November 27, 2025
On Wednesday night the Montreal Canadiens were in Utah to face the Mammoth for their 22nd game of the season. The result was a 4-3 win.
Here’s what caught my eye.
Bolduc needed that power play goal.
The Habs really need to practice the 5-on-3 power play because that was a bit of a mess. Nevertheless, it was good to see Zachary Bolduc capitalize before the second penalty was over. That drought he was in was doing nothing to help the top line.
Minutes later, Bolduc was a factor on the Nick Suzuki goal, driving to the net and freeing space for the Captain. As the night wore on Bolduc set up Caufield nicely and then he returned the favour. He gained another assist on Suzuki’s game-tying goal. In other words, chemistry is building within that trio.
As good as they were in the first, the Habs had another second period brain cramp.
Those three quick goals could have lost them the game. They recovered, fortunately, but they can’t continue to fold under pressure every time there is a second period push back.
In fairness, there are a lot of kids in the line-up, including a couple who would not have been expected to be there if not for the injuries. Jared Davidson played 5:23 last night. It seems likely Texier will replace him on Friday.
Florian Xhekaj played just 8:51 and they don’t have a replacement for him… yet.
Engstrom was fine in his first start.
10:42 is how much ice time this rookie saw. He neither wowed nor disappointed, and that may be perfect for your first NHL game when you’re a defenseman who was selected in the third round.
Marco D’Amico’s posts caught my eye and resonated with me. Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson are the only certainties the Canadiens have on D. Both are high caliber defensemen, and both are under contract long term. But that’s it.
Mike Matheson is playing top-pair minutes but on an expiring contract.
Alexandre Carrier is a solid veteran, but let’s be honest. He was seriously bullied in last year’s playoffs.
Ideally, Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj are no more than your 6 or 7, and that’s not the worst outcome for either player.
Then there is Kaiden Guhle. Oh, we hear how much the Habs are missing him. Yes, we do. Every single year. And for some reason we talk about Guhle like Team Canada will fold if he’s not healthy for the Olympics.
HuGo HAS to be assessing the D group right now. And not just in relation to a run for this year’s playoffs. They’re not set in their top four yet. And I know I’m speaking blasphemy to say it, but the uncertainty revolves around Guhle. When healthy, he’s the exact kind of player that top four needs. But he is singularly unreliable to be there.
So they have to see what Engstrom’s got. And they have to keep a close eye on Reinbacher. And they have to scour the market for another option. It’s the only responsible thing to do.
Hab At Her 