Samuel Montembeault had a terrible first period and his teammates tried hard to bounce back but simply weren’t able to as they fell 6-3 to Columbus on Sunday night.

Montreal was able to hold Edmonton to well below their season average in shots on goal on Saturday night but it didn’t matter much as some defensive breakdowns proved costly with the Oilers skating away with a 7-2 win.

The Habs outworked the young Ducks on Thursday night but got subpar netminding for the first half of the game and some questionable decision-making from the bench in the final moments that ultimately sealed their fate in a 5-4 loss.

With Sami Niku having played just four times in basically the last two months and the fact he has dropped to no better than eighth on the depth chart, the Habs placed him on waivers on Wednesday for the purpose of sending him to Laval.

Montreal’s long road trip finally came to an end on Monday night with a stop in Minnesota. They played like a team that had been on the road for a month as they didn’t muster up much in an 8-2 loss.

The Western road trip continued for Montreal this past week and while they had a tough outing in Arizona, they got some strong goaltending after that which helped them pick up at least a point in three straight games for only the second time this season.

Cayden Primeau had a strong showing on Saturday night in Colorado, helping the Habs skate away with a point as they made it to overtime. However, Gabriel Landeskog scored the winner in OT, securing a 3-2 win for the Avalanche.

Earlier this week, the Habs made their selection for GM, hiring player agent Kent Hughes. Was he the right choice for the Canadiens? Our writers offer up their initial thoughts on this hire.

The Habs spent much of Thursday night defending, but they scored when it counted as they followed a red-hot Samuel Montembeault through another 49-save performance to an 4-3 overtime loss at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights.

Topics in our latest podcast include the initial reactions to Montreal hiring Kent Hughes as their new GM, the challenges Hughes will face, if Quebec’s COVID-19 restrictions will hinder the team in free agency, and much more.