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Kirby Dach, Montreal Canadiens (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Canadiens Shouldn’t Overlook the Loss to the Devils

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Jim Precourt | Last updated Nov 12, 2025 9:50 AM ET

The Montreal Canadiens have their first real tests of the season; they’re playing the New Jersey Devils, Utah Mammoth, Los Angeles Kings, and Dallas Stars all in a row. Montreal lost to the Devils 4-3 on Thursday night in overtime; however, it wasn’t a terrible loss, but it exposed a lot of cracks in the lineup. They then beat the Mammoth 6-2, and they looked like an entirely different team.

Even though the Habs beat the Mammoth, one of the better teams in the Western Conference, the loss against the Devils cannot be overlooked.

Canadiens’ Weaknesses Put on Display

The Canadiens went into the game with Jakub Dobes having a perfect 6-0 record, and it was broken. The team also had a 5-0 record in overtime, and it’s now 5-2 after losses to the Devils and Philadelphia Flyers. By the end of the night, both of those were snapped. The defense shouldn’t be much of a worry, though. Dobes is still making a case for the Calder Trophy, and Kaiden Guhle will be coming back in a couple of weeks.

One of the problems is up the middle: the centre position. The Habs need to trade for a legit 2C at the deadline. Outside of Nick Suzuki, there’s no real supporting cast with Oliver Kapanen, Kirby Dach, and Jake Evans as the other centres. While all three of Kapanen, Dach, and Evans scored goals in the game against New Jersey and continued to tally points against Utah, they could still benefit from a better second option down the middle.

Another issue is the fact that they’re incapable of holding leads and struggle to win in regulation. The Canadiens blew another lead against the Devils, which was the second game in a row they’ve blown one, as they lost in OT to the Flyers under the same circumstances; one goal lead late, the other team ties it up, and then wins in overtime. A couple of weeks ago, Montreal was up 5-3 to the Edmonton Oilers, and they ended up losing 6-5 after the Oilers scored three straight in the third period to win in regulation. They didn’t even get a point.

JESPER BRATT WITH THE GAME ON HIS STICK

The Devils grab the win over the Canadiens with Bratt's Subway Canada OT winner pic.twitter.com/JqrfzWw8Vq
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 7, 2025

Looking Into the Future

Head coach Martin St. Louis and general manager Kent Hughes have been doing a phenomenal job as of late, but the two of them are going to have to be the first to identify these problems. It all starts at the top.

Getting another centre at the deadline who can immediately come in and make an impact should be a priority. The Canadiens are going to want and need that better second option when the playoffs roll around.

The win against the Mammoth on Saturday was good. However, not trying to downplay the win, the Mammoth were on the verge of a doubleheader, and the last eight of their nine games were road games. The Canadiens dominated in their 6-2 win, but they should have; it would have been a bigger issue if they hadn’t.

To look at it another way, the Devils are an Eastern Conference team; there’s a good chance they’ll see them in the playoffs if they make it far enough down the road. Plus, their strength of schedule has been one of the easiest so far (not that it necessarily matters much, but it’s still something to note as they start playing tougher opponents).

Now, with all that being said, the Canadiens are still one of the NHL’s best teams with a record of 10-3-2 and 22 points heading into the game against the Kings on Tuesday. They’re tied for fifth in the league with the Carolina Hurricanes, another powerhouse in the conference. The Habs are an exciting, young team — they just have a few kinks to work out.