The Habs rebounded well from a tough loss on Tuesday against Ottawa. They came back from a pair of one-goal deficits on Wednesday against Winnipeg while Cole Caufield potted the shootout winner in a 3-2 victory.
Montreal’s second period on Wednesday in Utah was a problem as they allowed three goals. However, they managed a pair of goals in the first and third periods, allowing them to start their Western road trip on a winning note.
The Habs found themselves down by two in the third period on Monday but were able to stage a comeback to get to overtime. They controlled the play in the extra session but couldn’t score and then in the shootout, the Blue Jackets scored twice on three shots to give them the 4-3 win.
The Habs weren’t able to muster up much offence on Dustin Wolf on Wednesday in Calgary but, backed by another strong showing from Jakub Dobes, what they had was enough as Mike Matheson’s overtime goal gave Montreal a 2-1 victory.
Both the Habs and Maple Leafs traded the lead in Wednesday’s season opener. However, Toronto scored near the midway point of the third and added a pair of empty-netters to pick up the 5-2 victory.
The Habs trailed for a good part of Monday’s preseason opener against Pittsburgh but a third-period goal from Owen Beck was enough to force overtime and Oliver Kapanen potted the winner in the shootout as Montreal earned the 2-1 win.
We’ve reached the top group of our 2025 Draft Rankings. This is a tier that some expected Montreal to be in at the start of the season but now, if they want to land one of the players on this list, they’ll have to swing a big trade to do so.
Braeden Cootes doesn’t have the highest of ceilings among players likely to go somewhere around the middle of the first round on Friday but he’s a legitimate centre who plays with plenty of energy and should be an impactful NHLer for a long time.
If the Habs are looking to add some size up front with some scoring touch, one player they may have their eye on is winger Lynden Lakovic, a player who might need a bit of extra development time to realize his potential.
We’ve reached the top half of our final first-round draft rankings. As things stand, the Canadiens pick once in this tier while also holding the next spot after that. This means that two players on this list could be options for them on Friday night.