After losing five games in a row earlier this month, the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] are now on a three-game winning streak after surprising the Vegas Golden Knights [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vegas-golden-knights] on the road. With Jakub Dobes having backstopped the Habs to their last two wins, all eyes were on Samuel Montembeault to see how he would respond. Given the tall task awaiting the Tricolore in Colorado, winning this game was pivotal for Montreal, which was trying to get back into the playoff picture. When the final buzzer rang at the T-Mobile Arena, Canadiens fans could be heard singing the traditional “Ole, Ole, Ole”. What Should The Canadiens Be Willing To Give For Ryan O’Reilly? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/what-should-the-canadiens-be-willing-to-give-for-ryan-o-reilly] Canadiens Sign Mike Matheson To Long-Term Extension [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-sign-mike-matheson-to-long-term-extension] Canadiens: Big Test For Montembeault [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/game-day/canadiens-big-test-for-montembeault] A STATEMENT GAME FROM MONTEMBEAULT While the Canadiens’ number one has struggled since the start of the season, his performance in this challenging test was impressive. He stopped all but one of the 31 shots he received, and the one goal he gave wasn’t a bad one. Mark Stone was left all alone in front of the net, a recipe for disaster. Throughout the game, the masked man looked comfortable, and his positioning was sound. All too often lately, he was finding himself deported to one side and couldn’t do much when the shots were coming. On Friday afternoon, though, he looked in control and didn’t overplay any shot. The one-on-one work done with the goalie coach of late finally paid off, and he ended the game with a .968 save percentage. One can almost wonder if perhaps the pressure of the possibility of making Team Canada for the Olympics might have been on his mind since the start of the season. At this stage, his chances to make it are slim to none, and he certainly looked more loose in the net. Of course, this is only one game, but if it’s a sign of things to come, it’s a good omen. AN INTERESTING TOP SIX While some were quick to criticize the Canadiens’ newly formed top six, any line adjustment needs some time to take, so to speak. This game was the fifth in which Zachary Bolduc was skating alongside Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. At the same time, Juraj Slafkovsky played with Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen, and both lines created opportunities. For a second game in a row, Bolduc had a multi-point game with a goal and an assist after putting up a goal and two assists against the Utah Mammoth. With an assist on Bolduc’s goal, Caufield extended his point streak to six games. Furthermore, he scored a goal from a very tight angle, near the goal line, a spot around which he has spent some time with Martin St-Louis lately; clearly, the private tutelage paid off. As for Slafkovsky, he was directly responsible for Bolduc’s goal, which was scored on a deferred penalty call. With 11 skaters on the ice, the big Slovak still found a way to send a fantastic cross-zone pass to Bolduc, who didn’t need much effort to bury the goal. Oftentimes this season, the former first-overall pick at the 2022 draft has turned the puck over by attempting those kinds of passes; the difference is that on Friday, he took his time to do it, and he didn’t try a Hail Mary no-look pass. As St-Louis likes to say, he was more calculated. The empty net goal he scored was a much-deserved reward. As for Demidov and Kapanen, they were kept off the scoresheet, but the Finn had quite a few choice opportunities; he couldn’t bury them. Akira Schmid just had his number tonight. ABOUT THE NEWCOMER Recently signed free-agent Alexandre Texier played his first game with the Bleu, Blanc, Rouge and grabbed an assist for his trouble, sending Jake Evans off on a breakaway. Skating alongside Evans and Josh Anderson, he had a solid game. He spent 13:41 on the ice, had one shot on goal and one hit. The coach was satisfied with his game, saying he had made good reads and good plays on the ice. The Canadiens are now heading to Denver, where they’ll take on the Colorado Avalanche [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche] at 3:00 PM ET on Saturday. Against all odds, Montreal will be attempting to grab six points out of a possible six on this western road trip. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] on The Hockey News. Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I].
