October 29, 2025
On Tuesday night, the Montreal Canadiens closed out their second road trip of the season in Seattle. The result was a 4-3 overtime win and the Habs are 8-3 to start the season.
Here’s what caught my eye.
Are both waves of the power play better?
I don’t even recall when the power play has looked better. Adding Demidov brings a dimension to the first wave that brings it up a tier. This power play could be at the top of the league as the season progresses.
It might be recency bias because the second wave scored, but is it possible that loading up the first wave actually simplified things for the second?
Kirby Dach played a solid game in Seattle.
It was probably his best showing of the year. Dach was taking the puck to the net, playing strong in both ends, and mixing it up with three guys until Xhekaj showed up.
The question is whether Dach can ever do that at the level of an effective second line centreman. It certainly seems more likely that the Habs will trade for someone who is proven for that role, at least as a placeholder until they can develop Michael Hage.
Where does that leave Dach? Part of a package to land his replacement, maybe. Or perhaps he can be as effective on the wing for another centre as he was playing with Suzuki and Caufield in his first season in Montreal.
The individual effort on the OT winner was a thing of beauty.
I never expect the Canadiens to lose in the 3-on-3 overtime. As soon as Suzuki, Caufield and Hutson take the ice, I fully expect them to out-skate and out-skill the opposition until they make the red light go on. If regulation time ends with a tie, I feel very good about their chances to claim the two points.
You get the sense with all three guys that the loser point is not enough for them. They go into the OT hungry for the win… every time.
Last night the finish was a little different. Instead of the trio tying the Kraken D into knots, it was an individual 1-on-2 effort from Cole Caufield. After beating Dunn, he snuck one by Daccord to seal the win. Cole opened the scoring and finished the game.
What a start to the season for Caufield. He’s breaking team records, leading the league in goals, playing 200-foot hockey, and is a critical reason why the Canadiens are heading home having claimed six of eight points on the west coast trip.
Thankfully, we can go back to normal start times for a while.
Hab At Her 