Canadiens Are Failing at the Details

The Montreal Canadiens have had a curious start to the 2026-27 season. The club hasn’t performed poorly. In some respects, they’ve done quite admirably. Yet they rank seventh in the Atlantic Division. The fine margins are what’s bringing them down. Here is what has worked and what hasn’t in their recent battles.

Canadiens Create Tons of Scoring Chances

If we can say one thing about Montreal after the last four games, it’s that the team is trying. They’re really, really trying. On Oct. 8 against the Nashville Predators and including their Oct. 14 loss to the Washington Capitals, the Canadiens created more than enough scoring chances to win all four.

Nashville Predators (Oct. 8)

The contest versus Nashville (a 5-2 defeat) was a head-scratcher. The Canadiens barraged Predators netminder Juuse Saros with 33 shots on target. Cole Caufield led the team with six shots, and Juraj Slafkovsky was behind him with four. Ten shots from two offensively gifted stars should be just what the doctor ordered, but neither found the back of the net. Caufield was a minus-1 and Slafkovsky a minus-2. Two empty-net goals by the Predators make the numbers seem worse, but facts are facts.

Detroit Red Wings (Oct. 10)

Hosting the Detroit Red Wings (a 1-0 shootout win), Montreal was bitten by a notorious bug: the disallowed goal. Not once, not twice, but thrice, three goals were disallowed in this one, including in the extra frame. To be fair, none should have counted, but it’s an indication that the team was doing enough to see the biscuit enter the basket. Once again, Montreal fired a lot, this time 30 shots. Caufield had six again and again couldn’t score, at least not one that counted.

Buffalo Sabres (Oct. 13)

Versus the Buffalo Sabres, the Canadiens were flustered by one of the great goalkeeping performances of the young season, courtesy of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. He was sensational, parrying 35 of 38 shots, including several highlight-reel saves, maybe even a “best stops of the season” reel. The contest would not have required overtime had it not been for a key block with literally seconds left in regulation.

Washington Capitals (Oct. 14)

Things were a bit better the next evening in Washington (a 5-4 loss). The Canadiens netted four goals – all in regulation – on 30 shots. Nonetheless, Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren made some remarkable saves, including a breathtaking block on a rebound fired by Chris Kreider in the middle frame.

Four games, 131 shots on net and nine goals to show for it. That’s a 6.87 percent shooting efficiency. Against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 3, the Canadiens lit the lamp five times, bolstering their overall shooting percentage to 10.5 percent. Even then, that figure lands them no better than 23^rd in the NHL. In 2025-26, they finished second with 12.9 percent.

Josh Anderson Leads Unlikely Heroes

Teams have stars and unsung heroes; the secret sauce to a club’s success. In Montreal’s case, it is Josh Anderson and Zachary Bolduc. Bolduc continues to prove a point I made a few days ago here: Zachary Bolduc Proving His Value as Canadiens Struggle. He’s fifth on the team in points with five (three goals and two assists) and sports a healthy plus-2.