The Canadiens found a little breathing room in one of the cleanest places you can look for it: the penalty kill.
Montreal slipped past the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 in a shootout after holding a 3-1 lead and then watching Buffalo claw all the way back. The result mattered, sure. But the bigger story was how the Canadiens kept surviving the kinds of moments that were sinking them earlier.
They went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill against Buffalo, and that pushed them to nine straight successful kills over their last two games. That’s a sharp turn from the start of the season, when they gave up five power play goals on 17 chances through their first four games.
That swing has already shown up in the standings in real time. In each of the past two games, Montreal ended up in a shootout, and neither side scored there before the Canadiens came out on top.
Against Detroit, a single bounce the other way could have flipped the result. Against Buffalo, a 3-1 lead could have disappeared entirely.
Either way, the margin was razor thin.
Even in the alternate version where Montreal doesn’t close it out, the points still matter. A loss in overtime to the Red Wings would still have handed them something. A game without the 3-1 cushion against Buffalo might never have reached the point where they were protecting a lead at all.
That kind of survival matters for a team still trying to steady itself early in the season. It gives them time.
The larger picture is still messy. Entering the game, the Canadiens were 27th out of 32 teams in goals allowed.
In three of their six games so far, they’ve given up five goals or more. In those same three games, they also surrendered five power-play goals, which played a huge role in an overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins and helped put the Nashville Predators game out of reach.
So no, a hot penalty kill doesn’t erase all of that. But it does change the feel of this team, and it changes outcomes fast.
This run probably won’t last forever. Still, if Montreal can keep that part of its special teams working, it gives them a real shot to stop the slide and get back on track.
In Other News...
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Reinbachers arrival adds intrigue to a situation the Canadiens did not have much time to manage, but his actual role is still unsettled. Montreal has not yet confirmed whether he will make his debut against Washington or where he would slot in if he does, which leaves the club balancing immediate need with a more cautious look at how it wants to deploy him. [Read more 🡒]
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Montreal has shown serious interest, which makes sense for a team that would love to add a player of Larkins caliber if the opportunity ever materializes. The catch is simple: he is not currently open to playing there, even though the Canadiens are said to be willing to put together a significant offer if that stance changes. For now, it is less a full-blown pursuit than a waiting game, with Montreal keeping tabs on a possibility that may depend on one big shift in Larkins thinking. [Read more 🡒]
Ivan Demidov Now Faces An Off Ice Problem Canadiens Fans Didn't Expect
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A lawyer has already filed a motion to undo the payment of the second ticket, and Demidovs guilty plea withdrawal has been approved, keeping him behind the wheel for now until municipal court issues its ruling. The case has even touched the Canadiens own player security department, with Mitch Janhevich initially handling the ticket as a routine matter, but the bigger question is still hanging over Demidov as he waits for the courts next move. [Read more 🡒]