The Montreal Canadiens were back in action on Saturday night, taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pennsylvania. Martin St-Louis’ men started better than they did in Toronto on Tuesday, with Cole Caufield quickly putting them ahead, but momentum shifted after the hosts scored their first power-play goal.

The 6-5 scoreline may make it seem like a tough night at the office for Jakub Dobes, but while there’s one goal he most likely would like to have back, a comedy of errors unfolded in front of him for much of the game.

Canadiens’ Hutson Leads The League In Unenviable Category
Canadiens Prospect Shines In Season Opener
Former Canadiens Defenseman Lyle Odelein Passes Away At 58

While Mike Matheson is often the defenseman the coach trusts the most, he seemed to labor throughout the game. The momentum flipped when he was sent off for interfering with Sidney Crosby in the first frame. One could argue the Penguins captain should have gotten a penalty for roughing, given how he reacted, but most of the Canadiens’ woes were self-inflicted.

Then, the veteran didn’t close down Declan Carlile on the Pens’ second goal and was dispossessed twice on the fourth. He was also on the ice for the Pens’ last two goals, but he wasn’t responsible for either. The Pointe-Claire native had a very rough night. 

Both teams were tied at 1-1 after 20 minutes, but once again, the Canadiens went for a nap in the second frame, leaving Dobes to fend for himself. The Pens put 15 shots on net in the period, while the Canadiens could muster only seven. Granted, Dobes could have had better rebound control, but with the panic around the net, it can’t have been easy to keep a cool head.

St-Louis often says that his players’ intentions were good, but that wasn’t the case tonight. The Habs made so many lazy plays and bad reads that they asked for trouble. They didn't keep it simple or play it safe in any of the three zones, but the neutral-zone turnovers really were their undoing. The coach summed it up best when he said:

We’ve heard time and again that the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Habs in the Eastern Conference Final because Rod Brind’Amour’s side plays a detailed game, but playing 60 minutes isn't a detail; it’s a minimum requirement. 

If the first line didn’t have a good game Tuesday night, the Nick Suzuki and Caufield duo seemed everywhere tonight. Caufield scored the first goal of the game, Suzuki scored the goal that gave the Canadiens a bit of hope in the dying minutes of the second, and Caufield scored Montreal’s first goal in the third frame. Montreal scored its last two lamplighters with six players on the ice, but Suzuki got the primary assist on both.

Caufield finished with a plus-3 rating while Suzuki was plus-4, and the captain was also named the second star of the game with a goal and three assists, but he clearly wasn’t pleased in his post-game presser. The points that really matter are the two that were on the line Saturday night, and Montreal lost one.

Since 2024-2025, the Canadiens have the most comeback wins in the league with 48, which is quite impressive. However, the truth is: they need comeback wins because they consistently dig themselves into huge holes.

Chris Kreider scored his first goal as a Hab tonight, with a one-timer from his office in traffic. He finished the game with two points and had a good night overall.

Alexandre Carrier left the game after a bad fall in the first frame; his back was slammed awkwardly into the boards, and while he kept going for a bit, he had to call it a night.

The Canadiens have a day off on Sunday, but chances are the coaches will be very busy, not only watching what happened during the game but also trying to finally find a way to get a full 60-minute effort out of this team.

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.