The Habs held St. Louis to fewer than 20 shots on Saturday afternoon, a solid showing overall defensively. However, they couldn’t get anything going offensively as Jordan Binnington shut them down, leading the Blues to a 2-0 victory.
For the second straight year, Montreal’s holiday road trip has allowed them to gain some ground in the standings, allowing them to keep pace in the Atlantic Division.
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.
The Habs wrapped up their 2025 schedule with a trip to Florida to take on the defending champions. Florida scored twice in the third to take the lead but Montreal pushed back to force overtime where Nick Suzuki was the hero with the winner on the power play to give the Canadiens the 3-2 win.
It was a rare light week on the schedule for the Habs thanks to the holiday break. However, they made the most of their limited action, picking up three of four points including one of their better comebacks of the season.
Montreal pulled off a huge third-period comeback on Sunday to get the game to overtime. However, the Lightning scored on both their chances in the shootout while the Habs didn’t, giving Tampa Bay the 5-4 victory.
The first half of the season was a solid one overall for the Habs. But things could still go a lot better yet, especially if they get some of the things on this holiday wishlist.
Topics in our latest podcast include the Phillip Danault trade, Samuel Montembeault’s struggles and what’s next for him, and Juraj Slafkovsky’s continued improvement as he helps to anchor the second line.
Montreal’s save percentage is starting to tick up with Jacob Fowler’s strong showing but that wasn’t the only reason that the Habs have done better in recent weeks.
The Habs had their last game before the holiday break in Boston, a place they hadn’t won in for nearly six years. However, that streak is now snapped as Montreal potted four unanswered goals in the third to pick up the 6-2 win.