Canadiens Show Growth in OT Loss to Wild, Proving Their B-Game Is No Longer a Liability
ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Montreal Canadiens didn’t start strong against the Minnesota Wild.
In fact, the first 20 minutes looked like a flashback to some of their more forgettable efforts this season - down 2-0 early, struggling to get their legs under them, and facing one of the NHL’s top teams on the road. But this wasn’t December.
This wasn’t the same Canadiens team that collapsed against Tampa Bay.
This time, they pushed back.
Despite falling 4-3 in overtime, Monday night’s game marked a turning point - not in the standings necessarily, but in the Canadiens’ identity. It was a test of their B-game, that elusive, gritty version of hockey that doesn’t rely on highlight-reel plays or pristine execution, but rather on resilience, structure, and maturity. And for a young team still learning how to win, this was a performance that showed real progress.
Let’s rewind to December 9. Montreal got steamrolled 6-1 by the Lightning at home.
That night, captain Nick Suzuki didn’t mince words. He called out the team’s inability to respond after falling behind early, pointing to their youth and inexperience as reasons why they let the game slip away so quickly.
Fast forward to Monday. The Canadiens once again gave up two early goals - the first on Minnesota’s opening shot, one Jakub Dobeš would surely like to have back, and the second after a defensive breakdown left Kirill Kaprizov wide open. It had all the makings of another unraveling.
But instead of folding, the Canadiens responded. They scored the next three goals, took a lead into the third period, and forced overtime against a playoff-caliber Wild team. That’s the kind of bounce-back effort that simply wasn’t there earlier in the season.
“We’ve got good players, guys have had more experience, and we’ve been in these situations where we go down, we don’t panic,” Suzuki said postgame. “Maybe a few years ago, we would lose 7-0 after that start.”
That’s not just lip service. It’s backed by the way this team has started to manage games.
In Buffalo on Saturday, they clawed back for a comeback win. Against Minnesota, they earned a hard-fought point.
These aren’t moral victories - they’re tangible signs of a team learning how to compete even when their best game isn’t on display.
Defenseman Kaiden Guhle echoed that sentiment, pointing to a shift in mindset. “In past years we’d get down in games and we’d try to make home run plays,” he said.
“Sometimes you need to just take singles. I think we’ve gotten better at that.”
That’s been a recurring theme from head coach Martin St. Louis - preaching the value of staying connected, sticking with the system, and not forcing the issue when trailing.
And the Canadiens are starting to buy in. Guhle credited Dobeš for making timely saves to keep them in it, calling that a key ingredient for any team trying to build consistency.
Dobeš, by the way, hasn’t lost in regulation since that December game against Tampa. He made 20 saves on Monday and gave his team a chance to win - exactly what you ask of a young goaltender still finding his footing in the NHL.
Another encouraging sign? The continued emergence of Kirby Dach.
Slotted on the top line with Suzuki and Cole Caufield, Dach delivered his second straight strong performance, including a go-ahead goal just 12 seconds into the third period. With a new contract looming, these games matter - not just for Dach’s future, but for the Canadiens’ long-term roster planning.
But while the spotlight often shines on the young core, it was the veteran presence that helped stabilize things early. The line of Brendan Gallagher, Phillip Danault, and Josh Anderson played a pivotal role in shifting momentum late in the first period. Gallagher’s determined drive to the net to cut the deficit to 2-1 gave Montreal life - and more importantly, belief.
“I felt the Danault line did that for us in the first period,” St. Louis said. “You catch your breath a little bit, and you didn’t get hurt too bad; you’re still in it.”
That’s the value of experience. Recognizing when the game is slipping and making a conscious effort to simplify, reset, and keep things manageable. It’s what good teams do, and it’s what the Canadiens are starting to do more consistently.
Yes, the Canadiens are still the youngest team in the league. Yes, there’s a lot of development left to happen. But this game - and the way they’ve handled adversity over the past few weeks - suggests that the lessons are starting to stick.
Guhle, now 24 and already with 185 NHL games under his belt, put it plainly: “You don’t get those [home run plays] every game. You get maybe one of those every two or three games. A lot of it is just maturity and learning the league.”
It’s that kind of maturity that’s allowing the Canadiens to stay in games they would’ve lost handily not long ago. It’s what allowed them to salvage a point on Monday night - a point that might not jump off the page in the standings but speaks volumes about where this team is headed.
The B-game isn’t just a concept anymore. It’s becoming a habit. And for a rebuilding team trying to establish a winning culture, that’s a big step forward.