, should the Canadiens make the playoffs, Dach will be available for that.

Dach already missed 31 games this season with a broken foot. It’s a shame again for Dach as the moment he starts to get his rhythm back, he gets injured.

Dach’s injury ends the controversy centred around Brendan Gallagher’s inclusion in the lineup over Alexandre Texier. Texier draws in with Zachary Bolduc and Jake Evans while Gallagher assumes his regular spot with Phillip Danault and Josh Anderson.

One of the strengths of the Canadiens this season has been their depth. They would really need the injury bug to strike to feel undermanned as they still have Joe Veleno and Patrik Laine under-worked in Montreal, and a very capable Samuel Blais is in Laval.

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Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.