The Montreal Canadiens got the kind of outdoor win that can settle a team down: tight, messy, and decided by a goalie who refused to blink. In their first Heritage Classic appearance in more than 15 seasons, the Canadiens beat the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on Sunday night after a scoreless opening period turned into a second-period burst and a tense finish.
Montreal struck twice in the middle frame, then survived a third-period push that had all the makings of a comeback. Winnipeg got one back, pressed late, and even created a 6-on-4 after Josh Anderson was called for tripping and the Jets pulled their goalie. But Jacob Fowler shut the door with a handful of huge stops, including several in the closing minutes, and Montreal walked away with the win.
One of the biggest reasons the Canadiens held on was the pairing of Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson. The two were together for the second time in three games, and the chemistry showed. Dobson fed Hutson a beautiful pass across the ice right in front of the crease for the opening goal in the second period, giving Montreal the first breakthrough of the night.
The numbers matched the eye test. Hutson and Dobson logged almost 15 minutes together and posted a CF% of 74.29% with both on the ice.
They also helped the Canadiens create nine scoring chances for while allowing only five against, according to Natural Stat Trick. Martin St.
Louis may not be able to keep them together all season, but the case for sticking with that look is getting stronger by the game.
Fowler’s night was just as important, maybe more so. The young goalie turned aside 33 of 34 shots, and he stopped nine power-play shots as Montreal got tested in a game that demanded near perfection. He improved to 5-1 on the season, has won his last five starts, and has given up one or fewer goals in three of those games.
Montreal only brought Fowler up after Samuel Montembeault was injured in practice, but that no longer looks like a short-term move. Fowler has moved ahead of Jakub Dobes on the depth chart and should be viewed as the starter now.
The other big storyline was Montreal’s growing ability to protect a lead. Two-goal cushions in the third period have been a problem for this team, with leads often slipping away before the final horn.
That habit has started to fade, though. On Friday night, the Canadiens led the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 and finished the job with an empty-net goal in a 4-1 win.
Against Winnipeg, they were tested again. The Jets cut the margin to one with about five minutes left in the period and kept pushing after that. But Montreal got enough from its penalty kill and enough from Fowler to close it out in regulation this time.
In Other News...
Cole Caufield Sees Something Building Canadiens Fans Will Love
Cole Caufield has been around long enough now to know the difference between playing in a hockey market and playing in Montreal. The Canadiens winger talked about what it means to perform in front of the Bell Centre crowd, where the energy rises quickly and the expectation rises with it, and he pointed back to the lessons from the clubs recent playoff run as part of the learning curve for a young group trying to move from promise to results.
Caufields optimism comes from more than just what happened last spring. He sees a core that is in place and a room that keeps challenging itself every day, which is exactly the kind of internal push the Canadiens have been searching for as they try to build something lasting. For a fan base that has stayed loud through the lean years, the appeal is obvious: Caufield believes the motivation is there, and the goal is to turn all that noise into a team worth cheering for deep into the spring. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Just Sparked A Trade Question Fans Wont Ignore
Adam Engstrom is back in the Canadiens lineup for the game in St. Louis, a wrinkle that immediately caught attention around the rink because Montreal is always watched closely when young defensemen start drawing extra eyes. The timing is notable, too, with Arber Xhekaj sitting as a healthy scratch, a reminder that roster decisions at this stage of the season can say as much about organizational priorities as they do about one nights matchup.
The added intrigue comes from the seats rather than the bench, where Red Wings executive Kris Draper was in attendance and helped stir up the usual trade chatter that follows a prospect with a growing profile. There has been no confirmation of any talks or of what Detroit was specifically there to evaluate, but with Engstrom back in the mix and outside interest hovering, this is the kind of situation Canadiens fans will keep watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Just Did Something Impressive Without Suzuki And Demidov
The Canadiens kept rolling on the road with a 2-0 win over the St. Louis Blues, extending their streak away from home even while missing injured regulars Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov. Montreal got the kind of composed, structured effort teams usually need to survive a gap in the lineup, with rookie goaltending and timely finishing carrying the night in a game that looked anything but ordinary.
Zachary Bolduc scored against his former team, giving the Canadiens a goal with a little extra edge, and the result only sharpened the sense that this group is finding ways to win in different forms. The larger question now is whether Montreal can keep that same standard if the injury picture doesn't clear up soon, because the latest victory came with one more reminder that the margin for error remains thin. [Read more 🡒]