Canadiens News

EASTERN ATLANTIC

Lane Hutson • D • Canadiens

Lane Hutson Contributes Two Assists in Game 5 Victory

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson finished Thursday's 6-3 Game 5 win over the Buffalo Sabres with two assists. In the second period, he provided an even-strength assist on a goal by Josh Anderson and also helped Nick Suzuki score on the power play. Hutson became only the seventh Canadiens blue-liner to record 10 assists in a single postseason. He's the first defenseman in 39 years from the team to record an assist in four straight playoff games. While Hutson does most of his scoring as a playmaker, he has also tallied two goals this postseason. With 12 points in 12 games, he is tied with Nick Suzuki for Montreal's scoring lead.

5 hours ago

Nick Suzuki • C • Canadiens

Nick Suzuki Amasses Three Points in Crucial Victory Thursday

Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki collected three points as the team grabbed a 3-2 series lead with a 6-3 road victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night. Suzuki picked up an early assist on Cole Caufield's first even-strength goal of the postseason, but the Canadiens found themselves 3-2 behind at the first intermission. After the break, they were a completely different team, scoring four unanswered goals. Suzuki made an impact on the power play, netting Montreal's fifth goal of the night and assisting Ivan Demidov on the sixth. With 12 games played, Suzuki shares Montreal's scoring lead in the postseason with Lane Hutson. He has produced four goals and eight assists. Strangely, all of his goals have come on the road.

6 hours ago

Juraj Slafkovsky • LW • Canadiens

Juraj Slafkovsky Dishes Out Three Assists in Game 5 Win

Montreal Canadiens winger Juraj Slafkovsky demonstrated elite playmaking in Game 5 against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, finishing a 6-3 road victory with three assists. He recorded two power-play assists and helped Cole Caufield to finally get his first even-strength goal of the postseason. Having netted a hat trick in Game 1 against Tampa Bay, Slafkovsky became the first Montreal player in 16 years to register two three-point games during a single playoff run. The playoff opener against the Lightning ended up being Slafkovsky's only game with points in Round 1, but he's been much sharper in the second-round matchup with Buffalo, contributing one goal and five assists in five games. Yet Slafkovsky has managed only a single even-strength point throughout the entire postseason.

6 hours ago

Cole Caufield • RW • Canadiens

Cole Caufield Ends Dry Spell Sunday

Montreal Canadiens winger Cole Caufield posted a goal and an assist as the team cruised past the Buffalo Sabres 6-2 in Game 3 on Sunday. Both of his points came with the man advantage. Incredibly, 10 games into the postseason, Caufield has yet to register a point at even strength. He has two goals and four assists. Before Sunday night, Caufield had been held scoreless in five consecutive games. His production has dropped like a rock since becoming the seventh player in Canadiens history to reach 50 goals in a regular season. While Caufield's form must be concerning for Montreal, the team is still up 2-1 in the second-round series and has scored 11 goals in the last two games.

4 days ago

Alex Newhook • C • Canadiens

Alex Newhook Nets Two More Goals in Sunday's Victory

Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Newhook had his second consecutive multi-goal game on Sunday, finding the back of the net twice in a 6-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 3. He is the first Canadiens player in 29 years to have two straight multi-goal playoff games. Overall, Newhook has potted five goals in the last four games, becoming Montreal's leading goal-scorer this postseason. In 10 appearances, he has also contributed one assist. With star forwards Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky struggling, getting secondary scoring from players like Newhook has been crucial for the Canadiens.

4 days ago

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.

6 days 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.

6 days 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.

6 days 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.

May 7

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.

May 6

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).

May 6

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.

May 4

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.

May 3

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

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