Probably the most spectacular factor about this Canadiens group — the youngest within the NHL — is how they by no means quit.
That was on show once more Wednesday night time in Utah when the Canadiens blew a 2-0 lead on first-period targets by Nick Suzuki and Zachary Bolduc by giving up three unanswered targets within the second interval. However they battled again within the third interval,
getting targets by Suzuki and Ivan Demidov to win 4-3.
It marked the third time this season the Canadiens went into the third interval trailing and got here away with a win. They improved their file to 12-7-3 as they handed the quarter-mark of the season. The Canadiens are eight factors forward of their tempo from final season, once they had an 8-11-3 file after 22 video games and went on to make the playoffs for the primary time in 4 years.
The Canadiens’ file can be higher this season if that they had higher goaltending —
particularly from Samuel Montembeault
, who’s 4-5-1 with a 3.71 goals-against common and an .852 save proportion.
Former Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien used to say you want no less than three targets to win a recreation within the NHL. The Canadiens have scored three or extra targets in 17 of their 22 video games. They’ve misplaced six instances when scoring three or extra.
After Wednesday’s win, the Canadiens ranked third within the NHL in offence, scoring a mean of three.45 targets per recreation. They not want nice goaltending to win — like within the days of Carey Worth — they only want good goaltending and Jakub Dobes has offered that the final two video games. Dobes stopped 55 of the 60 pictures he confronted — each wins — for a .917 save proportion. The 24-year-old improved to 8-2-2 with a 2.89 GAA and an .897 save proportion and must be the No. 1 goalie shifting ahead.
After 22 video games final season, the Canadiens had scored 62 targets. This season they’ve 76 targets.
Offence isn’t an issue, however second-period breakdowns are. The Canadiens have a minus-11 aim differential within the second interval.
“I felt like these targets, we simply didn’t play good. I didn’t make the additional save for a few minutes,” Dobes advised reporters in Utah when requested in regards to the second interval Wednesday night time. “It doesn’t outline the sport. Our coach mentioned: ‘You guys performed rather well for a few minutes, so let’s simply return to our customary and let’s win this recreation,’ and that’s just about what we did. So it was fairly easy.”
Bonne nuit ou bon matin, selon quand vous voyez ceciGood night time or good morning, relying whenever you see this#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/yI9I26M8Bz
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 27, 2025
St. Louis says the hardest factor for a younger participant within the NHL is to be constant, and he has loads of younger gamers.
Earlier than leaving on this three-game street journey — which incorporates video games towards the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday
(4 p.m., TSN2, RDS)
and the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday
(3 p.m., TSN2, RDS)
— St. Louis was requested what’s the largest lesson he discovered about his group throughout the first quarter of the season.
“We simply bought to earn it every single day,” he mentioned. “It’s a tough league, don’t take something with no consideration. We all know what works. … Simply get after it every single day.”
With such a younger group, it helps to have a veteran chief like Mike Matheson to assist put issues in perspective when issues aren’t going properly. Earlier than the Canadiens hit the ice on the Bell Centre final
Saturday night time towards the Toronto Maple Leafs
— trying to finish a five-game dropping streak — Matheson made a bit speech to his teammates.
“I simply mentioned, ‘get pleasure from it, have enjoyable and understand how fortunate we’re to do that,’ ” Matheson mentioned after the Canadiens beat the Leafs 5-2. “I feel generally we get caught feeling the strain and feeling the heaviness of the strain, and generally it helps whenever you simply put it in perspective and understand how fortunate we’re to do that.”
St. Louis understands he has a really younger group, however believes in “the model that we’re constructing,” and so do his gamers. He additionally understands there are going to be ups and downs with so many younger gamers.
Ici, pas le choix de ressortir çaHad to drop this in Utah#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/RYYxKFI2Hh
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 27, 2025
“My fundamental job is to persuade individuals … ready of management, you bought to persuade individuals to do issues a sure approach and also you do this in so many alternative methods,” he mentioned. “It might be in conversations, conferences. It might be with video. It might be chalkboard. It might be something. However that’s what we’re making an attempt to do. You’re making an attempt to persuade the person about their very own habits and stuff, but additionally persuade a gaggle of individuals, a group, to play a sure approach, our collective recreation.
“However from time to time you simply fall brief a bit bit within the recipe,” he added. “Generally you fall wanting the recipe, however you get a few good bounces and you may get a win. But when our recipe is to our requirements, I feel we’re in each recreation. And when that slips, it’s a tough league.”
Having a group that doesn’t quit definitely helps.
scowan@postmedia.com
x.com/StuCowan1
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