The Montreal Canadiens’ five-game winning streak has been built on more than just hot goaltending or one big line catching fire. It has come without Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov, two of the most important players on the roster, and yet the group keeps finding ways to win.
That was the message Josh Anderson delivered after Montreal’s 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins when he was asked about the common thread in this run. “Well, we obviously have some big pieces out of our lineup right now.
I think that it's a next-man-up mentality, and I think we're playing really well as a team right now. Obviously, we miss those guys, but guys are stepping up big time to help us get through this.”
The numbers behind the streak make that even clearer. Over the last five games, Montreal has used 20 skaters who have appeared in at least one of those contests, and every one of them has recorded at least one point. Jake Evans leads the way with five points, while Phillip Danault, Cole Caufield, and Lane Hutson each have four.
The production doesn’t stop there. Four players are sitting at one point apiece in that stretch: Zachary Bolduc, Oliver Kapanen, Arber Xhekaj and Adam Engstrom. Owen Beck, who has played in only two of the five games, has already chipped in two points.
That kind of spread-out scoring says plenty about the way Montreal is surviving injuries, but it also points to the depth underneath the NHL roster. Beck, Engstrom and Florian Xhekaj, who has two points in the last four games, have all been able to step in and make an immediate impact when called upon. For a team that has already had to adjust without key pieces, that is a major advantage.
There is at least some encouraging news on the injury front. Suzuki was at practice on Sunday, and Demidov was seen without a walking boot. If they need a little more time, though, the Canadiens have already shown they can keep rolling in the meantime.
In Other News...
Canadiens Face A Costly Ryan O'Reilly Deadline Dilemma
With Nick Suzuki out, the Canadiens are again staring at a familiar deadline question: how aggressively should they chase help down the middle? Pierre Dorion has pointed to Ryan OReilly as a fit for Montreal, and the appeal is obvious. He is a proven center, he is in the final year of his contract, and he would bring a level of experience the roster could use right now.
The harder part is figuring out what such a move would cost, because Montreal would not be shopping for a bargain. Any deal for OReilly would almost certainly require real assets, the kind of prospects and draft capital that can thin out a pipeline in a hurry. For a Canadiens front office trying to balance urgency with long-term value, the price tag may end up being the biggest obstacle of all. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Loom In Two Massive NHL Trade Storylines
A fresh NHL trade market has already started to take shape after Seattle and Nashville swapped Shane Wright and Matthew Wood, a one-for-one move that sent two young players searching for a clean slate. For Montreal, the bigger significance may be what it signals around the league: the Canadiens are suddenly in the conversation on more than one front, with their name surfacing as a possible destination in cases where established players start looking for a change of scenery.
Dylan Larkin is currently sitting out while his situation unfolds, and Montreal could become part of the picture if he revises his trade preferences. Nikita Kucherov has also reportedly made clear he wants out of Tampa Bay, and if the Lightning ever decide to entertain offers, Montreal is among the teams being mentioned as a possible landing spot. For a Canadiens club still trying to position itself for the next step, simply being in those conversations matters, even if the real decisions are still to come. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Still Face One Big Question In Kent Hughes Trade Push
The Canadiens search for a top-six center has kept Kent Hughes active on the trade front, and the names floating around show just how ambitious Montreal is trying to be. David Pagnotta reported that the club has explored possibilities involving Kirill Marchenko, Matthew Knies and Robert Thomas as Hughes continues to look for a major addition that could change the look of the lineup down the middle.
Even with that kind of due diligence, the path to a deal has not gotten any easier. Montreal still has to navigate a market where some targets may not want to come, while Hughes also has limits on what he is willing to move out of the organization, which has slowed any blockbuster from materializing. For now, the Canadiens are still hunting for center help, but the biggest question is whether they can land it without paying a price they are not prepared to meet. [Read more 🡒]