Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night, looking to avoid their first three-game losing streak since late November.
It wasn’t pretty, and it necessitated overtime, but in the end the Habs emerged with a hard-fought win, as Cole Caufield scored his 40th goal of the year to secure the 3-2 victory.
Let’s dive into the highlights!
Seeking Discipline
Habs fans will be quick to tell you the team has not received favourable officiating this season, and there’s some truth to that theory, but the fact remains that the Canadiens have struggled to show any semblance of discipline, which compounds the issue significantly.
Alexander Carrier’s double-minor to start the game versus the Bruins was a perfect example. It put the Canadiens behind the eight-ball, as the Bruins quickly scored during the first powerplay.
Regardless of the inconsistency involved in NHL officiating, the Canadiens need to do a much better job when it comes to avoiding useless penalties. For the most part, they’re the authors of their penalty problems.
PAV STAYS HOT đŸ”¥ pic.twitter.com/TfgFLV1y63
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 17, 2026
First Line Impact
The first line did not have a chance to play a 5v5 shift for roughly five minutes, another symptom of the team having absolutely no discipline.
Fortunately for the Canadiens, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky made their mark very early, tying the game midway through the first period. It was Suzuki’s 24th goal of the season, though we must give credit to Caufield for his excellent work at the blue line to keep the play alive after a pair of fortuitous bounces.
Du revers et au revoir
— Canadiens MontrĂ©al (@CanadiensMTL) March 17, 2026
Forehand, backhand, tie game#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/zpaxofDZD9
Coverage Issues
Boston took a 2-1 lead midway through the second period, and while many will look for the skater who was at fault, the truth is that Montreal’s poor defensive coverage is incredibly common. At one point, you have to look at the system as the cause of the endless stream of defensive breakdowns.
For the record, it was Oliver Kapanen who was covering Zacha, and then proceeded to abandon him at the last moment, but again, this is a recurring theme for the Habs. Whether it’s Kapanen or any other Canadiens player, questionable defensive coverage happens much too often for a team that is in a hotly contested playoff race.
Confused defensive coverage is once again at the heart of a goal against.
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) March 18, 2026
Bruins are up 2-1. pic.twitter.com/vSi4XUmCGz
Mr. Anderson
With the Canadiens once again trailing, the veteran line provided a crucial goal, as Josh Anderson perfectly tipped a point shot to tie the game at 2-2.
Full marks to Anderson for creating enough gap between himself and the much bigger Nikita Zadorov. It was the exact type of play you want to see from a rough-and-tumble player such as Anderson, who scored his 13th goal of the season.
It should also be noted Jayden Struble did a great job keeping the play alive, which led to the Lane Hutson shot, and, of course, the Anderson tip. Brendan Gallagher, who was participating in his 900th NHL game, also registered an assist in the scoring play.
The teams went into the second intermission tied at 2, however, the Canadiens held a clear-cut edge in high-danger chances at 5v5, to the tune of 14-7.
Great work by Josh Anderson to create space between himself and Zadorov before the tip. Tie game. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/0tDhZiLtnm
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) March 18, 2026
It Had To Be Him
While the Bruins pushed the envelope in overtime, it was the usual suspect, Caufield, who secured the win for the Canadiens.
It was his 40th goal of the year, the first time a Canadiens player has hit that mark since Vincent Damphousse in 1993-94.
Caufield continues to be one of the best players in the NHL when the game is on the line.
For the first time in over 20 years, the #GoHabsGo have a 40-goal scorer in the lineup.
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) March 18, 2026
Cole Caufield once again plays the hero for the Canadiens in OT: pic.twitter.com/A1307KgtP8
The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Thursday, facing the Red Wings in Detroit, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.
