Canadiens MVP from first round of NHL playoffs

Published on: 5 5 月, 2026 by admin

Now that the Montreal Canadiens have ousted the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2026 NHL playoffs, it's time to take a look at some of the top performers from the series.

jacob dobbs reign supreme

Of course, by asking Habs fans to name their most valuable players of the first round, we were really asking them for submissions to establish the team's second-most important player.

Simply put, Jacob Dobbs was clearly the team's MVP, as evidenced by the fact that he stopped 181 of 196 shots sent his way, good for a .923 save percentage, well above his regular-season save percentage of .901. It's also worth noting that he faced 80 high-danger scoring chances, which is a testament to his ability to make a big save when the Canadiens needed it most.

Dobbs may have less experience than most NHL goaltenders, but he gave the Canadiens the confidence they needed to contend for long periods in which the Lightning dominated, which equates to a veteran presence in net.

Montreal Canadiens Best of the Rest

With six points in seven games, not only did Lane Hutson co-lead the Canadiens in scoring with Nick Suzuki, but he also reminded us that he's not done setting the tone for his NHL career yet.

We already knew he was a dominant presence in the regular season, but it quickly became clear that he had even more to offer in the playoffs.

When it comes to Montreal's battle fleet, Hutson is a rising tide that lifts all ships.

Given that the Habs lacked much of a sustained attack at 5v5 from their first line, they relied on a range of players to complement their offensive contributions.

You would be hard-pressed to find a particular depth forward who excelled, as there were several excellent options, including power forward Josh Anderson. He scored the first two goals of the series at 5v5, and his physical play set the tone against an incredibly attractive Lightning lineup.

Habs fans were also quite pointed to the excellent play of the third line, who was actually used as a second line or possibly fourth line at various times in the series. Regardless, the play of Alexandre Texier, Kirby Dach and Zachary Bolduc was key to overcoming the lack of attack from the first line.

As far as defensemen not named Hutson go, Canadiens fans raved about Arbor Zekaj, and although he did not dress for Game 7, it's fair to say he performed very well in his limited usage against Tampa Bay.

With Szekaj on the ice, the Habs controlled 57% of the shots at 5v5, a significant feat when we remember the Canadiens were ahead by a large margin (316-260). Full marks to Jaden Struble, who served as Zekaj's defensive partner for much of the series, as he also produced elite numbers on the third pairing.

There was one member of the organization who did not score a single goal, or provide an assist. He could not manage to score even a single hit.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

And yet, Habs fans wanted to make sure head coach Martin Saint-Louis received recognition for the first-round win.

You could argue that he coached John Cooper, one of the most respected coaches in the NHL, but more importantly, he used timeouts wisely, managed his lineups well, and wasn't afraid to make significant changes when the team faced adversity.

In many ways, the series victory was St. Louis' coming-out party.

He's no longer a coach learning the ropes in the NHL. He sets out to write the next chapter of Montreal's glorious history.

Unless otherwise noted, all Montreal Canadiens statistics are all positions. Through the natural state trick.

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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
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