Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night, aiming to improve their playoff odds with a hard-fought win.
As it stands, the Habs are in pretty good shape in regard to earning a playoff spot, but there’s still a lot of hockey left to play, putting an onus on games that favour their speed and agility.
Montreal emerged from the game with a well-deserved 4-1 win, powered by several of the young stars, including netminder Jacob Fowler.
Let’s dive into the highlights!
Controlled Start
The first period was far exhilarating, but the Habs did control the majority of the shots and the scoring chances, always a good sign moving forward.
Their hard work finally paid off early in the second, when Alex Texier scored his fourth goal since joining the Canadiens, taking advantage of some less-than-stellar positioning from Dustin Wolf, who had been excellent up to that point.
Few expect Texier to maintain his hold on the first-line winger spot, but it must be said he’s doing an admirable job in the meantime. After all, he wasn’t brought in to play first-line minutes. The Habs originally signed him to add a little depth to the middle of the lineup.
The Habs love scoring from bad angles. Err, I mean, underutilized angles.
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) January 8, 2026
Alex Texier gives the #GoHabsGo a 1-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/aQbaCHVvQE
Elite Defenceman
Lane Hutson displayed his typical humble approach when asked about the Team USA Olympic snub, but I am not held to the same standards.
Simply put, you’d have to be the type of player who attacks his own teammates at practice to think that Hutson couldn’t help Team USA at the Olympics.
Then again, Team USA hasn’t medalled in hockey at the Olympics since 2002, and they haven’t won gold since 1980, so it stands to reason they’re simply trying to maintain some semblance of consistency.
But I digress.
Hutson gave the Canadiens a two-goal lead when he registered his eight goal of the season.
A big blast by Lane Hutson gives the #GoHabsGo a 2-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/1yhK7bZ34E
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) January 8, 2026
Rookie Impact
Another impressive young player took the charge at that point, when Oliver Kapanen scored his 14th goal of the year.
We’ve discussed the situation on the second line on several occasions this year.
Sure, their underlying numbers leave something to be desired, but they’re scoring goals, and you simply cannot scoff at that type of production in the modern sports landscape.
Oliver Kapanen refuses to stop scoring.
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) January 8, 2026
His 14th of the season gives the #GoHabsGo a 3-0 lead. Kadri wanted a tripping call on the play. pic.twitter.com/hDvHk5uioB
Elite Forward
The Flames finally solved Fowler in the third period, but it did not take long for the Canadiens to respond.
Another Team USA snub took centre stage, with Cole Caufield scoring his 21st goal of the year.
American general manager Bill Guerin wouldn’t want a player like Caufield at the Olympics because he doesn’t hit much, which is a perfectly logical approach when we consider the Americans lacked goal scoring at the 4 Nations tournament.
Sarcasm aside, maybe it’s a good thing Caufield will get a rest in February, at least from a Canadiens perspective. He’s already red-hot while taking part in a condensed schedule. A break may do wonders when it comes to his endurance.
Yes, this is an elite shot from an elite goalscorer, but notice there are zero (0) hits on this play from Cole Caufield.
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) January 8, 2026
Mediocre at best! #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/OnwAbTkPkb
The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Thursday, facing the Florida Panthers at the Bell Centre. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm ET.
All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.
