The Habs were tight defensively and took the Game 27 win against the Leafs

December 7, 2025

On Saturday night the Montreal Canadiens were in Toronto to face the Maple Leafs. They are two teams headed in different directions, with the Leafs trying to keep their competitive window open, while the Habs are just ascending to theirs. The result on this night was a 2-1 shootout win.

Some things caught my eye.

The power play is clicking.

Don’t look now, but the Canadiens sit at fourth place across the NHL in power play percentage with a 26.3% success rate. With the amount of skill injected into the lineup, any other outcome would be disappointing.

In Toronto, it was a beautiful passing play that led to another Cole Caufield goal. He was also successful in the shootout. After 27 games, Caufield has 15 goals and 15 assists.

The defensive game was solid in Toronto.

There was a point last season where the young Habs seemed to either figure out or commit to the coach’s defensive structure. From that point they did a lot of winning.

They have been a little sloppy this year. Adding Dobson to the top pair, losing a veteran net presence in Savard, and losing a top-four defender in Guhle, would be enough reason for them to need a few games to figure it all out.

Matheson, Dobson and Hutson were all excellent in Toronto. Have they turned a corner for this season?

Texier made a ballsy move in the shootout.

We had all seen the clips of him pulling that move. But on Hockey Night in Canada with the game on the line? It was slick and it won the game in Toronto. Let’s hope it inspires the others. The Habs have been a little Wonder Bread in the shootout so far this season.

Dobes is the confirmed number one.

It’s hard to say what Marty is thinking, or what HuGo thinks, but in the minds of fans and pundits the verdict is in. After stealing two shootout wins, Jakub Dobes has won the net and should be rewarded for it.

Do the Habs need Phil Danault?

Last night leading up to the game Frank Seravalli reported that with Danault slumping this season – he has zero goals and four assists – other teams have been asking about his availability. This led to some social media discussion about him returning to Montreal.

Danault will turn 33 in February and has one year beyond this season on his current contract. The $5.5M AAV is digestible. Any team would appreciate his shutdown ability and the Habs would benefit from his left shot and ability to win a draw.

But those four assists tell a tale. He had just eight goals last season, so it’s debatable whether Danault is slumping or in decline. Would he fit with Demidov and Kapanen? Perhaps. Certainly he could provide defensive support, forecheck, win draws, and mentor Kapanen.

For the right price? Maybe.