After clinching a playoff berth on Wednesday night, the Laval Rocket returned to the ice at Place Bell as they began their march toward securing another division title. In front of them were the Springfield Thunderbirds on Murder Mystery Night at Place Bell.
While Pascal Vincent kept his forward lines the same, partially due to limited reserves with the continued absence of Laurent Dauphin, he did make one change on defence. While Josh Jacobs had been a reliable veteran presence on the Ro...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Jakub Dobeš may be eccentric, but he’s effective. [ TVA Sports ]
What the future could hold for Ivan Demidov and Matthew Schaefer. [ The Athletic ]
The biggest contributors to the Laval Rocket’s accomplishment of securing a playoff berth. [ La Presse ]
Alexander Zharovksy scored in the regular-season finale to tie Kirill Kaprizov for the second-highest point total by Junior-aged player in the KHL. [ Journal de Montreal ]
A rundown of...
After two straight first-round exits in the PWHL playoffs and a 1-6 overall playoff record, the Montreal Victoire entered last off-season with a goal to become more playoff ready and that meant shoring up their depth, which they did by signing a veteran group of players and adding them to an existing core.
It hasn’t always gone as planned for the Victoire. Out of the 20 games they have played this season, only five have had the luxury of having every player available for selection due to ...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Bryce Pickford is delivering a ‘pretty crazy’ season. [ Sportsnet ]
Brendan Gallagher’s journey to 900 NHL games. [ Journal de Montreal ]
The Canadiens just need average goaltending to have success. [ The Hockey Writers ]
Dillan Bentley signed a two-year, one-way AHL contract with the Laval Rocket after completing his season at UMass Lowell. [ Montreal Gazette ]
Around the league and elsewhere
Player safety was a hot topic a...
First period
Emmitt Finnie tries to chip the puck over Jakub Dobeš. He does so, but it bounces off the crossbar and goes behind the net.
Cole Caufield fires one of his patented surprise shots from the goal line and John Gibson spins as he catches it but keeps himself out of the net.
Juraj Slafkovský gets Montreal’s first great scoring chance off the ensuing faceoff thanks to a lobbed saucer pass across the top of the crease from Nick Suzuki.
Brendan Gallagher tips a point...
Game 68: Montreal Canadiens @ Detroit Red Wings
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French) In the Red Wings region: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
Just a few days ago, all the talk in Montreal was about how they would work all their healthy forwards into the lineup, and made the decision to leave Brendan Gallagher in the press box for a game. Now, they’re dealing with an injury to Kirby Dach and tonigh...
Game 68: Montreal Canadiens @ Detroit Red Wings
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French) In the Red Wings region: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
On February 27, 2024, the Detroit Red Wings won their sixth consecutive game by beating the Washington Capitals, turning what was a seven-point gap in the wild-card race to a nine-point edge. They then won only three of the final 15 games in the 2023-24 season. T...
The path to the post-season lay right in front of the Laval Rocket, needing just two points in any form on Wednesday night to clinch another Calder Cup playoff berth. Standing in their way, also needing just a single point to punch their own post-season ticket, were the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Laval continued to feel the impact of injuries as both Tobie Bisson and Josiah Didier would miss the next few weeks with injuries, and Xavier Simoneau had also been ruled out for the rest of...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Nick Suzuki became the first Canadiens captain with multiple 80-point seasons in the win over the Boston Bruins. [ Journal de Montreal ]
Not to be outdone, Cole Caufield became first Hab in 32 years to reach the 40-goal mark. [ Montreal Gazette ]
“You go on the road, and it just doesn’t feel the same,” a feeling that reflects how the Bell Centre energizes Caufield. [ Montreal Gazette ]
Trying for 50 goals could be a bit of a challenge for...
After dropping two consecutive contests on home ice this past weekend, the Montreal Canadiens found themselves in a pivotal game on Tuesday night. The Boston Bruins were in town, and arrived sitting just one point behind the Habs in the Atlantic Division standings. Despite controlling five-on-five play quite well through three periods, they lacked any semblance of puck luck, and found themselves tied through 60 minutes, heading into a tense overtime period with serious implications in the stan...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Why the Canadiens’ playoff hopes hinge on risk-reward management. [ Montreal Gazette ]
Juraj Slafkovský admits that he had to adjust his game coming back from the Olympics. [ The Athletic ]
Vincent Damphousse, the last Habs player to score 40 goals, is surprised that it has taken so long for someone else to reach that milestone. [ Montreal Gazette ]
Brendan Gallagher received a standing ovation as he marked his 900th NHL game. [ Sportsnet...
First period
Alexandre Carrier’s difficult stretch continues as he heads to the box to serve a double-minor for an errant high stick while falling 25 seconds into the game.
Josh Anderson gets a short-handed breakaway, but Montreal just doesn’t score on those.
Mike Matheson blocks an attempted pass to the backdoor, but the puck sits for Pavel Zacha, and the Bruins score in the opening two minutes of their power play.
Jakub Dobeš makes a big save on a rebound to keep the Br...
Game 67: Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French) In the Bruins region: NESN Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
The Montreal Canadiens are set to play the most important game of the season since Wednesday’s match versus the Ottawa Senators. The Boston Bruins are in Montreal looking to steal away the third spot in the Atlantic Division. It will be a challenge for them given that they’ve only won 12 ...
After leaving the game early against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, the Montreal Canadiens announced that forward Kirby Dach will be out 2-4 weeks with an upper-body injury.
L'attaquant Kirby Dach sera à l'écart du jeu pour une période de 2 à 4 semaines en raison d'une blessure au haut du corps. Forward Kirby Dach will be out for 2 to 4 weeks due to an upper-body injury. pic.twitter.com/zBMEU10Xhp — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 17, 2026
acThe good news for Dach ...
Game 67: Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French) In the Bruins region: NESN Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
The Montreal Canadiens may have played their worst defensive game of the season on Sunday. Not because they allowed the most goals (though they can maybe thank Jacob Fowler and his hot glove hand for that), but because they continually made poor decisions when their puck was in their end. A co...
Montreal Canadiens News and Notes
Cole Caufield is one goal away from becoming Montreal’s first 40-goal scorer in 32 years. [ TVA Sports ]
The Habs celebrate three historic events. [ NHL ]
Brendan Gallagher handled his first healthy scratch since his rookie season like the team player and professional he is. [ Montreal Gazette | Radio-Canada ]
The Habs are having some concerning issues. [ La Presse | TVA Sports | The Athletic ]
Life in the AHL is often not easy, but ...
After a stellar back-to-back in the middle of last week, the Montreal Canadiens went into a weekend set at the Bell Centre with some optimism. It went about as poorly as it possibly could, with losses in regulation to the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks on consecutive nights. While this setback has yet to hurt them too badly in the standings, they will be looking for answers as they’re about to meet two of their divisional rivals this week.
When they do, they had better do a much better...
After a (more than) brief hiatus, we’re back with the Stars of the Week! The Habs went 2-2-0 during the second week of March, and sit third in the Atlantic division with a record of 36-20-10.
The second week of March was overall a success for the Montreal Canadiens, even if the week’s beauty was marred by a few blemishes and the Habs only picked up four out of eight possible points. Strong wins against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators gave the Canadiens momentum going into the ...
Even despite losing Marie-Philip Poulin to a lower-body injury in the first period, the Montreal Victoire held a 3-0 lead into the third period. The Boston Fleet scored three times in the third period, including the tying goal with 14.8 seconds left before taking the game in overtime where Ella Huber ended the game 1:33 into the extra period.
The afternoon started off right, Marie-Philip Poulin got things going with a deflection off a shot from Nicole Gosling while on the power play. Thin...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
“We need to be better,” Cole Caufield stated after a disappointing weekend of results. [ Journal de Montreal ]
Martin St-Louis says they could also stand to be more conservative in some situations: “There are times when we could be more afraid of losing. Especially with the score tied 3-3 at the end of the game.” [ Journal de Montreal ]
The hit that knocked Kirby Dach out of last night’s game. [ Journal de Montreal ]
A commemorative plaqu...
First period
The passes are just as sloppy as they were last night, which isn’t a good sign early in this one.
Kirby Dach takes a hit he’s not expecting from Jeffrey Viel and takes a few seconds to get back up. Perhaps just winded.
Apparently not as he’s gone to the dressing room. The concussion spotter may have called him in.
Arber Xkehaj goes after Viel, who declines his invitation, and then also turns down Josh Anderson.
The good news is you can’t say the Canadien...
Game 66: Montreal Canadiens vs. Anaheim Ducks
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French) In the Ducks region: KCOP-13, Victory+ Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
This could have been a game in which the Montreal Canadiens were seeking some bonus points after four consecutive wins, but their play wasn’t up to the standard last night that they’d shown through the last couple of games, and they lost for a second time this season to the Sa...
Game 66: Montreal Canadiens vs. Anaheim Ducks
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French) In the Ducks region: KCOP-13, Victory+ Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
The Montreal Canadiens may have played a better defensive game than they had in San Jose 11 days earlier, but the result was still the same on home ice last night: a regulation loss. The Habs were unfortunate to have an early goal disallowed by a quick whistle and then surrend...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Martin St-Louis says the decision to scratch Brendan Gallagher wasn’t an easy one from a personal perspective, but as a coach he says it’s a luxury for a team to have such a decision to make with the lineup choices. [ Journal de Montreal ]
Nick Suzuki is the heavy favourite to win the Selke Trophy. [ The Athletic ]
The Laval Rocket claimed a shootout win over the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday afternoon. [ La Presse ]
Michael Hage scored a g...
I guess we’re cheering for the Toronto Maple Leafs to beat the Buffalo Sabres tonight. The gap could be two points to first place at the end of the night if that happens.
First period
Mike Matheson tries to start the game with a hit in the neutral zone, and it looked like he caught Igor Chernyshov in the face with his hands. I think Chernyshov was knocked out immediately, as he well to the ice without using his arms to brace himself. He hits his hard on the ice, and appears to ha...