Montreal’s first quarter of the season featured plenty of ups and downs but they weren’t in a bad spot when it came to an end. Our opening quarter grades begin as always with the goalies and defencemen.
As we pass the one-quarter mark of the season, some of Montreal’s early-season variances have started to become more of a consistent pattern. Some of that is good, some of it, not so much.
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.
In a key divisional matchup against the Senators on Tuesday, the Habs didn’t put forth their best effort. They squandered an early lead and couldn’t muster up much in the back half of the game, eventually falling 5-2.
After an extended break, Laval was back in action over the weekend with a pair of games on the road against the Atlantic Division. Both games were back-and-forth affairs but the Rocket came out victorious in both of them.
The Habs locked in another core defenceman for the long haul back on Friday when they signed Mike Matheson to a five-year, $30 million extension. Our writers offer up their thoughts on the signing.
The Habs had a tough three-in-four stretch out West this past week. The last game was certainly a struggle but they played well in the other two to pick up a pair of victories and make it a successful showing as they continue to work to right the ship after some struggles.
After a big win in Vegas on Friday, the Habs weren’t able to follow that up on Saturday in Colorado. Instead, the Avalanche took advantage of some shaky defence from the visitors, paving the way for them to pick up a 7-2 win.
The home portion of the 2025-26 season got underway for Laval last week with a pair of games against the defending Calder Cup champs. The Rocket put forth a pair of strong efforts to take both games from Abbotsford to extend their early winning streak to three games.
After losing a close game to the Rangers on Saturday, the Habs looked to end their home stand on a winning note on Monday against Buffalo. It took three goals in an eventful third period but they were able to do just that, doubling up the Sabres 4-2.