The Montreal Canadiens have not been losing games because they can’t get themselves into good positions. The problem is what happens after they get there.
That was on display again earlier this week in a 4-3 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks, when a two-goal lead slipped away on home ice against a team that had played the night before. The Canadiens didn’t just cough up the points - they handed them to an opponent that wasn’t supposed to be this hard to handle.
The finish to that game told the whole story. San Jose’s winner came on a penalty kill in overtime, after Jakub Dobes took an interference penalty that left Montreal in a shaky four-on-three situation.
It’s an easy place to point the finger, especially given Dobes’ underwhelming season so far, but that would be too simple. He had a role in it, sure.
He was not the first domino.
Before overtime ever arrived, Arber Xhekaj put Montreal in trouble with a costly unsportsmanlike penalty in the third period after he dropped the gloves against Michael Kesselring, who chose not to respond. That set up the game-tying goal by Tyler Toffoli.
And before that, Lane Hutson turned the puck over to Michael Misa at the Sharks’ blue line, which led to a two-on-one and a goal that dragged San Jose back into a game Montreal had largely controlled in terms of offensive-zone time. Xhekaj has already drawn plenty of heat for his discipline, but this one wasn’t on him alone. The Canadiens are making the same mistakes as a group.
That’s the bigger issue: this wasn’t the first blown lead of the season, not even close. The loss to San Jose marked the fourth time Montreal has surrendered a two-goal advantage.
Two of those came against the Buffalo Sabres last week, and while the Canadiens still won both, they needed a shootout and overtime to do it. Those are victories, but they’re not the kind that help much when tiebreakers start mattering late in the year.
That detail matters because Montreal let the Atlantic Division get away from it by just three points last April. Right now, the Canadiens sit at 4-3-2 and are outside the playoffs. That’s a frustrating place to be when many expected them to be in the mix for the top of the division.
The schedule hasn’t exactly been cruel, either. Six of their first nine games have been at home, and they’ve had only one set of back-to-backs.
Four of their opponents have faced Montreal on the second night of back-to-backs, including San Jose. In those games, the Canadiens are 2-1-1, with both wins - against Buffalo and Detroit - coming in shootouts.
So yes, Montreal has arguably played well enough to belong near the top three in the division. But the standings don’t reward “almost.” They reward points, and the Canadiens keep giving away chances to bank them.
The road only gets less forgiving from here. After the loss to the Sharks, Montreal heads into four straight road games.
Four of its next five opponents to close out the month are also outside the playoffs, but they’ll all be rested. November brings another layer of difficulty, too: only four of 14 games are against non-playoff teams so far, and only six are at home.
That matters because American Thanksgiving has long been the point where the real playoff contenders usually start separating themselves, helped in part by the “loser” point that makes it harder for teams to climb back once they fall behind. Montreal already picked up one of those against San Jose. The issue is that it let the second one get away.
There is still plenty of time for the Canadiens to fix this. The schedule remains favorable overall, with only 10 sets of back-to-backs and the league’s biggest edge in rest advantages compared to games where the opponent has the fresher legs.
On paper, this is a soft landing spot. On the ice, the Canadiens are wasting it.
That’s what makes the early-season picture so uneasy. Montreal has still shown it can get into winning positions.
It just hasn’t shown it can protect them. Last season, the Canadiens co-led the league with 26 comeback wins.
This year, the story has flipped. They’re the ones giving leads away.
It’s still early, but not early enough to ignore a pattern. Thanksgiving is coming fast, and the Canadiens have that long to clean up the mistakes, cut out the indiscipline and stop giving away games they should be finishing.
Right now, the warning lights are on. Ask again in about a month, and this could already look like a poor start.
In Other News...
Canadiens Prospect Alexander Zharovsky Just Gave Fans Another Reason To Wait
Alexander Zharovsky continues to give Canadiens fans a reason to keep an eye on the KHL box scores. The 19-year-old forward, who is still developing in Russia with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, was part of a recent comeback win over Metallurg Magnitogorsk and has remained one of the more intriguing young talents in Montreals pipeline after a record-setting rookie season.
The start to this season has been a little uneven, but that is part of the patient plan the Canadiens have in place for him. Rather than rush him toward North America, Montreal is letting Zharovsky handle the ups and downs of a full KHL campaign, hoping the long view pays off when he is ready to make the next jump. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Still Loom In A Trade Situation That May Not Be Closed
Trade chatter around the league still has a way of circling back to Montreal, even when the Canadiens are not directly named in the latest twist. Connor Hellebuyck remains a major talking point as the Winnipeg Jets keep working on a deal, and there is even some talk that his physicals could be pushed back while attention shifts to the Heritage Classic weekend. Around the same time, Dylan Larkins name has been resurfacing in broader speculation, with his list of destinations expanding and his market still worth monitoring.
For the Canadiens, the key part is what is not yet there. Montreal is not on Larkins current 10-team list, which does not shut the door on future interest but does keep the club on the outside for now. Elsewhere, Pittsburghs situation bears watching too, since a tougher stretch could trigger a larger sell-off as management operates under a tight budget, leaving this as one of those leaguewide trade stories that could still change shape before it finally settles. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Face A Brutal Test Without Their Captain
Nick Suzukis absence is the kind of development that changes the feel of a roster immediately. The Canadiens captain is dealing with an upper-body injury that will keep him out for 2-4 weeks, and with that comes the end of his remarkable run of 546 consecutive games. It is the sort of stretch that underscores how central Suzuki has become to Montreal, not just as its top center but as the steadying presence the team has leaned on through so much of its recent progress.
For the Canadiens, the next few weeks now become a test of depth and adaptability. Montreal has already moved to bring up Owen Beck from AHL Laval, a sign that the club is preparing to reshuffle responsibilities quickly while Suzuki recovers. However the lines are arranged, the larger challenge is obvious: replacing a captain who touches so many parts of the game is never as simple as plugging in one player and moving on. [Read more 🡒]