It would be fair to say that the Habs had their struggles this past week. On the other hand, they still managed to come out of their games with five of a possible eight points, good enough to keep them in the top three in the increasingly tight Atlantic Division.
After dropping the first two games of their road trip, the Habs looked to salvage a victory as they took on Ottawa on Saturday. They certainly didn’t play well for most of the game but did just enough to secure a 6-5 overtime win.
The three-goalie rotation is over in Montreal, at least for the time being. The Habs announced on Friday that they’ve assigned goalie Jacob Fowler along with centre Owen Beck to Laval.
Laval had a tough back-to-back set on the road last week. They didn’t play particularly well in either game but Kaapo Kahkonen helped steal a win in Rochester to help them split the week.
Alexandre Texier has turned out to be a key piece for the Habs since signing with them back in November. On Wednesday, he was rewarded for his efforts as the Canadiens have signed him to a two-year extension that will carry a $2.5 million cap hit.
After their long road trip, the Habs returned home to kick off a long stretch of home games. While the week didn’t end particularly well, Montreal played a pair of solid games in their first two contests, allowing them to come away with a reasonable four points.
The month of December was a strong one for the Habs along with several key prospects (and a couple of veteran minor leaguers). Here are our three stars for the month.
Laval wrapped up 2025 on a winning note but struggled as the calendar flipped to 2026, putting in a pair of disappointing efforts at home against Utica. However, they still managed to get a victory in one of those contests, making for a successful week in the standings.
Montreal’s long road trip came to an end with several tough matchups and one easier one on paper. Naturally, the Habs lost the easier one but won the three harder ones, ending their voyage on a positive note.
The Habs entered 2026 with a road game against Carolina on Thursday, a team they struggle mightily against on the road. Their offence had a strong showing, however, and it was just enough to get them the 7-5 win.