The Canadiens head into Saturday night’s stop in Pittsburgh with momentum and a clear challenge in front of them.
Montreal opened its season with a 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, and now the road trip rolls on with a matchup against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. It shapes up as a tough, playoff-style game, especially with Pittsburgh having taken seven of the last nine meetings between the teams. Still, the Canadiens have had the better of the recent series, winning two of the last three.
A lot of the spotlight will naturally land on Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. But if Montreal is looking for an early edge, Josh Anderson might be the name to watch.
The bottom-six winger came out of the gate strong in the opener, tying for the team lead in points with a goal and an assist. He added three shots on goal, four hits and finished plus-two, giving the Canadiens an immediate boost in a game they needed to survive.
Anderson has a history of fast starts, and that’s part of what makes this worth watching. Last season was a quiet opening month for him - just two points in 11 games - but he already matched that output in one night this year. That alone hints at the kind of early-season surge he’s been able to produce before.
Over his career, Anderson has piled up 24 goals and 18 assists for 42 points in 95 games during the opening month of a season. That total includes January 2020 because of the COVID-19 delay, as well as 2015, when he began the season in November.
He’s also had success against Pittsburgh. In December, Montreal and the Penguins met in a home-and-home series before the holiday break, and Anderson was the difference in the first game, scoring twice in a 4-0 Canadiens win. Those goals pushed his numbers to six goals and three assists for nine points in his last 18 games against the Penguins.
Anderson has built his career as a physical, hard-checking player who typically lands in the 20-to-30-point range, but his record against Pittsburgh and his tendency to start seasons well make him more than just a supporting piece in this matchup. For the 32-year-old veteran, another strong night could be right there for the taking.
In Other News...
Canadiens Showed Real Fight But One New Concern Could Linger
The Canadiens got the kind of response they needed against Pittsburgh, pushing back after a rough stretch and forcing the game past regulation before falling in overtime. Montreals top line was again at the center of it, with Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Chris Kreider driving the offense and giving the club a much-needed spark when it found itself chasing the game.
The bigger concern may be on the blue line, where Alexandre Carrier exited early and never returned, leaving his status up in the air afterward. For a team that just showed it can claw its way back into a game, losing another defenseman would be a tough complication to absorb, especially with the Canadiens trying to build on a performance that offered plenty of encouragement even in defeat. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Fans Have Every Reason To Be Furious About That OT Loss
The Canadiens had every reason to feel they left points on the table after an overtime loss to Pittsburgh that already had plenty of tension before the final sequence. Montreal got the start it wanted with Cole Caufield opening the scoring, then watched Chris Kreider and Ivan Demidov help push the game to extra time in a matchup that felt tight all night.
In overtime, though, the conversation shifted to a disputed sequence that left the Canadiens and their fans seething. Ivan Demidov appeared to be impeded on the play leading into the Penguins winner, and Thomas Novaks goal counted anyway, turning a hard-fought game into a frustrating finish that is sure to linger for Montreal well beyond the final horn. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Deadline Pursuit Was Bigger Than Fans Realized
The Canadiens were closer to making a major move at the last trade deadline than many around the team realized. Jeff Gorton said Montreal was in serious discussions with two different teams, a sign that Kent Hughes and the front office were pushing hard to add in a market where the cost kept climbing and the competition for impact players stayed fierce. Footage from the period also showed Hughes putting a hefty package on the table, underscoring how aggressively the Canadiens were trying to explore their options.
Even without a deal getting across the line, the episode adds more context to how Montreal has been operating under Hughes and Gorton, especially with the organization still balancing present-day upgrades against the bigger-picture plan. The deadline chatter also sits alongside the broader swirl of rumors around Matthew Knies and the shifting landscape in Toronto, where management changes can alter the way trade talks unfold. For the Canadiens, the takeaway is clear: they were in the hunt, and the price tag was substantial. [Read more 🡒]