Something about the Montreal Canadiens right now just doesn’t add up.
A team that sat at 3-3-1 after a 5-4 loss to the Washington Capitals on Oct. 14, with a goal differential of minus-4, looked like it was heading toward rough water. At that point, only one of their three wins had come in regulation. Then came the kind of stretch that seems impossible on paper.
They went 1-for-5 on the power play in the next game against the Sabres, and that remains their latest power-play goal as of Oct. 30.
Nick Suzuki, the captain, was out for the first time in his career. Ivan Demidov was still unavailable, too.
On paper, it looked like the setup for a slide.
Instead, the Canadiens have ripped off five wins in their last six games and now own a plus-5 goal differential. They’ve climbed from below the playoff line to second in the Atlantic Division. Even more striking, they’ve picked up at least one point in each of their last five games, and their last four have all been regulation wins.
Jacob Fowler has been a huge part of that run, no question. But the Canadiens also threw Jakub Dobes into the net against the Dallas Stars in their most recent game after his struggles this season, and the result was a 5-2 win over a Stanley Cup contender.
That’s the part that really makes you blink.
A goalie working through rough patches, two key forwards out, and the Canadiens still handled a top team. That doesn’t happen by accident.
The offense has been getting help from the back end, too. Over the last six games, Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson have each put up three points, while Alexandre Carrier has added four.
And then there’s Cole Caufield, who keeps driving everything forward. In the last six games, he has five goals and three assists for eight points. That kind of production makes sense after his 50-goal season in 2025-26, but doing it while Suzuki is out gives the Canadiens another layer they probably didn’t expect to have.
Fowler may be the biggest reason this run has happened, but the bigger picture is hard to ignore: this has been a full-team response. Somebody has found a way to step up every night.
In Other News...
Canadiens Just Got Pulled Into A Dylan Larkin Roster Watch
The Canadiens have found themselves attached to one of the more intriguing names on the trade market, with Montreal reportedly putting young talent into the conversation around Dylan Larkin. The Red Wings center remains a significant target, and the way the Canadiens are positioning their assets suggests they are at least serious about seeing where this can go. For a club still sorting out its long-term picture, the chance to land a player of Larkins caliber naturally changes the temperature around any discussion.
There is still a major hurdle in the process, though, and it could end up being the one that matters most. Larkin has not yet given Montreal the green light as a destination, even as talks continue and his suspension from Detroit adds another layer to the situation. Sources say the Canadiens could be prepared to build an offer around prospects and draft picks, but for now the real question is whether the sides can get past the approval stage and into something more concrete. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens May Be Getting Boxed Out Of Dylan Larkin Sweepstakes
The Canadiens have been circling the center market for a while, and Dylan Larkin has naturally become one of the more intriguing names to watch. Detroit has suspended him without pay after he refused to play, and the Red Wings are still working through trade discussions with multiple teams, with Montreal believed to be among the clubs at least in the mix. For a Canadiens front office looking to add help down the middle, it is the kind of situation worth monitoring closely.
Still, the path to Montreal does not look especially clean. Larkin has not expanded his preferred destination list, and the Canadiens are not on it, which leaves Montreal waiting on a player who may never view them as a landing spot. With the market for centers already thin and alternatives such as Ryan O'Reilly and Mark Scheifele also in the conversation, the Canadiens may have to decide whether to keep pressing on Larkin or pivot before the rest of the league leaves them behind. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Have A Rare Shot At The Star They Need
A rare opening has suddenly appeared for the Canadiens, and it involves one of the leagues most dangerous offensive players. Nikita Kucherov is in the final year of his contract with Tampa Bay, and Montreal has already been linked to the possibility of getting involved if the Lightning decide to move him before he reaches unrestricted free agency after the season.
For a team that has spent plenty of time searching for elite finishing talent, the mere chance to enter that conversation is notable. The complication, of course, is that a deal is still far from simple, with the Canadiens needing both the right trade framework and the right fit on Kucherovs side before anything can move forward. [Read more 🡒]