avatar
Updated:
NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Buffalo Sabres at Montreal Canadiens
Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

MONTREAL — It feels like every hour features more Montreal Canadiens news, and we’re all bound to miss a story or two. On Sundays, we recap the relevant NHL news you may have missed, to help you stay in the Canadiens loop.

Seeing as the Habs played on Sunday, this edition of the weekly wrap was pushed to Monday.

Make sure you don’t miss any Canadiens news by signing up to our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for various other NHL teams, or the daily newsletter covering the most exciting developments in sports.[Sportsnaut]

Montreal Canadiens News And Notes

  • The Canadiens didn’t exactly paint a masterpiece, but all that matters is that they managed to emerge from Sunday’s do-or-die Game 7 versus the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 2-1 win. Alex Newhook and Nick Suzuki scored for the Habs, while rookie netminder Jakub Dobes once again enjoyed a fantastic outing. [Canadiens Highlights: Young Habs Find A Way To Win]
  • There’s no doubt about it, the play of rookie netminder Jakub Dobes was one of the driving forces behind the underdog series win.
  • Speaking of Dobes, he’s not ready to rest on his laurels as the team prepares to face the Sabres in the second round.
  • Lost in the excitement of the Game 7 win was a perfectly timed blocked shot by Suzuki in the dying seconds of the third period.
  • Defenceman Kaiden Guhle also enjoyed a great game, as evidenced by his elite underlying numbers.
  • Travel won’t be a big issue given the proximity of the cities, but the Habs will make their way to Buffalo as early as possible.
  • Noah Dobson made his return to the lineup on Sunday, after missing roughly half a month with an upper-body injury. He was used sparingly by head coach Martin St-Louis, at least relative to his typical usage, to the tune of 18:37 of ice time in all situations.
  • The Canadiens opted to send defenceman Adam Engstrom to the Laval Rocket (AHL). Laval is in the midst of their own playoff push, currently down 2-1 in their series versus the Toronto Marlies. They’ll be in much better shape now that the best defenceman from the regular season is back in the mix. This also means Noah Dobson is no longer at risk of missing any games with his upper-body injury.
  • We asked Canadiens fans who they thought the team’s most valuable player was in the first round, and the results definitely won’t shock you. Jakub Dobes’ name came up early and often. That being said, there were several other Habs players who deserved praise for their performance versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. [Canadiens MVPs From The First Round Of NHL Playoffs]
  • Head coach Martin St-Louis was clearly pumped following the series win versus the Lightning. He’s also a big fan of The Wolf of Wall Street, apparently.
  • Phenom Lane “Wayne” Hutson received some much-deserved praise from the National Hockey League Players’ Association.
  • There’s no doubt Nick Suzuki (and the rest of the first line) could have done better at 5v5 in the first round, but all things considered, he still had a decent series, as evidenced by the fact that he lead the team in scoring, tied with Hutson (6 points).
  • Head coach Martin St-Louis opined on Suzuki’s results, suggesting his captain improved as the series progressed.
  • Dobes is one of the most competitive athletes you’ll ever meet. Surprisingly, or not, he takes every game quite seriously.
  • The Buffalo Sabres should be considered the favourites heading into the second round of the NHL Playoffs, but the discrepancy between the Sabres and the Habs is far from significant. Statistically speaking, they’re much more evenly matched than the Canadiens and Lightning were. All things considered, this should be yet another tightly-contested series. [Canadiens Vs. Sabres Series Preview: Head-To-Head]
  • Slovak Forward Juraj Slafkovsky is not feeling any lingering effects from the first-round series versus the Lightning, and had a fantastic way of communicating his current health status.
  • Canadiens prospect Bryce Pickford was named the top defenceman in the WHL, which is far from surprising when we consider he enjoyed an elite season from an offensive standpoint. In 55 regular-season games, Pickford scored an incredible 45 goals and 38 assists. He would go on to add another 12 points to his tally in the playoffs.
  • It’s difficult not to get a kick out of the NHL naming Darren Raddysh’s useless goal in Game 1 of the first-round series versus the Lightning as the ‘Moment of the Round’. Does anyone want to tell the NHL that the Lightning actually lost that game, not to mention the series?
  • To Nikita Kucherov’s credit, he loses with a lot more grace than when he wins, though that’s a very low bar to clear.
  • We have to give it to Jakub Dobes, that’s a solid chirp in a heated moment, and it turned out he was right.
  • The Laval Rocket evened their series versus the Toronto Marlies (2-2), with a dominant 4-0 win on Tuesday. Alex Belzile (2), Samuel Blais (2, 3), and Laurent Dauphin (2) provided the goals for Laval, while Kaapo Kahkonen stopped all 18 shots sent his way to secure the shutout.
  • Habs captain Nick Suzuki was named a finalist for the Selke Trophy, awarded annually to the forward judged to make the greatest defensive impact. He’s considered the favourite for the trophy, but more importantly, this is the latest evidence we have to suggest Suzuki has done a great job leading his team by example, both on and off the ice. [Nick Suzuki Selke Bid – Model Of Consistency And Leadership]
  • The future is now, old man! The Canadiens and the Habs represent the two youngest clubs in the NHL, and given that they’re the only remaining Atlantic Division teams in the playoffs, you’d be hard-pressed to argue they’re not among the most exciting clubs in the league as well.
  • The Canadiens outshot the Sabres by a wide margin in Game 1, but Buffalo scored four goals on its first nine shots, which was enough to secure the important first victory of the series. [Canadiens Highlights: Sabres Strike First]
  • Top prospect Bryce Pickford was named the WHL defenceman of the year on Tuesday, and followed it up with a Player of the Year award on Wednesday. The highly-skilled defenceman scored a ridiculous 45 goals in 55 games for the Medicine Hat Tigers. [Canadiens Top 20 Prospects: No. 7 – Extraordinary Pickford]
  • Changing the name of your entire establishment is definitely committing to the cause.
  • Few things invoke more second-hand pain than watching a man drop after taking a chunk of frozen, vulcanized rubber directly to the cojones. The good news is that Kaiden Guhle quickly returned to the ice.
  • With just one goal in eight playoff games to his credit, Canadiens sniper Cole Caufield is clearly not satisfied with his offensive output. The 26-year-old American expects much more from himself going forward. [Canadiens]
  • Game 1 of the second-round series versus the Buffalo Sabres was certainly a let-down in terms of the eventual result, but there were a few positives worth discussing in the loss. For example, Caufield and the first line enjoyed its best underlying numbers at 5v5 of the playoffs. [Top 3 Canadiens Positives From Game One]
  • File this under ‘predictable’ if you’d like, but head coach Martin St-Louis is very happy to have Nick Suzuki leading his troops.
  • ICYMI: Suzuki was named a finalist for the Selke Trophy, awarded annually to the forward judged to make the greatest defensive impact. He’s considered the favourite for the trophy, but more importantly, this is the latest evidence we have to suggest Suzuki has done a great job leading his team by example, both on and off the ice. [Nick Suzuki Selke Bid – Model Of Consistency And Leadership]
  • Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff has nothing but respect for Suzuki as well, even if he doesn’t know the Canadiens captain on a personal level.
  • Another day, another instance of Lane Hutson jumping on the ice first because he’s clearly addicted to all things hockey and probably detests spending any time of his day away from the rink. Classic.
  • Alex Newhook drove the charge versus the Buffalo Sabres in Game 2, scoring a pair of goals to power Montreal’s impressive 5-1 win. The game featured one of Montreal’s best periods of the year, with the Habs outscoring Buffalo 2-0, and out-chancing them 7-0 in the first period. [Canadiens Highlights: Dominant Win Evens Series Versus Sabres]
  • While the Habs evened their series versus the Sabres, the Laval Rocket are preparing for the ultimate game of their second-round series versus the Toronto Marlies. Laval had a great year, but it would be quickly forgotten if they fall to the Marlies. [Laval Rocket Season On The Line Against Marlies]
  • Zach Benson’s frustrated Chihuahua act is part of his style of play, and full marks to him for doing what he needs to survive in a league full of Rottweilers. But it was quite funny to see him attempt to chip Jakub Dobes, a player who lives for that type of grease. It’s worth noting Dobes was perfect following the failed chirp attempt.
  • He won’t get credit for it, but it appears that Mike Matheson was trying to avoid any serious injury to Benson when the Sabres forward ended up at the bottom of a dog pile.
  • You could say Newhook was *slightly* pumped to read the starting lineup prior to Game 2.
  • Rocket head coach Pascal Vincent had nothing but great things to say about his captain, Lucas Condotta.
  • For the first time in the playoffs, the Canadiens offered a complete team effort, with both the first line and depth players providing a bounty of offence versus the Sabres in Game 3. With the impressive win, the Habs established a well-deserved 2-1 series lead. Speedster Alex Newhook produced yet another two-goal game, scoring the first and last goal of the match up. [Canadiens Highlights: Statement Win Drops Sabres]
avatar
By Marc Dumont
Marc has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for Journal Metro, The Athletic, The ... More about Marc Dumont

Tap Here To Add Sportsnaut As A Trusted Source on GoogleTap Here To Add Sportsnaut As A Trusted Source on Google

Got a story or tip for us?

Email Us

Sportsnaut: News, analysis, and rankings across every major sport. Where fans come first.

Follow us for breaking news and latest updates at Sportsnaut

Writer Opportunities Privacy Policy
© 2026 Sportsnaut