First period
The Blue Jackets need these points more, and they’re playing like it early. The Canadiens are getting caught off guard, and now trail 1-0 on a goal by Boone Jenner.
After he gave the puck away to set up the offensive-zone time of Columbus, Mike Matheson then gets his hand on Kirill Marchenko’s hip to take a holding penalty.
The power play is killed, but shots are 9-0 Columbus after four minutes of play.
Montreal’s best shift is put together by the second line...
Game 80: Montreal Canadiens vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In Canada: CityTV, Sportsnet East (English), TVA Sports (French) In the Blue Jackets region: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio Streaming: ESPN+, Sportsnet+
The Ottawa Senators closed off the Columbus Blue Jackets’ path to a wild-card spot with a win this afternoon. That leaves just the third seed in the Metropolitan Division as an option for them to make the post-season. To get there, they wil...
While TJ Hughes has signed his first pro contract, another top prospect from the Michigan Wolverines, Michael Hage, has made the surprising decision to return to the NCAA for his junior season rather than signing his entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens. Hearing that Michael Hage, the talented Canadiens’ prospect, will return to Michigan for his junior season. Wolverines lost in Frozen Four this week, Hage will have another chance in 2026-27. — Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) Apri...
Game 80: Montreal Canadiens vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In Canada: CityTV, Sportsnet East (English), TVA Sports (French) In the Blue Jackets region: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio Streaming: ESPN+, Sportsnet+
The Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets were separated by one point when they met on March 26. The Habs were third in the Atlantic Division with 88 points, and the Blue Jackets had just overtaken the Pittsburgh Penguins a couple of...
The Montreal Canadiens played the absolute biggest remaining game on their schedule Thursday night, hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning with a chance to pass them for second place in the Atlantic Division. It had every bit of intensity you would expect from a playoff game, and with good reason, as the odds that these teams will meet in the first round seem to strengthen by the game. The Habs controlled the play well through three periods, and though it was a very tight margin of victory, they foun...
It’s an easy narrative. The Montreal Canadiens, the youngest team in NHL history to make the playoffs (for the second year in a row, beating their own record), are filled with smaller skilled players and might not be ready for playoff success.
The playoffs are where time and space gets taken away. It’s less about skill and more about making your opponent miserable.
Last year, you could argue that the series against the Washington Capitals turned on the Tom Wilson hit on Alexandre Car...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Cole Caufield is the seventh player in franchise history to reach 50 goals in a season. [ NHL.com | TSN | Sportsnet | CBC | La Presse ]
A look back at prior 50-goal campaigns for the CH. [ La Presse | RDS ]
Cole Caufield in five moments. [ La Presse ]
Captain Nick Suzuki is the team’s nominee for the 2025-26 King Clancy Memorial Trophy. [ Montreal Canadiens ]
Martin St-Louis has a fan in Hall of Famer Larry Robinson. [ Montreal Gazet...
Despite a parade to the penalty box for the first forty minutes of the night, the Tampa Bay Lightning tied the game late against the Montreal Canadiens. An unfortunate turnover 47 seconds after the game-tying goal turned into the difference as Jaroslav Slafkovsky scored with 1:04 left on the clock to give the home team the 2-1 victory.
Declan Carlile and Anthony Cirelli returned to the line-up as the Lightning had to kill off seven short-handed chances while racking up 71 penalty minutes....
Game 79: Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French) In the Lightning region: The Spot Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
Just before the Olympics we looked at the remaining schedules for the Atlantic Division teams and highlighted just how compressed the final third of the season was going to be for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tonight will be their 14th contest in the past 24 days, and they’ll fin...
Game Seventy-Nine: Tampa Bay Lightning (48-24-6) at Montreal Canadiens (46-22-10)
Time: 7:00 PM EST
Location: Centre Bell, The City of a Hundred Steeples
TV/Stream/Radio: The Spot, ESPN+, TSN2, RDS, 102.5 FM, Lightning App
Odds: Lightning -115
Know the Opponents: Eyes on the Prize
The road trip rolls on as the Tampa Bay Lightning look to snap a two-game losing streak. It should be another high-energy building as the Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens still have ...
Game 79: Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French) In the Lightning region: The Spot Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
The Montreal Canadiens haven’t been putting up convincing results recently, with their last two wins coming via shootout versus some teams not in the playoff chase. Being unable to get engaged for teams not in the post-season battle has been an issue for the club in an otherwise s...
The Florida Panthers (37-37-4) will try to end a three-game losing streak and complete the season-series sweep when they pay a final visit to the Ottawa Senators (41-27-10) tonight at Canadian Tire Centre in suburban Kanata.
Depleted Florida gave a spirited effort in Montreal on Tuesday, but couldn’t close, dropping a 4-3 decision to the Canadiens in a hard-fought game that went to a shootout. Carter Verhaeghe, Cole Reinhardt and Eetu Luostarinen scored even-strength goals for the Panther...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Can the Canadiens disarray in the last two games be attiributed to helping Cole Caufield on his quest for 50 goals? [ Journal de Montreal ]
Martin St. Louis acknowledges how difficult it is for Brendan Gallagher to be left out of the lineup for a second time. [ Journal de Montreal ]
St. Louis has a decision to make if Michael Hage is signed to an entry-level contract before the end of the regular season. [ Sportsnet ]
If Montreal can take...
After a disappointing shutout loss on Sunday, the Montreal Canadiens were back at it on Tuesday night, hosting the already playoff-eliminated Florida Panthers. It would seem like a perfect opportunity to get back on track with a convincing win, but the Habs struggled yet again, and found themselves staring down a one-goal deficit in the dying minutes. As they have many times before, they pulled a rabbit out of their hat, forcing overtime, and ultimately a shootout to take the two points, tying...
The Florida Panthers took the lead three separate times, but couldn’t hold off the Montreal Canadiens, eventually losing 4-3 to the Habs in a shootout at Bell Centre.
Donovan Sebrango created the game-opening goal, going to coast-to-coast and firing a low shot on Jakub Dobes. The Montreal goaler made a fine kick save, only to see Carter Verhaeghe bury the rebound from the left circle at the 9:23 mark.
Ivan Demidov blistered Cole Caufield’s cross by Daniil Tarasov 54 seconds into the ...
Lots of changes to the lineup after Sunday’s loss. Joe Veleno is ill and Brendan Gallagher is a scratch to make the math work on the returns of both Kirby Dach and Alexandre Texier. Adam Engström is also in as Kaiden Guhle needs a therapy day.
First period
A difficult opening shift for Engström, who sees A.J. Greer skate around him and he has to haul down the Panthers forward.
Newhook did a nice job on the first PK unit to get a clear, but it was a shooting gallery on Jakub ...
Game 78: Montreal Canadiens vs. Florida Panthers
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French) In the Panthers region: SCRIPPS Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
There are five games left for the Montreal Canadiens to play in the regular season, and the next three will be contested at the Bell Centre. Before ending the campaign versus Metropolitan Division opponents, the Habs will face two final division rivals before the playoffs begin. B...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
While teams pluck coaches loaded with experience off the carousel, the longest tenures in the NHL belong to first-time head coaches, with Martin St-Louis included in that group. [ La Presse ]
Mats Naslund thinks it’s good that a Canadiens player is on the verge of having a 100-point season, even if he wants to stay the last player to achieve one. [ NHL.com ]
When Ivan Demidov scored a power-play goal on Saturday night, he was the fifth player ...
First period
The crowd chants “Cau-field!” as Cole steps on the ice for his first shift. When this crowd last saw him, he had 44 goals.
The Devils are checking the Canadiens’ sticks very tightly to start this game, not allowing anyone space to shoot the puck. It’s needed strategy with Jacob Markstrom in net. Montreal will need to work a little harder to test the netminder tonight.
Kaiden Guhle gets his stick in Jack Hughes’s feet as the forward loses the puck on his zone entry...
Game 77: Montreal Canadiens vs. New Jersey Devils
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French) In the Devils region: MSGSN Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
The Montreal Canadiens sent Jacob Fowler back to Montreal before yesterday’s game in New Jersey so he could sleep in his own bed before playing the Devils in today’s rematch. Fowler’s contributions to the current eight-game winning streak have been three wins including the one versus...
By virtue of the Detroit Red Wings’ loss to the Minnesota Wild this afternoon, the Montreal Canadiens have clinched a playoff spot, set to head to the post-season for the second consecutive season.
With the loss, the Red Wings can now achieve a maximum of 98 points, two fewer than the 100 the Canadiens improved to last night in New Jersey. They were the only team currently outside the playoff picture that had a mathematical possibility to pass Montreal, because the Philadelphia Flyers, wh...
The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (39-34-3) at the Montreal Canadiens (45-21-10) The Time: 7:00 PM EDT The Broadcast: TV — MSGSN; Radio — Devils Hockey Network No Margin for Error I have not believed the Devils could contend for a playoff spot since they lost to Carolina last month, but the out of town […]
Game 77: Montreal Canadiens vs. New Jersey Devils
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French) In the Devils region: MSGSN Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
It wasn’t the way the Montreal Canadiens wanted to do it after getting out to a 3-0 lead last night in New Jersey, but they recovered from allowing three consecutive goals to win the game in a shootout, running their record to a perfect 5-0-0 on the road trip. It was just Montreal’s ...
First Period The New Jersey Devils and Montreal Canadiens traded chances over the first five or so minutes, but both Jake Allen and Jakub Dobes made some good stops. Cole Caufield almost had the Devils beat twice, but he lost the puck after Kovacevic took a swipe at him on the first shift of the […]
First period
Cole Caufield accepts a bank-pass and tries to go across the top of Jake Allen’s crease, but former teammate Johnny Kovacevic makes the stick-check just before he can fire the puck.
Ivan Demidov gets past a couple of players at the defensive blue line to go in on a two-on-one, but can’t see a lane to Alex Newhook to get a pass through. His initial shot gets stopped, but he collects the rebound, curls back to the slot, and gets another shot that deflects out of play.
...