Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens were in New Jersey on Saturday night, facing the Devils at the Prudential Centre.
The Habs blew a 3-0 lead, but emerged with two points as they finally beat the Devils in the shootout, reaching the 100-point mark in the process.
For the view from the other side of the rink, don’t forget to visit our sister site, New Jersey Hockey Now.
Let’s dive into the highlights!
Struble Impact
The Canadiens got off to a great start, with defenceman Jayden Struble finding the back of the net for the second time this season, assisted by Arber Xhekaj and Cole Caufield. The Habs rarely out shoot their opponents, making every single shot on net a valuable contribution. They don’t have to be perfect shots like the one unleashed by Struble, however, nice goals always work wonders when it comes to a shooter’s confidence.
Avec un genou sur la glace s'il vous plaît!
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 4, 2026
Call this Artemis 47, because that was a rocket#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/fYV16ngDaC
Double Trouble
The Habs doubled their lead midway through the second period, when rookie Ivan Demidov scored his 17th goal of the season, a powerplay marker.
Even though he was just one goal away from reaching 50, it was an assist-filled night for Caufield, who registered his second apple on the Demidov scoring play.
Il niaise pas avec la puck
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 5, 2026
Demi on the doorstep, and we double our lead#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/MzbkuCodhk
Finding A Lane
With the Canadiens in complete control of the game, phenom Lane Hutson handed his team a 3-0 lead, and while it did not seem like a very important goal at the time given the score, the Devils would go on to score three consecutive times, tying the game late in the third period.
Possible de renommer le renommer le « fleuve Hutson »?
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 5, 2026
Our official petition to rename it the "Hutson River"#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/ZP68RdAbUV
Extra Time
A rather eventful overtime period made way to the shootouts, though it should be noted the Devils almost ended the game when Jakub Dobes got involved in some extracurricular activities behind his net. Such is life with a netminder who loves to stretch his legs.
QU'EST-CE QUI SE PASSE!!! pic.twitter.com/R0zJTHDUIt
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) April 5, 2026
In the ensuing shootout, it was another rookie who took centre stage. After Demidov and Caufield had scored, it was up to Oliver Kapanen to secure the 4-3 shootout win for the Canadiens. The first-year player made no mistake, calmly beating Jake Allen to push the team’s regular-season tally to 100 points.
It was also Montreal’s eighth straight win, the exact type of streak you want to see a team enjoy before the playoffs begin. As the adage goes, the Habs are peaking at the right time.
Oliver Kapanen wins it in the shootout for the #GoHabsGo!!! pic.twitter.com/xOdaeoMRyh
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) April 5, 2026
The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Sunday, facing the very same New Jersey Devils. This time around, the game will take place in Montreal, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.
