Playoff Coverage, Hutson Heroics, Anderson Impact

Published on: 27 4 月, 2026 by admin

Montreal - It feels like there's more Montreal Canadiens news every hour, and we're all bound to miss a story or two. On Sundays, we always recap relevant NHL news you may have missed, to help you stay in the Canadiens loop.

Given that the Habs played on Sunday, this edition of The Wrap is scheduled for Monday morning.

Make sure you don't miss any news from Canadians by signing up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for a daily newsletter covering various other NHL teams, or the most exciting developments in the game.[Sportsnaut]

Montreal Canadiens News and Notes

Three of Juraj Slafkowski's goals came on the power play, but it was really Montreal's work at 5v5 that should be considered the most encouraging aspect of the Game 1 win. The Habs swept the Tampa Bay Lightning, and by a wide margin. [Canadiens Playoff Analysis: The Key Statistic From Game One Win]

Slafkowski praised head coach Martin St-Louis for his wise use of timeouts against the Lightning. Rather than wait for another opportunity, or lose it on the time clock, St.-Louis decided to call a timeout at the beginning of overtime, which immediately led to Slafkowski's game-winning goal.

He also noted that Canadiens work as a pack, with each player leading the hunt in the same direction.

Speaking of Slafkovsky, despite excellent work on the powerplay, he was clearly the team's best player at 5v5. He had more individual high-danger scoring chances at 5v5 (three) than the entire Tampa Bay Lightning lineup (one).

The excitement in practice following the 4-3 overtime win against the Bolts was impeccable.

The Canadiens did not produce a terrible effort against the Tampa Bay Lightning in game two, however, as some costly mistakes cost the Bolts a 3–2 overtime victory, including a terrible pass attempt by Juraj Slafkowski. That being said, Slafkowski was far from the only player who made a mistake on Tuesday night. [Canadiens Highlights: Exciting Overtime Loss]

The Habs players were quite composed after the disappointing loss. As Mike Matheson explained, they always knew they were going to face a talented team in the Lightning.

It remains to be seen if head coach Martin Saint-Louis will make any lineup changes before Game Three on Friday, but there are some good options if he decides to change things up.

While the Canadiens generated more high-danger opportunities than the Lightning at 5v5, the momentum shifted strongly to Tampa Bay's corner about midway through the game. [NST]

With all due respect to Arbor Zekaj, I was expecting him to write "I want it this way" in the first few notes.

Sniper Cole Caufield was the latest athlete to pour his heart out to the Players' Tribune, in a brilliant piece that can only be described as heartfelt and honest. "To me, hockey is the best game because you can't really do it alone. Scoring 50 this year was amazing, but it was a team accomplishment. And really, it's about the whole environment you're in. The Bell Center has been incredible all season, and scoring No. 50 in front of all you guys and with my dad in the building... it was a great wave to go into these playoffs." [Players’ Tribune]

Caufield also discussed the upcoming game at the Bell Center and the impact Canadiens fans have on the team's motivation.

The top four have struggled when it comes to shutting down the Lightning, however, the third pairing of Jaden Struble and Arbor Zekaj has stood out. Take a look at how the Canadiens' defensemen have performed so far in the playoffs. [Canadiens Need Better Results From Top Four]

With the series tied at 1-1, we also take a look at which forward lines have performed well, and which trios need to up their game against the Bolts. [Which Canadiens Lines Are Performing Best In Playoffs]

Zekaj doesn't seem particularly concerned about Tampa's continued slickness. He's got a point, because the Habs have created a lot more high-danger scoring chances than the Bolts, but getting to the line is always a tough proposition, especially when you're dealing with habitual line steppers.

Head coach Martin St-Louis joins Zekaj when it comes to not losing any sleep over Tampa's strategy.

It was another even game, at least on the scoreboard. Thanks to an overtime goal from Len Hutson, the Habs emerged with a 2–1 win and a 2–1 series lead. All things considered, the scoreline was a little favorable towards the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that generated a fair amount of high-danger scoring chances at 5v5. [Canadiens Highlights: Hutson Plays The Hero In Big Win]

Hutson's game-winning goal was so good it's worth watching twice.

It should also be noted that Hutson somehow managed to achieve his goal. This may seem arrogant to some, but we all know that's not Hutson's style. He is confident in his game and has the results to back it up.

Captain Nick Suzuki's dry humor was at play after the thrilling win.

While the first line struggles to generate much offense at even strength, Kirby Dach has done a great job in leading the Canadiens to wins, including a two-point effort on Friday night. It was one of his best games in a Habs uniform since joining the team in 2022.

It's very easy to dismiss the play of Arbor Czekaj and Jaden Struble on the third pairing, but it would be intellectually dishonest to ignore the fact that they lead all NHL defensemen in expected goal share. Yes, it is easy to play on the third pair, but it is never easy to control more than 80% of the expected goals. [Canadiens Need Better Results From Top Four]

Ivan Demidov sat down with Elliotte Friedman to discuss his rookie season with the Habs, and how they quickly became part of their family.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5C_Wl56M2c[/embed]

Tampa Bay's strategy of rushing players, harassing goaltenders and punching opponents in every scrimmage is backfiring spectacularly. In fact, in addition to the series lead, the Canadiens have actually had more hits than their opponents through three games. [Tampa Bay’s Strategy Is Backfiring In Series Versus Canadiens]

The discrepancy in high-danger shots in the series is hard to ignore. In fact, after three games, the Canadiens have accounted for 75% of high-danger scoring opportunities at 5v5, the highest mark of all teams in the NHL playoffs.

Apart from the physical battle, which the Habs are winning, there are several other reasons why the Canadiens have managed to take the lead in the series, including the excellent play of the third pair of Arbor Czekaj and Jayden Struble. [Top 3 Reasons The Canadiens Have A Series Lead]

Believe it or not, Shekaz leads the entire NHL in expected goal share with an impressive 83.8%. [NST]

Kirby Dach discusses support from head coach Martin Saint-Louis as he overcomes an endless list of injuries in recent seasons.

This is clearly trolling, but comparatively speaking, it is quality trolling. Additionally, given that Brady Tkachuk appears to be one of the worst leaders in the league, perhaps it is time to examine his position in the Senators organization. Or maybe he is a great leader who never seems to have luck when it comes to leadership. Difficult to say.

The clip embedded below has nothing to do with the Habs, but when a dirtbag like Ridley Gregg starts punching a player who's being pinned down, it's hard not to roll your eyes. That is pure cowardice.

The Canadiens actually managed to establish their first two-goal lead in the series on Sunday night, but it was not enough, as a late-game surge by the Lightning resulted in a 3–2 loss, tying the series at two games apiece in the process. [Canadiens Highlights: Late-Game Collapse Costs Habs]

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Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The... More about Mark Dumont
#Playoff #Coverage #Hutson #Heroics #Anderson #Impact
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