October 26, 2025
After a disappointing loss in Edmonton on Thursday, the Montreal Canadiens had a very slow start in Vancouver on Saturday night. But after falling into a 2-0 hole, they turned it around and the result was a 4-3 win.
Some things caught my eye.
The power play is looking lethal since Demidov’s promotion.
When the injury bug struck the Habs last week and Parrik Laine was one of the victims, something became clear. The pressure to maintain a strong second wave of the power play was relieved. It didn’t take long for Coach Martin St. Louis to promote Ivan Demidov to the first wave.
Now that we know Laine will be out for 3-4 months, it’s unlikely Demidov ever leaves that first wave. He has found instant chemistry with that group, and with Nick Suzuki in particular, and in Vancouver the first wave notched two goals, with Demidov assisting on both.
Demidov is a playmaking wizard. His shot looked pretty good on that even-strength game winner too.
Marty is getting some help with another decision.
No one anticipated that Sam Montembeault would struggle so mightily to start the season. I’m sure the coach did not expect to be making tough decisions about which goalie to start on any given night. Earlier this fall he told us we could expect to see Dobes start at least as many games as the Canadiens had back-to-backs.
That was before Monty started letting in a banana or two each game, and before Dobes went on a heater.
Against the Canucks, Dobes stood on his head at times, and kept the Habs in it until they found their rhythm. At this point, the decision is not even a tough one. Marty has to favour his hot netminder until Monty can find his game.
Joe Veleno is not taking advantage of Laine’s absence.
Count me among the crowd who wanted to see Veleno figure it all out in Montreal. I mean, no one wanted it more than Tony Marinaro, but many of us wanted him to succeed. So far he has not taken advantage of the roster spot he gained when Laine was lost.
On paper, it should be a decent line. Dach has not looked bad since his return . Bolduc has shown great flashes. Veleno should be able to join that line and help it do damage. That’s not really been the case.
In the meanwhile, Arber Xhekaj played 6:37 in Vancouver, and has seen his TOI drop through three games of this road trip. Is that really sustainable for the duration of Guhle’s injury?
They don’t have a ton of options with them on this trip, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see line-up changes in Seattle. Does Del Gaizo get a look? Will Roy get another chance before they head home? Would the coach trust Xhekaj more playing wing on the fourth line?
They say you don’t change a winning line-up. I say any time is a good time to make improvements.
Hab At Her 