The Canadiens got the kind of win that can quiet a room and clear the head, even if only a little. Saturday night’s 1-0 result over the visiting Detroit Red Wings snapped a three-game slide, and it came in a game full of oddities, including three disallowed goals.
That ended the immediate skid, but it didn’t erase the bigger problem. Montreal’s special teams have been stuck in neutral, and right now they look like the clearest area that needs attention.
Last season, the Canadiens weren’t some special-teams juggernaut, but they were far healthier in that department than they are now. Over 82 games, their power play finished at 23.14 percent, which ranked 10 th in the NHL.
They also sat 11 th in power-play opportunities, so they weren’t just getting chances - they were making decent use of them. Juraj Slafkovsky led the way with 15 goals, while Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield added 11 apiece.
The penalty kill was more modest. Montreal finished 18 th in the league there, surviving 78.23 percent of short-handed situations. That wasn’t enough to make them a shutdown team, though the power play helped offset it enough for the club to finish with 106 regular-season points.
This season, that balance has disappeared. Through five games, the Canadiens’ power play is sitting at 30 th in the NHL with a 5.88 percent success rate.
They’ve drawn 17 penalties, the 18 th-most in the league, but that explanation only goes so far. The Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild, Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings have had fewer chances and still managed far better results.
The penalty kill has also dipped. Montreal is 22 nd at 76.19 percent, which is a troublesome slide from last season’s numbers.
Discipline has not helped matters, either. The Canadiens have been shorthanded 21 times in five games, eighth-most in the NHL, and Arber Xhekaj leads the team with 12 penalty minutes.
The deeper numbers are just as rough. On 5-on-4 situations, Money Puck has Montreal’s expected goals for at 1.93, which ranks 28 th.
Their expected goals above average is minus-0.93, good for 24 th. Even worse, 38.24 percent of their power-play shots have been blocked, which leaves them dead last in that category.
The pattern shows up on the ice, too. The Ottawa Senators and Seattle Kraken are examples of teams that simply get the puck to the net.
Ottawa’s power play is only 24 th overall, but it is still converting at 12.50 percent, more than twice Montreal’s rate. Seattle is producing at 23.53 percent, good for 10 th in the league, and the common thread is straightforward: they are shooting.
Montreal’s top power-play players - Lane Hutson, Caufield and Suzuki - often work the puck around and look for the perfect opening. They’re highly skilled players, but sometimes skill has to give way to urgency.
The Canadiens know how to play at a high level; last season proved that, and the 2025-26 run showed just how far they’ve come. But that only makes the current special-teams issues stand out more.
In a league where the margins are thin, those two-minute stretches can tilt everything. Montreal has the talent. What it needs now is the bite.
In Other News...
Canadiens Goaltending Pressure Grows After Stunning Hellebuyck Trade Rumor
Elliotte Friedmans reporting on a potential Connor Hellebuyck blockbuster has only added another layer to the goaltending chatter around the league, and it is the kind of rumor that naturally gets attention in Montreal too. According to Friedman, the Panthers reportedly floated a hefty package to the Jets for the star netminder, a sign of just how aggressively clubs continue to chase certainty in goal even after the offseason dust starts to settle.
Florida has since steadied itself with Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid, but Winnipegs side of the equation still feels very much open-ended. Friedman said the offer was still available as of June, which keeps the story alive and keeps the pressure on teams like the Canadiens, who are watching a market where one big move can change the complexion of the conversation fast. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Face A Tough Three-Game Week With Lineup Questions
The Canadiens are heading into a tricky three-game week with their schedule and their health both working against them. Montreal plays Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, with the first two games coming on back-to-back nights and the opener arriving on an earlier-than-usual 6:30 p.m. start before a 7:30 p.m. puck drop Wednesday and a 7 p.m. game Saturday.
At 2-2-1, the margin for error is already thin, and the lineup questions only add to the pressure on a group trying to settle in early. Florian Xhekaj, Oliver Kapanen and Mike Matheson are among the players creating uncertainty as the Canadiens try to navigate a demanding stretch without much time to reset between games. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Face A Costly Dylan Larkin Dilemma Kent Hughes Can't Ignore
Talk around Dylan Larkin has picked up again, and the asking price only reinforces why these conversations rarely go anywhere quickly. According to reports from Michael Russo and Pierre LeBrun, the Minnesota Wild would need to part with a young prospect such as Danila Yurov or Charlie Stramel to get Detroit to even consider moving their captain, while the Wild have no appetite for including an established defender like Jonas Brodin.
For Montreal, that kind of framework matters because it hints at how steep the market would be before the Canadiens even get to the hardest part of the equation. Kent Hughes can check in, but the real obstacle may be getting Larkin's side to view Montreal as the right landing spot, and until that changes, the Canadiens are stuck watching a chase that looks expensive long before it looks realistic. [Read more 🡒]