標籤: adversity

Here are the Montreal Canadiens and NHL news items you may have missed over the weekend.

montreal canadiens news

• Experienced Philippe Denault is in an excellent position to help the league’s youngest team overcome significant adversity. In his press conference on Sunday, he repeatedly mentioned that the teams were incredibly evenly matched, putting the onus on his teammates to provide the best effort level of the season on Monday. [Canadiens – FR]

• Head coach Martin Saint-Louis discussed the importance of bouncing back after a poor effort in Game 6.

Habs coach Marty St. Louis after last night’s blowout loss in Game 7 yesterday:

“Obstacles in life come at different times. For us right now, it came in the last 24 hours. Just have to find a way to move forward.” pic.twitter.com/U5quC0EpYN

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) 17 May 2026

• With a pair of wins already against the Ottawa Charge, the Montreal Victoires are just one game away from excellence. The Walter Cup is a best-of-five series, giving Montreal three opportunities to take home the ultimate prize.

Maggie Flaherty delivers the goods in Extended 💥

Maggie Flaherty delivers overtime pic.twitter.com/43vTY3p051

– xz – Victoire de Montreal (@PWHL_Montreal) 16 May 2026

Sportsknot Network

• The New Jersey Devils trading Nico Hischier is a bad idea. However, not trading for Quinn Hughes is also a bad idea. You have to give to get. I want to reiterate that I am not advocating that the Devils should move Hischier. They should build their 1-2 center punch around him and Jack Hughes. [New Jersey Devils]

• Brady Tkachuk’s future with the Ottawa Senators is arguably one of the biggest headlines of the 2026 NHL offseason. Tkachuk has two years left on his contract, but the Senators’ struggles in the Stanley Cup playoffs have fueled trade rumors. So, what’s the latest on the 26-year-old’s future in Ottawa? [Ottawa Senators]

• The Colorado Avalanche returned to the ice for the second consecutive day on Sunday. They will take Monday off before practicing once again at Ball Arena on the eve of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Vegas Golden Knights. [Colorado Avalanche]

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

There was something oddly familiar about the Montreal Canadiens’ start to Game 6 on Thursday night.

In most cases, watching a rookie netminder allow three goals on three consecutive shots would generate a fair amount of concern.

But if the Habs have taught us one lesson during their expertly-executed rebuild, it’s that this team needs a certain amount of adversity before it can perform at its best.

Think of it as the hockey version of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, if you want.

They only reveal their strongest form megazordOnce there their backs are against the wall.

A slightly less stupid metaphor would be the Incredible Hulk.

The longer he endures continuous punishment, the stronger he becomes.

Okay, that was just as silly, but you get my point.

It wouldn’t be Canadiens hockey if there wasn’t a point in the first period in which fans questioned whether the past four years were merely a fever dream.

And yet, despite seeing the Habs chase multiple leads in the first period, there was a shared sense of calm among fans Thursday night, which is rare in sports, even more so in Montreal.

It’s a testament to the shared conviction not only between the fans and the team, but also between the skaters and their rookie netminder, who has clearly been the team’s most valuable player through 12 playoff games.

#hubs Nick Suzuki on Jacob Dobbes today: “We never lost confidence in him; everybody was struggling in the first period…”

– Priyantha Amrith (@HabsInHighHeels) 15 May 2026

It’s all part of the learning process, and logic dictates that the Canadian will eventually be able to win a game, or motivate himself, without facing an uphill climb.

But as things stand, Habs has mastered the climb well enough to be considered a favorite in the upcoming Tour de France.

Hyperbole aside, this isn’t necessarily a recipe for success, at least not in the long term, but it has equipped the Canadiens with a very interesting and powerful weapon as they attempt to become the fourth and final team to qualify for the conference finals.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

Here are the Montreal Canadiens and NHL news items you may have missed on Friday.

montreal canadiens news

• Alex Newhook attacked in Game 2 against the Buffalo Sabers and scored two goals to lead Montreal to an impressive 5–1 victory. The game ended up being one of Montreal’s best seasons of the year, with the Habs defeating Buffalo 2–0 and sweeping them 7–0 in the first round. [Canadiens Highlights: Dominant Win Evens Series Versus Sabres]

• While the Habs have leveled their series against the Sabres, the Laval Rocket are preparing for the final game of their second-round series against the Toronto Marlies. Laval had a great year, but it will quickly be forgotten if they fall to the Marlies. [Laval Rocket Season On The Line Against Marlies]

• Zach Benson’s frustrated chihuahua act is part of his playing style, and he’s given full marks for what he has to do to survive in a league full of Rottweilers. But it was fun to watch him try to chip Jacob Dobbs, a player who lives for this kind of grease. It’s worth noting that Dobbs was right after the failed Twitter attempt.

Benson lets Dobbs hear it 🍿 https://t.co/Zsft9R2aab pic.twitter.com/XAVexOcXWA

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) 9 May 2026

• He won’t get credit for this, but it appears that Mike Matheson was trying to protect Benson from any serious injury when the Sabers forward reached the bottom of the dog pile.

Here’s the entire drama that involved Benson and Dobbs. #GoHabsGo

Finally Benson got up and started shouting again. pic.twitter.com/mlDOO64YAf

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 9 May 2026

• You could tell Newhook was *a little* excited to read the starting lineup before Game 2.

Now this is how you read lineups, Alex Newhook 🫡 pic.twitter.com/fEf6Xch3oi

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) 9 May 2026

• Rockets head coach Pascal Vincent had nothing but great things to say about his captain Lucas Condotta.

nice words for the captain
kind words for the captain pic.twitter.com/HjEO4YkYdp

– xy – Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) 8 May 2026

Sportsknot Network

• After competing for the services of Sunny Mehta, it looks like the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs may be facing off against each other for another front office executive. After learning he was also a candidate for the job in Toronto, the Devils were not going to let Mehta slip through their fingers. [New Jersey Devils]

• The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the odds and won the NHL draft lottery. That stroke of luck has completely changed the narrative around the moribund franchise. Just a day earlier, all one could talk about was the team’s appointment of new general manager John Chayka, which was being widely criticized. Now, it’s all about that No. 1 pick in next month’s draft. [Toronto Maple Leafs]

• Colorado Avalanche superstar center Nathan MacKinnon has already locked in a spot on the Maurice Richard Trophy as the NHL’s leading goalscorer in 2025-26. Now he will get a chance to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP for the second time in his career. [Colorado Avalanche]

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

The Denver Nuggets’ 136-131 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night wasn’t just another regular season win. At one point, Denver was down by 20 points, and things were looking bleak. Plus, the Nuggets were playing for the second night in a row, so coming back against a team like the Spurs was going to be a tough task. But Denver’s response in the fourth quarter spoke volumes about the team’s resiliency.

For Jamal Murray, that’s what made the comeback so important. He would lead a rally in which the Nuggets outscored the Spurs 34–12 in the fourth.

“These are the games you live for,” Murray said after the game. “Maybe not the playoffs, but these wins mean a lot. It says a lot about your character on the road as a group to deal with adversity. … But it’s amazing to see this group come away with a win.”

Murray would have a tough first half, where he could only score nine points. However, he would score 30 points in the second half, including 16 points in the fourth quarter. His step-back three-pointer with less than five minutes remaining gave Denver its first lead, and he hit four crucial free throws to seal the win.

The adversity Murray mentioned extends beyond Thursday’s game. Throughout the season, the Nuggets battled persistent injuries, causing their starting lineup to play only a few games together. Despite Aaron Gordon being out for hamstring maintenance, Denver was still able to accomplish this.

With the win, Denver improved to 41–26 and moved into a three-way tie for third place in the Western Conference. On Saturday they face the Los Angeles Lakers, who themselves are fighting for a spot in this final stretch of the regular season.

Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford recently returned from injury in the team’s 124-105 loss against the Memphis Grizzlies. Gafford battled persistent ankle injuries throughout the season and missed several games. In his return to the lineup for the Mavericks, he played 20 minutes, scoring 14 points and grabbing five rebounds.

The performance showcased Gafford’s talent in the frontcourt, leading to speculation of his availability during the trade deadline. Whether Gafford stays with the Mavericks — recently receiving a three-year, $54 million extension this offseason — remains to be seen. He spoke about the mental damage he suffered due to his injuries.

“It’s like a little bit of wear and tear on the brain when it comes to figuring out ways to play around it. It hurts, of course, but, like I said, we got the job done on a night-to-night basis. And, just trying to play through it… It’s going to help me in the long run, I would say, because now it’s like the first time I’ve dealt with an injury that’s kind of lasted all season long.”

“So I’m learning a lot of things where, you know, taking more care of my body, trying to continue to find ways to be ready for the next game coming up,” Gafford said.

Despite Cooper Flagg’s stellar rookie campaign, the Mavericks are 21-38. They are the 12th seed in the Western Conference, two spots out of a play-in berth. Recently, the Mavericks made significant moves, trading D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards, which could be signaled as a reset for the organization around their new star.

The 27-year-old Gafford points toward that future. He currently has averages of 8.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game on a 63.2% field goal percentage. He could remain with Dallas as a consistent option at the center position, or his tradeable contract could be moved to add more depth to the team around Flagg. But Gafford’s availability certainly increases the Mavericks’ winning effectiveness.

The Mavericks return to action on Sunday when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder. Game ends at 8:00 PM