Other Montreal Canadiens technically had a larger impact on the scoresheet against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night at the Bell Centre. However, defenseman Alexandre Carrier arguably had the biggest impact on the outcome of the game, in scoring two critical goals, including his 100th career point, as the Habs came away with a 6-3 win.
Carrier Provides Turning Point vs. Canucks
Multiple Canadiens (Ivan Demidov, Juraj Slafkovsky) had three-point nights, but Carrier to his credit was the lone Hab to score two goals, for the first time in his career no less. It was another significant milestone, with his 100th career point coming on his first of the evening, as the Habs trailed 2-1 early in the second period against the last-place team in the NHL.
On the goal, Nick Suzuki found Carrier in the slot. The defenseman then wired it past rookie-goalie Nikita Tolopilo, who, at that point, looked to be on the verge of stealing one and frustrating an entire team (and city) in the process. Just 20 seconds later, Carrier, who had a single goal on the season coming in, doubled his output in the one game and gave the Canadiens their first lead, when he tipped home a cross-crease pass from Slafkovsky.
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While the Canucks tied it up five minutes later, the damage must have already been done from their perspective, now losers of seven straight, including all six of their games in 2026. The Canadiens, as one of the top-scoring teams in the league, had regained their confidence.
Carrier vs. Barron Revisited
Outshooting the Canucks by nearly a 2:1 margin (41-23 overall), as they peppered Tolopilo, the Canadiens looked to be on the verge of breaking out to a larger extent. They fulfilled that prophecy early the third, when they notched three goals in a span of 5:36 to bring an end to the scoring.
Carrier didn’t figure into any of those goals, but he did earn first-star honours for his efforts, an admitted rarity for a defenseman who’s arguably at his best when no one notices him on the ice, as someone who stabilized the team’s defense upon his acquisition just over a year ago. Since the trade for Justin Barron with the Nashville Predators, Carrier has played 97 games in a Habs uniform, notching five goals and 32 points. This season, he has 14 points in 46 games, lining up with a variety of partners as primarily a depth defenseman overshadowed by the top three comprising Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson and Mike Matheson.
Nevertheless, Carrier’s initial acquisition largely coincided with the team’s ascent from out of the Eastern Conference basement last season to an eventual playoff spot. Without him, it’s easy to argue the Habs wouldn’t have made it. It’s clearer still they wouldn’t have won this specific game, anyway.
