The Montreal Canadiens were in Ottawa on Wednesday night, facing a Senators team looking to make the Eastern Conference playoff berth.
Moments before puck drop it was announced that Cole Caufield would be forced to leave the game due to the flu. Caufield was used sparingly in the third period of Tuesday night's win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
As a result, Alex Texier returned to the first line, playing alongside Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkowski.
It should also be noted that rookie Jacob Fowler was given the start by the Canadiens, and he was a big part of the youth movement that led to the 3-2 win. Fowler stopped 29 of 31 shots sent his way to ensure the victory.
Let's look at the highlights!
strong start
The Canadiens started the game on the right foot, culminating with Juraj Slafkowski's 24th goal of the year just one minute into the first period.
It was Slafkowski's 164th career point, the most by a Canadiens player before turning 22 in franchise history. Some may suggest that this is an easy feat since you started playing in the NHL at the age of 18, but it is quite a difficult thing to quickly learn while playing in the best hockey league on earth.
Talking about young players, rookie Ivan Demidov recorded his 50th point of the season in this sequence.
Juraj Slafkowski worked ahead of time! 🚨 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/zCTJpkYJYR
- TVA Sports (@TVASports) 11 March 2026
senators respond
Josh Anderson plays a rough-and-tumble style of hockey that is guaranteed to come with a certain amount of time spent in the sin bin, but he has made a habit of taking penalties at bad times this season, and to make matters worse, they are almost always the epitome of unnecessary ones.
There's no doubt that the lack of consistency in umpiring makes life more difficult for a player like Andersen, but the Canadiens can't afford to be among the most penalized teams in the league, and the fact that Andersen is a repeat offender can't be ignored.
With that in mind, the Senators tied the game late in the first period while Anderson was in the box for roughing. This proved to be a turning point when it came to Montreal's ability to control the flow of the game.
I immediately knew it was a good goal 🤷♂️#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/bZs4BtEdjl
- Ottawa Senators (@Senators) 12 March 2026
Habs fans will be quick to tell you that Tim Stützle takes dives more often than a duckling learning to hunt, but he's a very good hockey player, and he absolutely loves playing against Montreal.
He's also highly efficient, and doesn't need any help from his opponents to score, but the Canadiens still gave him a hand on Wednesday with minimal defensive coverage and incredibly soft clearing attempts.
To Alexander Carrier's credit, despite the fumble before Ottawa's goal, it must be said that the Habs forward blitzed the zone rather than supporting his defencemen, or offering good outlet options.
Tim Stützle can't stop, and won't stop 🔥#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/h0zPnPgY7G
- Ottawa Senators (@Senators) 12 March 2026
Crowded Threesome
It would be hard for you to argue that Saint-Louis has made a lot of bad decisions this year, but their lack of enthusiasm for Texier is a bit odd, especially since there are several players in the lineup who don't perform as well offensively as the Frenchman.
Texier has done everything possible to earn his ice time, including some much-needed offense while dealing with a complete lack of consistency from a usage standpoint.
On that note, Texier tied the game for the Canadiens with a very strong individual effort late in the second period.
Alex Texier has 8 goals and 11 assists in 32 games #GoHabsGoWhile he averages less than 13 minutes per game when he is not a healthy scratch. pic.twitter.com/1Cvrf5Zu2U
- Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 12 March 2026
cardiac children
With the game tied 2-2, the Habs displayed great speed in transition, which was the biggest advantage of having a smooth skater like Alex Newhook in the lineup.
By scoring the go-ahead goal, Demidov tied Anaheim Ducks forward Beckett Seneca for the most points by a rookie this season with 51 points.
This marked the 13th consecutive game in which the Canadiens scored at least three goals.
Great speed in transition gave Ivan Demidov his 51st point of the season.#GoHabsGo Are ahead 3-2. pic.twitter.com/VTJ1f5oK5D
- Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 12 March 2026
The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Saturday facing the San Jose Sharks at the Bell Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm ET.
All Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5, via Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted.
