Nick Suzuki looked like a man amongst boys on Wednesday as he led the team with three points while often taking away all momentum Buffalo tried to create with smart play after smart play all night long as the Habs picked up a 4-0 victory, giving Samuel Montembeault his first career shutout.
Despite a relatively even first period, the Habs were able to feast on some questionable goaltending to extend their season-high winning streak to three games after another solid performance helped lead Montreal to a 5-2 victory over Toronto on Monday night.
The Habs had another opportunity to secure a second straight victory on Sunday afternoon and they did just that, overcoming a late Islander goal to pick up a 3-2 win in a shootout.
After a rough first quarter of the season, the second wasn’t any better for the Habs. Even so, there were a handful of forwards that exceeded expectations, earning themselves a decent grade in our report card.
Topics in our latest podcast include initial reactions and analysis of the hiring of interim head coach Martin St. Louis, the Tyler Toffoli trade, GM Kent Hughes’ recent press conference, and more.
Between their coaching change and an openness to take on prospects over draft picks in trades, Montreal’s new management team might not be as enamoured with the upcoming draft class as some might think.
The Habs made a pair of additions to their front office on Friday, hiring Vincent Lecavalier as special advisor to hockey operations while Nick Bobrov has been appointed as co-director of amateur scouting.
It looked as if Montreal was heading for yet another loss on Thursday when St. Louis scored late in regulation. However, Cole Caufield tied it up in the dying seconds and scored the overtime winner for good measure, giving the Habs a 3-2 victory and ending their ten-game losing streak.
The Habs made their first big seller trade earlier this week when they shipped Tyler Toffoli to Calgary for a 2022 first-round pick, a 2023 fifth-rounder, prospect Emil Heineman, and winger Tyler Pitlick. Our writers provide their thoughts on the move.
It was a busy week both on and off the ice for the Habs as their struggles led to a coaching change and a big trade up front. However, while Montreal has played better since that time, it hasn’t resulted in any on-ice success as four more losses this week extended their current slide to ten games.