Canadiens News

EASTERN ATLANTIC

Mike Matheson • D • Canadiens

Mike Matheson Leads by Example in Game 2 Win

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson had not scored a goal in 16 postseason games. Matheson had easily been passed on the offensive depth chart among defenseman by Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson. However, the defender fired a slapper past Alex Lyon on Friday against the Buffalo Sabres that turned heads. Matheson made the game 2-0 less than five minutes into the contest. From there, the defenseman made an impact in other ways with three shots on goal, three blocked shots, and protecting Zach Benson's head. Also, Matheson logged a game-high 26:44 of ice time on 25 shifts in the Game 2 road triumph.

16 hours ago

Jakub Dobes • G • Canadiens

Jakub Dobes Rebounds After Loss Yet Again for Montreal

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes and the Canadiens have altered wins and losses this postseason. The young goaltender has won five times in nine starts. However, Friday was the fourth time he won after a defeat against the Buffalo Sabres. In those games, Dobes is an amazing 4-0 with a 1.49 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage. The Montreal goaltender has five quality starts this postseason and stopped 28 of 29 shots in Game 2. That included 10 Buffalo shots on the Sabres' power play. Dobes may not have had his finest effort on Wednesday, but like Montreal, he roared back on Friday night.

17 hours ago

Alex Newhook • C • Canadiens

Alex Newhook Sets Tone in Big Montreal Victory

Montreal Canadiens center Alex Newhook got the goal-scoring started for the Canadiens a mere 96 seconds into Game 2 against the Buffalo Sabres. Newhook found his way into a position to score again to make it 3-0 early in the second period. The center now has three goals in his last three games. Overall, Newhook blocked a shot and got four shots on goal in Game 2. That gives him four points in nine postseason contests for Montreal. Newhook may have missed 40 games during the regular season, but he is making a difference in the playoffs. The last two games, in particular, have seen Newhook rack up eight shots and seven scoring chances.

17 hours ago

Juraj Slafkovsky • LW • Canadiens

Juraj Slafkovsky Ends Point Drought in Game 1 Loss

Montreal Canadiens winger Juraj Slafkovsky notched an assist in Wednesday's series-opening 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. He combined with Ivan Demidov to set up Nick Suzuki for a power-play goal late in the first period. Slafkovsky ended a six-game point drought. In Round 1, he also got things started with a productive outing, scoring a hat trick. But those were Slafkovsky's only points in the series. Eight games into the postseason, Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield still haven't registered any even-strength points, which must be concerning for the Canadiens. Their next opportunity to break the duck will come on Friday.

2 days ago

Arber Xhekaj • D • Canadiens

Arber Xhekaj Rejoins Canadiens Lineup Wednesday

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj will re-enter the lineup on Wednesday in Game 1 against the Buffalo Sabres, Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com reports. Montreal scratched the heavy-hitting blue-liner for Sunday's Game 7 against Tampa Bay, with Noah Dobson making his 2026 postseason debut. Xhekaj played in each of the first six games of the first-round matchup, recording one assist, five SOG, three blocks, 31 hits, and 12 penalty minutes. On Wednesday, he will rejoin Kaiden Guhle on the third defensive pairing, bumping Jayden Struble out of the lineup.

3 days ago

Brendan Gallagher • RW • Canadiens

Brendan Gallagher Scratched on Wednesday

Montreal Canadiens right wing Brendan Gallagher will be a healthy scratch in Game 1 against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday, Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com reports. The veteran will return to the press box after also sitting out the first four games of the first-round matchup with Tampa Bay. Gallagher scored in his 2026 postseason debut, but that has remained his only point. In three outings in Round 1, he averaged just 6:25 of ice time. On Wednesday, Gallagher will be replaced in the lineup by Joe Veleno, who will make his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut. Veleno will likely have a similar workload to Gallagher on the fourth line and isn't expected to make an offensive impact. Across 61 regular-season games, Veleno posted only five points (two goals, three assists).

3 days ago

Jakub Dobes • G • Canadiens

Jakub Dobes Backstops Canadiens to Game 7 Victory

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes produced 28 saves as the team beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in Game 7 on Sunday. The Canadiens needed every one of Dobes' saves because Tampa Bay limited them to just nine SOG. Montreal's SOG total was the lowest for a winning team in the playoffs since SOG were first officially tracked in the 1959-60 season. Despite three losses in the first-round series, Dobes has been among the best goaltenders in the league this postseason. He has posted a 2.03 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. Next, he must contain a Buffalo offense that averaged 3.33 goals per game in Round 1 against Boston.

5 days ago

Noah Dobson • D • Canadiens

Noah Dobson Will Play Against Tampa Bay on Sunday

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Noah Dobson will play in his first playoff game this Sunday evening against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Dobson provided a huge spark during the regular season. Dobson scored 12 goals and racked up 47 points over 80 contests. Dobson provided a steady mentorship to Lane Hutson. The defenseman getting back in the lineup allows Montreal to set a regular lineup against Tampa Bay for the first time all series. Dobson may not be quite 100%, but even 80 or 90 percent is better than most teams' second or third-best defenseman.

6 days ago

Kirby Dach • C • Canadiens

Kirby Dach Battles and Scores Two Points in Friday Triumph

Montreal Canadiens center Kirby Dach has not had the easiest NHL career. Dach has battled through frequent injuries and worse. However, on Friday night, he was clutch on the ice, even with limited ice time. Despite playing less than 12 minutes, the center scored a goal and added an assist in Montreal's 3-2 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Dach managed two shots on goal and was on the ice for all of the Canadiens goals. Alexandre Texier also had a goal and assist, but noted that Dach was able to screen Andrei Vasilevskiy, which led to the Lane Hutson overtime tally. A little self confidence goes a long way, and Dach could see more ice time going forward in this series.

Apr 25

Lane Hutson • D • Canadiens

Lane Hutson Scores Crucial Overtime Goal in Montreal Win

Defenseman Lane Hutson called his own shot early in overtime on Friday night for the Montreal Canadiens. The defenseman launched a blast past Andrei Vasilevskiy to give Montreal a critical 3-2 win in Game 3 of their best-of-seven series. Not only did the Canadiens go up 2-1 in the series, but now they have home-ice advantage back. Hutson also blocked four shots, produced two shots on goal, and delivered three hits. Hutson scored 12 goals during the regular season but has two already in three postseason games, as the young defenseman continues to produce at the right time for Montreal.

Apr 25

Lane Hutson • D • Canadiens

Lane Hutson Nets First Career Postseason Goal

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson celebrated his first career postseason goal in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He tied the game at one in the first period with a power-play goal. In his first postseason campaign a year ago, Hutson collected all five of his points via assists. He also kicked off this postseason with an assist in Game 1. However, his offensive production in the playoffs has been heavily reliant on the power play. Through his first seven career postseason outings, Hutson has registered only two even-strength points.

Apr 22

Juraj Slafkovsky • LW • Canadiens

Juraj Slafkovsky Nets Unique Hat Trick in Playoff Opener

Montreal Canadiens winger Juraj Slafkovsky led his team to Game 1 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday, contributing three power-play goals in a 4-3 overtime win. The 22-year-old became only the 12th player in NHL history to record a playoff hat trick consisting solely of power-play goals. Additionally, he's now the third Montreal player to complete a three-goal game in the postseason with an overtime winner. Slafkovsky, Slovakia's Olympic star, seems to thrive on big occasions, and it's a matchup that has brought him success throughout the campaign. In four regular-season meetings with the Lightning, Slafkovsky tallied four goals and three assists.

Apr 20

Alexandre Carrier • D • Canadiens

Alexandre Carrier Back at Practice

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Alexandre Carrier (upper body) practiced on Saturday, Sean Farrell of NHL.com reports. He missed the last nine regular-season games due to an upper-body injury. Montreal ruled Carrier out for 2-4 weeks, and he now appears on the cusp of returning to the action. After being paired with Lane Hutson during Friday's practice session, Carrier worked with his usual partner, Mike Matheson, on Saturday. With Noah Dobson (upper body) out for the start of the postseason, that pairing could play a massive role in the Canadiens' first-round tilt against the Tampa Bay Lightning. During the regular season, Carrier made his presence felt on both ends of the ice, recording 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists), 56 SOG, and 155 blocks in 73 games.

Apr 18

Lane Hutson • D • Canadiens

Lane Hutson Reaches Historic Record With Two Assists Sunday

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson produced another multi-assist performance in Sunday's 4-1 win over the New York Islanders, setting up two goals. As a result, he matched Larry Robinson's franchise record for most assists by a defenseman in a single season, which has stood since the 1976-77 campaign. Hutson has recorded 66 helpers across 81 outings, adding 12 goals. He will aim to establish a new assists record in Montreal's regular-season finale against Philadelphia on Tuesday night. This season, only Edmonton's Evan Bouchard (91) and Columbus' Zach Werenski (81) have more points than Hutson (78) among defensemen.

Apr 13

Nick Suzuki • C • Canadiens

Nick Suzuki Reaches 100 Points This Year

Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki collected two points in a 4-1 win over the New York Islanders on Sunday night, giving him 101 total points this year. It is the first time in his career that the 26-year-old superstar has reached this mark, and he did it with 29 goals and 72 assists. Suzuki is the fifth player to reach 100 points this year after Connor McDavid, Nathan Mackinnon, Nikita Kucherov, and Macklin Celebrini.

Apr 12

Noah Dobson • D • Canadiens

Noah Dobson to Undergo Re-Evaluation in Two Weeks

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Noah Dobson (upper body) won't play on Sunday against the New York Islanders and will miss the start of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The team announced that Dobson will be re-evaluated in two weeks. The former Islander was injured while blocking a shot in Saturday's loss to Columbus. Dobson will finish the regular season with 47 points (12 goals, 35 assists) and a league-high 188 blocks in 80 games. Montreal recalled David Reinbacher from the minors to bolster its defense. With Alexandre Carrier (upper body) also injured, Reinbacher is set to make his NHL debut on Sunday. He has been productive in the AHL, posting 24 points (five goals, 19 assists) in 57 games.

Apr 12

Noah Dobson • D • Canadiens

Noah Dobson Injures Left Hand in Loss

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Noah Dobson (hand) was forced to make an early exit due to injury on Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. In the second period, he hurt his left hand while blocking an attempt on goal by Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski. Dobson leads the NHL with 188 blocks this season. Unfortunately, his most recent one could end up costing him time just as the playoffs are about to begin. Up to this point, Dobson has featured in all 80 Canadiens games, contributing 12 goals and 35 assists offensively. He is looking at his first absence of the season on Sunday against the Islanders.

Apr 12

Cole Caufield • RW • Canadiens

Cole Caufield Reaches 50 Goals

Montreal Canadiens right winger Cole Caufield scored his 50th goal of the season in a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. He becomes the first Montreal player since Stephane Richer in 1989-90 to score 50 goals in a season, and just the second this year after Nathan Mackinnon. Caufield now has 50 goals, 87 points, and a plus-30 rating in 78 games played this season.

Apr 9

Kirby Dach • C • Canadiens

Kirby Dach Ready to Return Tuesday

Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach (upper body) will be available for action on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers. He has been out since mid-March with an upper-body injury, which has cost Dach 11 games. Alexandre Texier (lower body) is also available after missing seven games. Although Dach has seen time on the top line this season, he is expected to return in a bottom-six capacity on Tuesday, which will severely limit his fantasy appeal. The 25-year-old has recorded 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in 32 games this season. Dach is expected to slot into the lineup in place of Joe Veleno (undisclosed), who was absent from the morning skate.

Apr 7

Alexandre Carrier • D • Canadiens

Alexandre Carrier Out 2-4 Weeks With Upper-Body Injury

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Alexandre Carrier (upper body) will exit the lineup for Tuesday's meeting with the Tampa Bay Lightning and is expected to miss 2-4 weeks. Montreal may be without him for the rest of the regular season after Carrier sustained an upper-body injury. Carrier has played well on both ends of the ice, amassing 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists), 56 SOG, and 155 blocks in 73 games. Adam Engstrom joined the big club on Monday and could be Carrier's replacement for Tuesday's game. The 22-year-old Swedish native has made 11 appearances in the NHL and is still looking for his first points.

Mar 31

Canadiens News

LEGEND