The Montreal Canadiens were in Detroit on Thursday night, facing the Red Wings in a game steeped in playoff fallout.
In the end, the Red Wings emerged with a 3–1 victory, and in the process won one of the most important games of the schedule.
Let's look at the highlights!
To assault
Neither team managed to break the ice in the first period, as makeshift hockey was on the menu, although it must be said that the Canadiens did a better job when it came to creating high-danger chances. The Habs took a 5–3 lead on high-quality shots, including a great scoring opportunity for Juraj Slafkowski that was set up by captain Nick Suzuki.
Great pass by Suzuki to set up Slafkowski for a great scoring chance. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/lDiteUfVI0
- Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 19 March 2026
Powerplay threat
There is a saying in hockey that states that generating a penalty will result in a potential windfall.
Or, more traditionally, put the puck on net and good things will happen.
The Canadiens don't exactly follow this adage, as they take fewer shots with the man-advantage than most NHL teams, despite having a top-10 power play.
On Thursday night, we got a prime example of the principle at work, when a low-quality shot from Cole Caufield bounced off John Gibson and went straight onto the blade of Slafkowski. The 21-year-old Slovak player made no mistake and scored his 25th goal of the year.
If we wanted to be pedantic, we could describe it as a quick pass by Caufield rather than a shot, but the point stands.
If you want to take a boat ride in the river, you have to go down the river.
This is an important lesson that Canadians should keep in mind moving forward.
More shots. Always more shots.
Juraj Slafkowski scored his 25th goal of the year #GoHabsGo 1-0 lead! pic.twitter.com/n1joZ5wiXQ
- Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 20 March 2026
coaching ireland
The Red Wings tied the game in the third period when a point shot by Patrick Kane hit Jacob Dobbs and then deflected off JT Comfer on what, all things considered, was an innocuous play. However, Canadiens head coach Martin Saint-Louis was furious, with most of his anger directed towards Alex Newhook and possibly Ivan Demidov.
Martin was angry on the St. Louis bench after Red Wings goal pic.twitter.com/lDM4eP6F8q
- TVA Sports (@TVASports) 20 March 2026
one mistake too many
It was a tight contest, usually requiring a bad bounce or a bad changeup to decide the outcome. In this case, Mike Matheson provided a terrific layup that gave Detroit its first lead of the game with about three minutes left in the third period. Shortly thereafter they would score an empty-net goal to seal the win.
Brutal turnaround for Mike Matheson.
The Red Wings took the lead with about 3 minutes left in the third. pic.twitter.com/nvjaEoio8s
- Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 20 March 2026
The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Saturday facing the New York Islanders at the Bell Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm ET.
All Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5, via Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted.
