The Montreal Canadiens got “goalied,” plain and simple. In a game in which they looked faster, got the lion’s share of better chances and appeared poised to break out at any given point, they just fell short of so doing.
Granted, there’s some shame in falling to a team currently out of the playoff picture. Especially when you’re on the road, these things tend to happen every once in a while, though.
Two Demoralizing Losses Bookend Strong First Half for Canadiens
Case in point, the above doesn’t just describe the Canadiens’ demoralizing 2-0 shutout loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, which, as Game 41 on the 2025-26 season, brought an end to a relatively strong first half. It also describes their season-opening defeat to the rival Toronto Maple Leafs, which was much closer than the 5-2 final score would indicate by virtue of how the hosts were able to pad their stats with two empty-net goals.
Related: Canadiens Reach 2025-26 Quarter Mark on Injury-Fuelled Low Note
Nevertheless, the Canadiens hold an impressive 12-4-5 road record and are 22-13-6 overall. So, it’s imperative to see those losses as relative one-offs (despite the fact the Habs also lost to the Blues a month earlier in fairly embarrassing fashion). Even though it’s accurate to say they missed an opportunity to gain ground in the standings both then and yesterday, they find themselves in an enviable position in third place in the Atlantic Division, just three points out of first place (Tampa Bay Lightning). That’s nothing at which to scoff.
Just look at where they were at this point last season: 20-18-3 and in fifth place in the Atlantic, 10th in the conference, albeit a single point out of the second wild-card spot after having started their impressive ascent out of last place, which coincided with the debut of Patrik Laine a mere month earlier. That goes to show two things:
- With Laine and a whole host of other Canadiens out with injury anew, what the Habs have been able to accomplish this season through the lens of a rebuild that officially started in 2022-23 has been nothing short of impressive.
- Things can change in a hurry.
With that, the Canadiens can ill afford to sit back in awe of said accomplishments, especially with the Dallas Stars waiting for them today, as the Habs close out their annual holiday road trip, which, at 3-1-2 so far, has still been a success, regardless of the outcome yesterday and the outcome still to come today.
Canadiens Appear on Verge of Joining NHL’s Upper Echelon
The Stars obviously represent an elite opponent. So, fans may understandably resign themselves to the Canadiens going 3-2-2 on this trip heading in, especially after the Stars embarrassed them 7-0 in November (at the Bell Centre). However, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that, officially speaking, the Habs are one of the league’s better teams as well. Now, they’re far from perfect, to be sure. They have a negative goal differential and a 48.7% share of shot attempts (a more respectable 49.6% when looking at unblocked shots), per NHL.com. Even so, no one should look past them, as they continue to build on what had been a hugely successful 2024-25 season, which ended in a surprising playoff spot for what had been the youngest team in NHL history to clinch one, according to some sources.
So, until an unforeseen, dramatic downturn down the stretch proves otherwise, this is a playoff team that is only getting better. They may have to work out their goaltending situation and determine who would start in the playoffs, if/once they get there, with their current three-man rotation representing a clear obstacle to success, based on past history.
However, they’ve got a clear No. 1 centre in Nick Suzuki leading the charge, literally as captain. The next line down features one power forward seemingly in the process of breaking out into star status and an apparent phenom in the making who leads the rookie scoring race, vying to capture the team’s second straight Calder Memorial Trophy, after defenseman Lane Hutson, who’s only showing signs of speeding up as a sophomore.
There’s only room to scratch the surface of what this team has proven itself capable of, even if only in short bursts so far. The takeaway is the Canadiens have most of the right pieces in place. As they’ve improved each season since the rebuild started, the smart money is on them continuing to follow that trend.
There will always be heartbreaking losses, but they’re becoming fewer and further between. The (latest) Blues defeat was more disappointing than sobering, though… especially seeing as, heading into Game 41, the Canadiens had accrued 50 points. That means, regardless of what transpired, they were going to head into the second half on pace for 100 points. That should be the focus of anyone reading this piece. That’s the headline.
And just like with a headline, this is just the start of something larger, something with the capacity to become something special. Just like against the Blues, against whom they were unable to, it’s the finish that matters, though. Thankfully, there’s a lot more room in 2025-26 to grow further. A whole second half.