NHL Player of the Month: Juraj Slafkovský
You could see that Juraj Slafkovský was beginning to take command of the game as November was coming to a close, leading a line with Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen. The aim of that lineup decision was to give the rookies a boost and help them win more puck battles as the Habs dealt with a handful of injuries in the forward corps. The result was helping Demidov claim NHL rookie of the month honours with 14 points in 15 games, and a point-per-game ...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Ivan Demidov is NHL Rookie of the Month for December. [ La Presse | NHL.com ]
Alexander Zharovsky is KHL Rookie of the Month for December. [ RDS ]
Michael Hage is asserting himself as a catalyst at the World Juniors. [ RDS ]
How a serious injury in 2022 sparked Hage’s meteoric rise. [ Journal de Montreal ]
Zachary Bolduc thinks that his new line with Phillip Danault and Josh Anderson has “potential.” [ Journal de Montreal ]
Samu...
First period
There’s a loud “Go Habs Go!” chant to begin the game, so apparently a few more Canadians travelled to Florida than have to Minnesota for the World Juniors.
Samuel Montembeault makes a couple of saves early. It looks like he’s following the puck so far and making a point to watch it right into his body to control the rebound. Back to basics it seems, which is a good way to start.
Zachary Bolduc goes in hard on the forecheck and draws a high-sticking call. He’s had ...
Game 39: Montreal Canadiens @ Florida Panthers
Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French) In the Panthers region: SCRIPPS Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
Samuel Montreal rejoined the Montreal Canadiens after Christmas, and tonight will make his return to NHL action to take on his former team, the Florida Panthers. He bested the eventual Stanley Cup-winners three times last season in a two-week span near the end of the campaign to help the...
Game 39: Montreal Canadiens @ Florida Panthers
Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French) In the Panthers region: SCRIPPS Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
A year ago, the Montreal Canadiens closed out 2024 with a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. The victory brought them to a 17-17-3 record, and reaching that .500 point percentage benchmark was a sign of the progress that the team had made. Still, sitting sixth in the division, a full...
Montreal Canadiens News and Notes
Juraj Slafkovský looks to be growing into a force to be reckoned with. [ Montreal Gazette ]
Slafkovský named third star of the week for strong play. [ Canadiens | Sportsnet | NHL | TSN ]
More arguments in favour of sending Nick Suzuki to the Olympics. [ La Presse | TVA ]
David Reinbacher is set to be the highest scoring Austrian defenceman in over 10 years. [ Yahoo Sports ]
Could Alexandre Texier be a good fit for the first line? [ T...
Canada had its wake-up in the second game of the tournament when Latvia scored a goal late in regulation to force overtime. Canada came away with the win, but that match probably made Denmark’s dream of pulling off an upset less likely with the Canadian team already being taught the lesson that you can’t take any team lightly.
At the 3:08 mark of the first period, Denmark took its first penalty, something the team knew it couldn’t do if it wanted to maintain its slim hopes of winning. It ...
Canada vs. Denmark
How to watch
Puck drop: 8:30 PM EST / 5:30 PM PST In Canada: TSN (English,) RDS (French) In the United States: NHL Network Live stream: TSN+, RDS Direct
Canada was given a scare by Latvia last game in what was a clash between the Latvians’ team structure and the Canadians’ individual skill. Canada came out on top, but needed overtime to do so, which was just a two-point result rather than the three a club receives for a regulation win.
Canada is still in ...
After a much-needed holiday break, the Montreal Canadiens resumed their road trip on Sunday night in Florida against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Bad bounces and broken sticks saw them down 3-0 going into the third period, and it felt like they were going to lose despite a pretty good overall showing through 40 minutes. Instead, they orchestrated a thrilling comeback, forcing overtime and taking one point before succumbing in the shootout.
As disappointing as the final result was, their resil...
Less than 24 hours after a hard-fought, come-from-behind shootout win, the Laval Rocket and Syracuse Crunch locked horns again with first place in the division on the line. The Rocket sat one point ahead of the Crunch, but anything less than a win on home ice would leave them in second place.
The Rocket mostly stuck with a winning lineup heading in to the rematch with Syracuse, their only change coming on defence. Ryan O’Rourke was swapped out for Josh Jacobs on the third pair, giving the...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
“I feel like I’m headed in the right direction. I still have to keep working, though,” Juraj Slafkovský said after his excellent third-period performance last night. [ Sportsnet | TVA Sports ]
Blake Coleman could be a short-term addition to the roster to help carry the Habs to their contending years. [ The Athletic ]
From drafting to seeing players make the NHL team competitive, the Canadiens’ rebuild has been nothing but a success. [ Montreal...
First period
A nice start from Phillip Danualt’s line with Josh Anderson and Alexandre Texier sees the Canadiens play the first shift of the game in the offensive zone.
Ivan Demidov creates a zone entry and Juraj Slafkovský gets a shot from the slot. Looks like there isn’t a great deal of rust to shake off for Montreal.
That line turns some play in the defensive zone into another shot on Johan Johansson. They have looked great recently.
Anderson goes six feet offside unne...
Game 38: Montreal Canadiens @ Tampa Bay Lightning
Start time: **5:00 PM EST / 2:00 PM PST** In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French) In the Lightning region: The Spot Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
It’s a makeshift defence that the Tampa Bay Lightning have put together with injuries to several regulars, but that hasn’t stopped them from winning games. They enter this afternoon’s game versus the Montreal Canadiens on a three-game winning streak, most recently winning a...
Elaine Chuli made 29 saves as the Toronto Sceptres defeated the Montreal Victoire 2-1 on Saturday afternoon in front of 18,107 fans at the Bell Centre.
Chuli, who spent two seasons as Montreal’s backup got her first start against her former team and in the Bell Centre to boot. Raygan Kirk started the first two Montreal-Toronto games of the season.
“It’s a pretty special building,” said Chuli. “I tried to just approach it like any other game in any other building but, yeah, really hap...
Game 38: Montreal Canadiens @ Tampa Bay Lightning
Start time: **5:00 PM EST / 2:00 PM PST** In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French) In the Lightning region: The Spot Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
The Montreal Canadiens have put together a solid December so far, going 7-4-2 for the 12th-highest points percentage in the NHL, despite injuries that just keep piling up. The latest of those is a four- to six-week absence for Jake Evans, out with an injury sustained in a knee-o...
It had been a tough end of December for the Laval Rocket, as the suspensions suffered in a brawl against the Toronto Marlies had led to a three-game losing skid that had taken away their division lead. In front of Laval on Saturday, however, was a key opportunity to take it back from the Syracuse Crunch.
The Rocket had gotten Jared Davidson back from the NHL after his first NHL call-up, and his return placed him on the second line with Florian Xhekaj, and Joshua Roy who had returned after...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
The Canadiens have a few reasons to be optimistic about their upcoming game against the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight. [ Journal de Montreal ]
Jake Evans will be out for 4–6 weeks with a lower-body injury. [ EOTP ]
The Montreal Victoire slid down the standings after losing to the Toronto Sceptres on Saturday. [ Montreal Gazette ]
Nashville Predator forward could be a missing piece for the Canadiens or the Toronto Maple Leafs. [ The Hockey W...
A year after Latvia beat Canada in the preliminary round of the 2025 World Juniors, the teams met up once again at the 2026 event.
Latvia took confidence from that result into today’s game, and burst out of the gate with much more energy than the Canadians, getting the first few shots on net. They used that momentum to draw the game’s first power play as well when Jett Luchanko went off for holding. Latvia didn’t score on the power play, but with five minutes played, they held a 5-1 shot ...
Canada vs. Latvia
How to watch
Puck drop: 4:30 PM EST In Canada: TSN (English,) RDS (French) In the United States: NHL Network Live stream: TSN+, RDS Direct
Latvia pulled off the upset of the tournament last year when they beat Canada in the preliminary round. A year to the day since one of their biggest wins in Top Division play, the Latvians aim to replicate that feat.
Team Canada projected lineup
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With the Montreal Canadiens about to get back to action on Sunday night, we have some news related to a couple of regular roster players. The first is somewhat concerning, as Jake Evans will be away from the team for 4-6 weeks with a lower-body injury.
Les Canadiens ont annoncé que l'attaquant Jake Evans sera absent pour une période de 4 à 6 semaines en raison d'une blessure au bas du corps. The Canadiens have announced that forward Jake Evans will miss 4 to 6 weeks with a lower-body inju...
Game 7: Montreal (3-1-0-2, 11 pts, 2nd) vs. Toronto (3-0-2-2, 11 pts, 2nd) Bell Centre
Start time: 2:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM PT In Canada: CBC (English), Radio-Canada (French) Streaming: YouTube (USA/International), CBC Gem (Canada)
After their first meetings with the Vancouver and Seattle expansion teams out West, the Montreal Victoire enjoyed a short Christmas break before returning to action on Saturday afternoon in their third-annual Bell Centre game.
The team is 1-1 in the two ...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Michael Hage had a goal and two assists in Canada’s 7-5 win over Czechia at the World Juniors. [ TSN ]
Test your knowledge of Canadiens players who have played in the World Juniors. [ La Presse ]
Chris Johnston has Jonathan Marchessault joining the Habs ahead of the trade deadline. [ The Athletic ]
Despite a slew of injuries, the opening portion of the season went as the Habs had hoped. [ Montreal Gazette ]
The genealogy of the Canad...
To end a four-game slate on the opening day of the 2026 World Juniors, Canada and Czechia hit the ice. Canada went into the tournament eager to make up for early exits in each of the last two tournaments, on both occasions coming out on the losing end versus the Czechs in the quarter-finals.
The pace was high to start the match, an indication of how important both nations felt the game was. The first advantage was earned by Canada on a hooking call to Vaclav Nestrasil.
The Canadians ...
Canada vs. Czechia
How to watch
Puck drop: 7:30 PM EST In Canada: TSN (English,) RDS (French) In the United States: NHL Network Live stream: TSN+, RDS Direct
Czechia has proven to be the nemesis of Team Canada at the past two tournaments, ending Canada’s two-year reign at the quarter-final stage of the event in 2024, then getting the same result to begin the playoff round a year ago. While Canada has therefore been shut out of the medals the last couple of years, the Czechs have...
After claiming the gold medal the last two tournaments, the United States will now host the World Juniors in Minnesota’s twin cities, aiming for a threepeat. They have a good roster to make that happen, but there are several teams that go into the event feeling good about their chances.
Preliminary round
The first phase of the tournament involves two groups (A and B) of five teams playing a round robin to decide positioning for the playoff portion. The top four nations from each grou...