Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night, looking to extend their win streak to five games for the first time since February 26, 2022, shortly after head coach Martin St-Louis was originally hired.
Prior to puck drop, Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki was named the Third Star of the Week in the NHL, thanks to a very productive stretch that saw him collect seven points in just three games.
Monday’s game was a continuation of Suzuki’s great play, with the 25-year-old forward registering three points in five minutes during the first period, eventually leading to a 4-3 win in overtime.
Let’s dive into the highlights!
Very Special Teams
The Habs started the game on the right foot, with all three members of the first line collecting a goal to establish what seemed like an unsurmountable 3-0 lead.
Cole Caufield kicked off the festivities, though we have to send some praise Suzuki’s way for his fantastic pass. The powerplay goal was also assisted by Lane Hutson, who had yet another fantastic game. More on that later.
Cole Caufield’s 30th goal of the year was set up by a great Nick Suzuki pass. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/WHcMEffTEq
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) March 4, 2025
Montreal followed up their powerplay goal with a shorthanded marker, though it wasn’t via Jake Evans or Joel Armia, as most would expect. Thanks to some solid defensive awareness from Josh Anderson, Mike Matheson’s rush ended with a perfect pass, which allowed Suzuki to score his 19th goal of the year.
We’re running out of ways to describe Suzuki’s contributions to this team, but suffice it to say he does it all, and his recognition around the league as a top-level NHL talent is well overdue.
Good defensive positioning from Josh Anderson leads to this Mike Matheson rush, and Nick Suzuki’s 19th goal of the year. 2-0 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/TCXRADU7sf
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) March 4, 2025
A few minutes later, it was Juraj Slafkovsky’s turn to tickle the twine. It wasn’t the prettiest goal, but no one asks how, they just ask how many. Admittedly, I was a little wary of yet another late-season surge by Slafkovsky, as it would essentially qualify as production during garbage time. That doesn’t mean he’s a bad player per se, but it’s always a little easier to score when the pressure is off.
However, this isn’t garbage time. The Habs are legitimately in the playoff race, making Slafkovsky’s goal just as important as those scored in October.
Juraj Slafkovsky banks it off Clifton, 3-0 #GoHabsGo. All three members of the first line now have a goal with 5 mins left in the first period. pic.twitter.com/b5GouQ9Tjm
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) March 4, 2025
Lane Freaking Hutson
You know how every single game seems to end with someone tweeting about a somewhat obscure record tied or broken by Hutson? Well, Monday was no different, except the record held a little more meaning, as Hutson managed to reach 50 points faster than any other defenceman in team history (63 GP), besting the former record holder, Chris Chelios, by three games.
The only active defenceman to reach 50 points faster is former Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar.
Lane Hutson (63 GP) became the fastest defenseman in @CanadiensMTL history to record 50 career points, besting Chris Chelios (66 GP).#NHLStats: https://t.co/AXyhucP1Ve pic.twitter.com/qb9nauLjia
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 4, 2025
A Bold Strategy, Cotton
Montreal played quite well for a few minutes in the first period, but once they established a 3-0 lead they stopped playing.
Okay, not literally, but they were close to being inert.
Buffalo dominated the second period, to the tune of a massive 12-2 advantage in high-danger scoring chances at 5v5. They controlled almost 80 percent of the shots in the final 40 minutes of the game, painting an accurate picture of which team carried the momentum once the Habs scored their third goal.
The first line did show signs of life late in the third period, alleviating some of the intense pressure on Samuel Montembeault, but the Sabres ended up being rewarded for their hard work when Rasmus Dahlin scored his 10th goal of the year, tying the game 3-3 with a little over a minute left in the third period.
The good news is that Mike Matheson ended up securing the 4-3 overtime win for the Canadiens, but there’s no doubt head coach Martin St-Louis will have plenty of notes in his post-game report.
Mike Matheson secures Montreal’s 5th win in a row. #GoHabsGo win 4-3 in overtime. pic.twitter.com/67GwbGQWPI
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) March 4, 2025
The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Thursday. They will face the Oilers in Edmonton, with the puck drop scheduled for 9 pm ET. All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.
