The Canadiens had the kind of night that can haunt a room for a while.
For most of Tuesday, Montreal looked in complete control against a Winnipeg Jets team that had dropped nine straight and had already lost to the Canadiens in the Heritage Classic. Then the third period turned into a disaster. Montreal took a 4-0 lead early in the final frame, only to watch Winnipeg storm back with four goals in a 2:06 burst and force overtime before Dylan Samberg finished the comeback for the Jets’ first win since October 13th.
It was a collapse with a place in the record book. The Jets’ rally was the latest four-goal comeback win in NHL history after trailing 4-0 with 2:39 left in regulation, and it came in the second-fastest stretch of four goals allowed since 1919.
For Montreal, the most painful part is how suddenly it all went sideways. Jacob Fowler was sitting on a shutout with about three minutes left in the third period, and the Canadiens had every reason to think they were about to cruise to a sixth straight win. Instead, the game flipped in a blink.
That third-period unraveling also brings a bigger issue back into focus. Montreal had been better about protecting leads during this recent run, but the old problem showed up again against Winnipeg.
The Canadiens now sit at minus-9 in the third period, a sharp swing from last season, when they were plus-11. It’s the kind of number that has to be sitting heavily on Martin St.
Louis’ mind.
Fowler’s night will draw attention, and not all of it will be kind. He allowed five goals on 47 shots, and the last two games have now brought nine goals against after such a strong start to his season.
Still, this wasn’t a simple case of the rookie goalie sinking the team. He was good enough to put Montreal in position to win and was about three minutes away from his third shutout of the season before everything broke open.
The real question now is how he responds the next time he gets the net.
There were positives buried in the wreckage, and Josh Anderson was one of them. He scored again, giving him seven goals on the season and three over the past two games after his pair against the Pittsburgh Penguins. That puts him halfway to last season’s total of 14 goals in just 15 games, and he’s now only one behind Cole Caufield for the team lead in even-strength goals.
With Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov out for a good chunk of the season, Montreal has needed someone to help carry the offense, and Anderson has done exactly that during this stretch.
The power play also finally gave the Canadiens something to smile about. Montreal had gone 0-for-15 over its previous six games with the man advantage, but Tuesday snapped that skid in a big way. Cole Caufield scored twice on the power play, first in the second period to push the lead to three and then again less than a minute into the third to make it 4-0.
The Canadiens now have plenty to sort through, and not much time to do it. Their next game comes Thursday night against the Utah Mammoth.
In Other News...
Canadiens Bench Had A Telling Reaction To Arber Xhekajs Fight
Arber Xhekaj gave the Canadiens bench a jolt during their game against the Winnipeg Jets when he came out on top in a fight, and the reaction behind him said plenty about how much the moment meant in the room. Montreals players were quick to celebrate the scrap, with the entire bench acknowledging Xhekaj afterward as the game carried on.
Even Jacob Fowler joined in on the congratulations, a small but telling snapshot of the energy Xhekaj can bring to a lineup that was still trying to close out the night. The Canadiens did not finish the job, though, as Winnipeg stormed back late to force overtime and then won it there, leaving Montreal to turn the page quickly with Utah next on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Linked To A Stunning Summer Race For A Lightning Star
The idea of the Canadiens getting involved in a summer sweepstakes for Nikita Kucherov would have sounded far-fetched not long ago, but it is starting to surface in the kind of speculative chatter that follows a big-name player with a complicated future. Jonny Lazarus has gone as far as predicting that Tampa Bay could trade both Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy in the offseason, while also expecting Kucherov to finish the current season in Tampa before anything happens.
For Montreal, the intrigue is obvious. A player of Kucherovs caliber would instantly reshape the conversation around the Canadiens, and other reports have already connected them as a possible destination if the Lightning ever seriously opened the door. Nothing is imminent, and the whole idea still lives in the realm of summer rumor, but it is the kind of star-driven possibility that will keep Montreal on the edge of the discussion if Tampa Bay decides to make a dramatic move. [Read more 🡒]
Jacob Fowler Has Montreal Dreaming Bigger Than Just A Hot Start
Jacob Fowlers first month in the NHL has done more than steady the crease for Montreal. It has given the Canadiens a rookie goaltender who looks every bit like a legitimate early-season force, with an 7-1-0 start, a 1.84 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage through eight games. For a team that has spent years searching for stability in net, Fowlers arrival has quickly turned into one of the more encouraging storylines on the roster.
The bigger conversation now is whether this kind of beginning can carry all the way into the Calder Trophy race, where goaltenders rarely get enough traction to win. Fowler is already being mentioned among the leagues top rookies, but the path to staying there is a long one, demanding both elite play and good health from here on out. Montreal can enjoy the hot start for now, even if the real test is still to come. [Read more 🡒]