Jacob Fowler made his first NHL start in nearly two months on Wednesday and was quite effective at holding Ottawa’s attackers at bay. That was enough for Ivan Demidov’s third-period goal to stand as the winner with the Habs taking it 3-2.
The Habs had one of their best first periods of the season on Tuesday against Toronto. While they didn’t score much after that, that strong opening 20 minutes was enough to carry them to a 3-1 victory.
The second half of Tuesday’s game in San Jose became a barn-burner offensively. However, the Sharks were able to put just enough shots past Jakub Dobes to give them the 7-5 win.
The Habs held the lead on Thursday night for long stretches of the game but twice were unable to hold on, resulting in the game going to overtime. In there, Jean-Gabriel Pageau potted the winner on a breakaway to give the Islanders the 4-3 win.
The Habs have struggled mightily in Minnesota in recent years. They weren’t able to snap their near-15-year losing streak on the road against the Wild but they were able to pick up a key point in the standings in a 4-3 overtime loss.
Montreal’s final home game before the Olympic break was on Thursday as they hosted the top team in the NHL, the Colorado Avalanche. After the Avs put up seven on the Habs back in November, the Canadiens returned the favour, picking up the 7-3 win.
A slow start proved to be problematic for the Habs on Thursday. They played a great second half of the game but couldn’t get away with spotting Buffalo a three-goal lead. In the end, the Sabres won 4-2.
The Habs haven’t had much success against Minnesota in recent years. While they controlled Tuesday’s game, they were tied in the final minute until Cole Caufield one-timed one home to give Montreal a big 4-3 victory.
The Habs led for the majority of the night in Washington on Tuesday. However, the Capitals poured it on in the third with Montreal in the final game of their five-in-seven set. That allowed Washington to tie it late and then Connor McMichael scored in overtime for the 3-2 win.
The Habs continued their strong run against Florida on Thursday night while Alexandre Texier’s strong start to 2026 also continued. He had his first career hat trick in a 6-2 victory, giving him back-to-back three-point games.