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.

Wilde Horses 

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.

Wilde Horses 

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.

Wilde Goats

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.

Wilde Cards

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.

—

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

Brendan Gallagher was a healthy scratch on Saturday night for the first time in his career. Head coach Martin St. Louis said it was a difficult decision to sit Gallagher for the contest against the San Jose Sharks. Alexandre Texier drew in after an impressive game in Ottawa on Wednesday.

St. Louis is a student of the game. He is constantly reading and adapting as he learns more about the science of his craft. One concept he believes in is “load management.” St. Louis believes that the best Gallagher for the playoffs is a rested Gallagher.

Texier and the rest of the Montreal Canadiens lost to the San Jose Sharks 4-2.

Wilde Horses

There were two games against the Sharks. The one where Macklin Celebrini was on the ice, and the one where he wasn’t. When Celebrini was resting for his next shift, the Canadiens dominated.

Leading the charge was the Phillip Danault line that suddenly looked like world beaters with Texier on it. They didn’t defend for a single second in the first period. They finished with an Expected Goals of 100 per cent in the first and ended the game with an impressive 64 share. It was tough to sit Gallagher, but it was wise.

The new third line with Kirby Dach, Jake Evans and Zachary Bolduc was also flying. Dach looks much more comfortable without the pressure of being on the first line, the easier match-ups and less ice time. Minor details can often make a huge difference to a player.

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Wilde Goats 

The game revolved around Celebrini. If a Canadiens player didn’t have to face him, he had a pretty good night. If a player was assigned to stop him, it was a rough one. Celebrini with Will Smith and Collin Graf had an 80 per cent Expected Goals share.

On defence, Kaiden Guhle got the assignment last week in California and it was too much for him. At the Bell Centre, the Canadiens tried their most experienced pair to see if they could contain the phenom. They could not. Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson were caved in by the tenacity and talent of Celebrini. The pair had a 19 share.

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Celebrini was a one man wrecking ball. The head coach also tried his most experienced forward line for containment as well. Nick Suzuki’s line had a 43 per cent share. However, they did finish equal in terms of goals for and against, so that’s a good bottom line.

Cole Caufield was feeling better after struggling with the flu this week. He counted a career high in goals with his 38th of the season. Nick Suzuki also counted his 22nd of the season, ripping a shot to the top corner. That was the upside. The downside is that Celebrini humbled Suzuki and his mates in a manner that even Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon were unable to this season.

Celebrini was the story. He had seven points in the two head-to-head games in the last two weeks. He was unstoppable. Rarely do you see one player able to take over a game with so much power, but the Canadiens had no answer to stop the newest superstar in the NHL.

It’s difficult to remember a player levelling up this significantly in the NHL in his second season. Celebrini went from 63 points in his rookie season to a top-five forward in the entire league. It’s nearly unheard of.

Wilde Cards 

Former general manager and now scout Craig Button is one of the most respected evaluators in the game. He recently released a top 50 prospects in hockey, and he clearly believes in the Canadiens pipeline.

Button says that he had five Canadiens prospects in his top 50, but that number dropped to four with the graduation of Jacob Fowler into the NHL on Wednesday in Ottawa. Still, four in the top 50 is an extraordinary number in a 30 team league. Fowler was ranked as Button’s number three prospect before he was removed from the list.

That left the top Canadiens prospect as Michael Hage, who moved to sixth overall. It’s another coup for the outstanding scouting staff, led by Nick Bobrov, which has continued to find diamonds in the rough in its short time together. Hage was taken 21st.

Hage was the best forward at the recent World Junior Hockey championships. He is one of the best collegians in the game for the Michigan Wolverines, the number one team in the country. Hage is expected to join the Canadiens this season, after his college hockey concludes.

The second Canadiens player is Alexander Zharovsky, at 20th overall. This is a coup as well for the scouting staff as he was drafted in the second round. Zharovsky is trying to eclipse the highest point total for a rookie in KHL history, which is 49 and held by Ivan Demidov. He has 38 points, so far this season with 12 more games to go. Zharovsky is unlikely to eclipse Demidov, but still, it’s been a massive season for the Russian.

Next up is David Reinbacher as the 28th best prospect overall. This is actually excellent news reflecting the much improved play recently of Reinbacher in Laval. He has levelled up in the last month. Reinbacher’s learning curve was halted due to two massive injuries, but he is now figuring it out.

The final Canadiens prospect in the top 50 is Bryce Pickford at 38 overall. Again, an absolute theft from Bobrov and his staff. Pickford was taken at 81st overall as an overage player. No one gave him a chance to amount to anything. Instead, Pickford is having one of the greatest WHL seasons in history.

Pickford has 44 goals and is only five goals behind Ron Shudra for the highest total ever for a blue liner in a WHL season. Pickford will have to have a scintillating finish as the Medicine Hat Tigers have only three games left this campaign. Pickford is tied with Cameron Schmidt for the league lead in goals. Schmidt is a forward.

Pickford has been signed on a three-year entry-level deal already, and will join the Laval Rocket likely when his season ends in Alberta.

The top three prospects for Button this year are Tij Iginla, Anton Frondell and Porter Martone. Usually, about 35 to 40 prospects per year become regulars in the NHL.

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

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OTTAWA – Martin St. Louis may have tough decisions ahead.

The Montreal Canadiens coach raised eyebrows when he announced Jacob Fowler would start Wednesday against the Ottawa Senators.

The 21-year-old was instrumental, however, in Montreal’s 3-2 victory with 32 saves.

After his recall from the American Hockey League’s Laval Rocket, Fowler was in Ottawa ahead of his teammates Tuesday while Jakub Dobes made 17 saves in Montreal’s 3-1 win over the Maple Leafs in Toronto.

Samuel Montembeault was Dobes’ backup in Toronto, but the Canadiens still opted to recall Fowler.

He’d played his first 10 NHL games earlier this season. Fowler from Melbourne, Fla., went 4-4-2 with a .903 save percentage and a 2.62 goals-against average in that stretch. His previous appearance was Jan. 15 against the Buffalo Sabres.

With the Canadiens (36-18-10) looking to firmly lock down a playoff spot, it’s clear St. Louis was willing to go with whoever he felt provides his team with the best chance to win.

He was impressed by his young goaltender’s composure in a game that had playoff intensity. The Senators (32-23-9) are on the outside of the playoffs and fighting to gain ground.

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“I thought he battled,” said St. Louis. “He made some huge saves for us. It’s such a game of inches in terms of winning and losing and it usually comes down to your goaltender and I thought he did that …this game could have gone either way and I think Fowler did the job.”

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Teammates were quick to recognize their young goaltender’s performance.

“We know what he’s capable of, but I mean some of those saves he made late in the game there is a big reason why we won the game,” said Alex Newhook. “A lot of credit to him. Great to see.”

Fowler wasn’t as nervous as he was in his debut Dec. 11, when he had 33 saves in a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“The first experience had me a little bit more ready for this,” said Fowler. “Before (it) was a little bit more new stuff. Here, I was just kind of rejoining a team I felt I was a part of and super-happy to be a part of this team and great win for our group.”

Fowler lauded his teammates’ efforts in the final three minutes Wednesday when Ottawa pressed hard for an equalizer.

Fowler made a number of key saves, but Alexandre Carrier and Phillip Danault also blocked shots by from Fabian Zetterlund and Tim Stutzle to secure the win.

“It was pretty hectic,” recalled Fowler. “Couple plays there that our guys on the ice were pretty gassed and a lot of huge blocks there down the stretch. You know the last few minutes, there were a lot of guys doing a lot of hard things to get a win, and that’s what it takes this time of year.”

With 18 games remaining in their regular season, the Canadiens are focused on positioning themselves for a playoff run.

The win over the Senators ranked the Canadiens third in the Atlantic Division, with a three-point lead on the Detroit Red Wings and four on Boston, who hold the two wild cards.

‘You can’t buy that experience where we are in the season against that team,” said St. Louis. “Pretty good rivalry for us, on the road. You can’t buy that. So, for me, I think high marks the way (Fowler) played.”

With back-to-back games against San Jose and Anaheim this weekend, the coach’s decisions around his starting goaltender will be interesting.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2026

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press

MONTREAL – Craig Berube liked what he saw — in most of the final 40 minutes.

The first period, meanwhile, looked far more like the version of the Toronto Maple Leafs that has them staring down a lengthy losing streak and a first missed trip to the playoffs since 2016.

The Montreal Canadiens jumped out to a 2-0 lead en route to a 3-1 win over their Original Six rivals Tuesday night, extending Toronto’s winless skid to eight games.

“They outskated us and had the play in the first period,” Leafs coach Berube said. “I thought we did a much better job in the second period, got ourselves back in the game. We just need more.

“We just needed more of a push from a lot of guys.”

The Canadiens dominated early, toying with the Leafs in the offensive zone to hold a 15-8 edge in shots after 20 minutes.

Zachary Bolduc saw an early chance go wide and Kaiden Guhle ripped a shot off Joseph Woll’s mask before Oliver Kapanen opened the scoring less than five minutes in, finishing a slick passing play with Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook with a deke from the goal line.

Montreal kept pressing until Phillip Danault capitalized on a fortuitous bounce to make it 2-0 at 14:41, as Guhle’s dump-in ricocheted off the glass and landed on the veteran centre’s stick for his fifth of the season.

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“They definitely had the play in the first for sure, had the puck,” Berube said. “We didn’t check it off of them and then when we did, we didn’t do anything with the puck. Didn’t get up the ice as a five-man unit and create anything. We had five shots on net and a couple chances, but not enough.”

Toronto pushed back in the second period with William Nylander cutting into the lead after a give-and-go with Easton Cowan during a strong stretch in the second period, but Montreal shut the game down in the third — with help from two Leafs penalties in the final nine minutes.

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Nylander said although the push back may be encouraging, it’s still far from where the Maple Leafs need to be.

“It’s a lot of losses in a row now,” he said. “Parts of all the games we’ve been playing, we’ve been playing snippets of good hockey. And I mean, that’s not how we want to play when we play a full game of good hockey. So until we trend closer to that, I think (that’s when) it will be positive.

“They were kind of all over us. Sometimes that happens, teams are all over (you), but to give up that many chances to begin with, it’s kind of tough. Woll did a great job and kept us in the game all night.”

The Maple Leafs (27-27-11) fell 13 points outside the playoffs and 15 behind the Canadiens (35-18-10), who jumped to third in the Atlantic Division.

So why can’t Toronto put together a full game of “good hockey”?

“It’s tough to say, but it’s hard to win in this league if you don’t get it,” Berube said. “You don’t have to dominate a period, but you have to be in the game. You got to create and you got to defend.

“Throughout this stretch, there’s been a lot of good hockey, but then there’s that stretch of — if it’s a period or a 10-minute stretch in a period — where these teams score two, three goals on us.”

Berube then pointed out that the Leafs can’t score their way out of those lapses. Toronto captain Auston Matthews — a former 69-goal scorer — extended his goalless streak to 12 games on Tuesday.

“Right now, we can’t find the back of the net enough,” he said. “When this is going on, you got to keep the puck out of our net as much as possible, hopefully find our groove with the scoring, but we need more guys to dig in and contribute than there is right now.”

Over in the Canadiens dressing room, centre Jake Evans called the outing their “most complete game.”

“I felt the third period, we were in control for most of it,” he said. “We just didn’t get that third or maybe even fourth goal to take them out of it, and they fought hard to battle back.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2026.

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press

The Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs seem to have their roles reversed this season. It was the Leafs for whom great things were predicted. It was the Canadiens who were supposed to run out of luck after a fluke playoff appearance last season.

Toronto is putting the finishing touches on its worst season since they drafted Auston Matthews. The Canadiens are just getting started on what they think will be a decade-long stay near the top of the standings.

The games are always close, though, no matter what the standings. The Canadiens skated to a nervy 3-1 win.

Wilde Horses 

If ever there was a moment where these two storied franchises revealed that they’re going in the opposite direction, it was the first period. The Leafs didn’t seem to have their heart in it in the first half of the game. The Canadiens, meanwhile, were back home and hungry to be at their best.

There’s some budding chemistry happening on the first three lines that hasn’t been there all season. The Canadiens have had a lot of success this season, but it probably didn’t happen all year for a consistent spell that even two lines were on fire at the same time.

When the Nick Suzuki line was going well, the Oliver Kapanen line was quiet. When the Suzuki line went dormant, the Kapanen line had their best spell of the season. Nevermind the third line who never got it going at all this season.

In this one, it could be easily argued that all three of the scoring lines were dominant. The Expected Goals after the first period was a powerful statement: Suzuki’s line had a 99 per cent share, Kapanen’s line had a 93 share, and the bonus not seen all year, the Jake Evans line, had a 96 share.

The second line had Ivan Demidov absolutely flying like he hasn’t in a while. This was the first game in three weeks that Demidov looked like the exciting player that fans have come to love. He seems to have excellent chemistry with Alex Newhook. It was Kapanen that finished off a tremendous play for his 20th goal of the season.

The third line had Kirby Dach looking like why he was picked at the top of the draft. Dach was making excellent moves to win the zone, playing with big confidence. His work with Zachary Bolduc and Evans was impressive.

This is what a head coach dreams of. He wants to roll his lines and watch them see each other almost without looking. The defensive line did its part, too. Phillip Danault scored, and Brendan Gallagher showed his heart by landing two powerful blows in a fight with Jake McCabe. Gallagher gives up 25 pounds to McCabe, but the big rearguard was rocked.

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It stayed close throughout, and the Canadiens were forced to handle their nemesis this season. They have allowed 10 goals, with the opposition pulling the goalie for the extra attacker. For almost two minutes, they had to defend, and finally did it successfully.

The key moment was an absolutely tremendous effort from Mike Matheson to clear the puck over the blue line. He dove to get a stick on it, allowing Jake Evans to wrap it up. Credit to Jakub Dobes, who didn’t have a busy night in terms of shots facing 18 but made some excellent saves. Dobes was flashing an outstanding glove hand all night as the Leafs seemed to be focusing on it relentlessly.

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The only issue on the night was a lack of finish. This top-three goal scoring club in the league ran into a hot goalie in Joseph Woll. They kept firing, and he kept stopping it. The Leafs hung around in a game that they should have been down five, and they used his lifeline.

It was a game still in control at 2-0 until a horrible giveaway by Noah Dobson. He had control in the corner, and basically passed it directly on to the stick of a Leafs forward. He then got turned trying to do too much after his error. Suddenly, it was 2-1 and the Leafs were rejuvenated.

The night also featured an apparent issue for Cole Caufield, who missed two shifts after 40 minutes. In the third period, he sat at the end of the bench, and did not take his regular turn. He did have two shifts on the power play in the third period.

Caufield would not have sat with his mates if it were serious, but still, it’s disconcerting that he rested. Word is that it could be a bug going around the team.

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Call of the Wilde: Are The Montreal Canadiens Shopping on NHL Trade Deadline Day?

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The time is now for David Reinbacher. He’s finally levelling up in Laval, and the Canadiens should jump at the opportunity to give him a look at the NHL level.

Reinbacher’s improved play comes at a time that it is obvious that the club is short a qualified right side defender. The partnership of Kaiden Guhle and Mike Matheson, two left side players, had an eight per cent Corsi on Saturday night in Los Angeles. They are bottom five in Goals Expected as a pair in the entire league.

Head Coach Martin St. Louis took note of how poor they are as he has broken up the duo. Against Toronto, St. Louis was forced to use Lane Hutson on his wrong side again. Hutson is the only blue liner they ask to switch over who doesn’t completely collapse.

The head coach also has no confidence in Arber Xhekaj, whom he refuses to play on average more than eight minutes. There’s a hole in the roster that is significant and they have a defender in Laval who is earning a look.

In his last six games, Reinbacher has six points and is plus six. He’s suddenly been phenomenal. The organization doesn’t want to destroy his confidence, if he isn’t ready.  However, there comes a time when someone has their confidence destroyed by no one thinking they can handle more of a challenge.

Reinbacher was taken in the 2023 draft. He is the only player among the first 13 players taken who has not played a single game in the NHL. It’s time now. There’s a need. He’s showing he deserves a chance to fill it.

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

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&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

MONTREAL – Oliver Kapanen scored his 20th of the season as the Montreal Canadiens held on for a 3-1 win and handed the Toronto Maple Leafs their eighth consecutive loss on Tuesday night.

Phillip Danault also scored, while Jake Evans added an empty-net goal for Montreal (35-18-10). Jakub Dobes made 17 saves.

William Nylander replied for struggling Toronto (27-27-11), which is on track to miss the playoffs after nine consecutive trips to the post-season.

Joseph Woll stopped 30 shots in a solid outing.

The Maple Leafs entered the night 11 points outside the playoffs and 13 behind the Canadiens, who held the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Kapanen opened the scoring 4:46 into the first period, finishing a slick passing play with Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook with a deke from the goal line. Demidov held off two Maple Leafs in the corner before sending the puck to Newhook, who fed Kapanen down low.

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Danault then capitalized on a fortuitous bounce to put the Canadiens up 2-0 at 14:41 as Kaiden Guhle’s dump-in ricocheted off the glass and rolled in front of the Maple Leafs’ net, gifting the veteran centre his fifth of the season.

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Nylander buried his 22nd from a give-and-go with Easton Cowan, putting Toronto on the board at 14:33 in the second after Dobes’ flurry of saves kept it a two-goal game with the Leafs pressing.

TAKEAWAYS

Canadiens: Besides two shifts on the power play, Cole Caufield sat at the end of the Canadiens’ bench from late in the second period through the end of the game. Montreal’s leading goal scorer appeared to be in some discomfort, with trainers occasionally checking in, though it was unclear when he was injured.

Maple Leafs: The Canadiens dominated play early, toying with the Leafs in the offensive zone to lead the game 2-0 — and the shot count 15-8 — after 20 minutes. Toronto pushed back in the second period with Nylander cutting into the lead after Montreal missed several opportunities to pile on, but Montreal hung on in the third.

KEY MOMENT

Late in the first period, veteran Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher, after he interfered with Cowan, fought Leafs defenceman Jake McCabe as the building erupted.

KEY STAT

Toronto captain Auston Matthews — a former 69-goal scorer — extended his goalless streak to 12 games.

UP NEXT

Maple Leafs: Host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.

Canadiens: Visit the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2026.

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press

The Montreal Canadiens made stop two of a three-game road trip through California Friday. Stop one went poorly with a 7-5 loss in San Jose. The Canadiens wanted to play a lot tighter hockey against the Ducks in Anaheim, but they struggled terribly on defence, losing again in a 6-5 in a shootout.

Wilde Horses

The last time that the Canadiens had a 100-goal line was in 1993, when they won the Stanley Cup. Vincent Damphousse, Brian Bellows and Kirk Muller counted 110 goals. Thirty-three years have passed since then, and the passionate Canadiens fans still haven’t seen another 100-goal trio.

Last season, Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield played together for the entire year. They counted 85 goals. It felt like this was going to be the season it finally happened. However, head coach Martin St. Louis separated the trio this season, and for a long while that worked out.

Slafkovsky took charge and found that he could level up, carrying the puck a lot for his new line-mates, Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov. They lost their momentum after the Olympics and something had to be done.

The changes made sense as Alex Newhook was brought to the second line with four points in three games since returning from a broken ankle. It was hoped that Slafkovksy could find his game again and rejuvenate the thought that he is the perfect winger for the best two Montreal forwards.

Only three and a half minutes into Friday’s game, Slafkovsky had two assists already. He was the architect of the first, winning the puck on the forecheck. Slafkovsky set up Cole Caufield who fed Nick Suzuki, who fired it home.

The second assist was on the power play as Lane Hutson counted. The offence was rolling again. Suzuki also claimed two points in that first period. The rest of the night, the line just kept on rolling. Cole Caufield scored twice in the third period for 37 on the season to key a monster comeback.

Caufield equalled his career high in goals set last season. The top line was absolutely dominant. Suzuki had two points. Slafkovsky had two points. Caufield had three points. Right away, the mind races to the idea these three can be that 100-goal line if they play a season together next year.

In 24 games together this season, the line has 31 goals. Pro-rated, that is 106 goals for a season. There’s no search for a winger to play with Suzuki. They already have their guy.

The search is actually who can finish the rebuild on the second line. On a good day, it feels like Demidov and Kapanen are two-thirds in place. On a bad day, Kapanen seems overmatched and two players are required to complete that top-six.

The positive for the second line is that Demidov had a strong night. He had two breakaways that he didn’t convert, but he did get the chances. Kirby Dach had a strong game down the roster as well away from Suzuki and Caufield.

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Quietly, Hutson also had a three-point night. He counts points so regularly that it’s easy to miss his greatness. He has 63 points in 61 games this season. Hutson is fourth in the league among defenders in points.

The offence is in high gear. Ten goals in two games should be two wins.

Wilde Goats

Only eight teams have allowed more goals than the Canadiens this season, and it’s not getting any better. Montreal looks in disarray defensively. The Canadiens are third in the league in goals for, but defence wins titles, and this club doesn’t play it well.

They also can’t get enough saves from their two goalies. Both Jakub Dobes and Samuel Montembeault are in the bottom third of the league in save percentage and goals saved above expected. Dobes had his worst night of the season with a minus 3.55 GSAE against San Jose.

The head coach looked to Montembeault to turn that around, and he let in the first shot he faced. It was called offside eventually, but Montembeault didn’t know that when he let in a weak 40-foot wrister. Still in the first period, he let in a 55-foot slap shot by Radko Guda that was moving about 65 miles per hour.

In the second period, he let in another 50 footer. Admittedly, it was partly screened, but he wasn’t set for it, and he was in the wrong half of the net on a simple D-to-D passing sequence from the point. This is an extremely predictable moment in hockey and it seems odd that it would surprise a goalie so much that he was in the wrong half of the net.

Montembeault is strangely horrendous on the easiest shot for a goalie. He can’t stop 55-foot floaters. It is bizarre. The emergency back-up goalie in the stands in case of injury can stop the 55-foot floater. And it’s not the first time or the second time. It’s about the 15th time this season Montembeault has let in a ridiculously easy shot.

Another pattern that has played out all season long — and one that played out again on Friday in Anaheim — was the late goal against. The Canadiens allowed yet another goal with the extra attacker. Chris Kreider counted with 42 seconds left. Montembeault finished the night with an .848 save percentage.

It’s not entirely on him, though. The Canadiens are not hard enough on bodies to be successful as a defensive club. The opposition is allowed to establish themselves in dangerous zones repeatedly without seeing hard physical contact against them.

Montreal has an extremely talented team, but grinding it for a win is vital too, and the Canadiens have a lot to learn about establishing position, being physical and making the opposition pay before you’ll see growth in the goals against category.

When a club is third in goals and 24th in goals against, it doesn’t take Scotty Bowman to give you insight into what’s wrong. Seven goals allowed against the Sharks, and five goals allowed against the Ducks is all you need to know.

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The Canadiens fell minutes short of a major trade at the deadline on Friday. General manager Kent Hughes met the media an hour later than what was originally scheduled due to trying to complete a deal. Hughes is usually tight-lipped about specifics in trades, but he described the deal as significant.

Hughes said they simply ran out of time, but they would revisit the deal in the summer. Naturally, that is going to drive the passionate fan base to anxiety and leave everyone trying to make logical guesses who the player Hughes wants to acquire might be.

The first name that comes to mind when one uses the word ‘significant’ is Robert Thomas. The player must be available and the team must be in the mood to trade, and the St. Louis Blues fit the bill. There are naturally other trading teams with significant players who present opportunities. Names like Steve Stamkos, Filip Forsberg and Jordan Binnington come to mind as examples.

There simply cannot be a guarantee who Hughes was speaking of. There can only be a most logical guess, and Thomas fits the criteria. It will be a long summer for the personality type that doesn’t like mysteries.

Hughes also had some interesting thoughts on Patrik Laine, who was not moved at the deadline. Even though he has been ready to play for five weeks, he has not been given the nod by the head coach. Hughes said that Laine is available and has not been a distraction inside the locker room. He added that it is simply up to the head coach to put him in the starting lineup.

Overall, it feels like a missed opportunity to acquire a right-shot defenceman. One is needed because Martin St. Louis cannot get confident in Arber Xhekaj or Jayden Struble. This means that the Canadiens are basically a five-defender team when the going gets tough, and in the playoffs, it’s always tough.

Relying on Xhekaj for only seven minutes when games can go to overtime, and are a lot more physical, could leave the Canadiens shorthanded on the blue line in the playoffs. That’s an issue to worry about when the time comes.

For now, the rebuild continues with Montreal improving season to season from 55 points to 68, then 76 to 91, and now on pace for 104. Though it may seem like a down day due to the lack of excitement standing pat, a look at the big picture sees Hughes as a strong architect with a confidence in his long term vision.

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

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