Canucks visit Canadiens after long stretch of 'unacceptable' play

The Montreal Canadiens will be looking to rebound from a shutout loss when they play host on Monday to the Vancouver Canucks, who are also coming off a shutout loss.

But the mirror between the two clubs essentially ends there.

While the Canucks are mired at the bottom of the league standings and floundering through another losing skid, the Canadiens are in the thick of the battle for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.

The Canadiens' 4-0 loss at home to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday still keeps them at a 10-3-3 record over the past month.

"Some nights you get the bounces, some nights you don't," said Montreal goaltender Jacob Fowler, who stopped 20 of 23 shots. "And credit to them, they worked hard, they played a good game and any lapse they had, their goalie made a big save."

The Canadiens have no reason to hit the panic button. They should expect better when they next hit the ice.

Their third shutout loss of the season was hardly a top-quality performance. Montreal took nearly six minutes to register a shot on goal in each of the first two periods and didn't really find a higher gear until the final period, when they faced a 3-0 deficit.

The loss dropped Montreal from first to third in what has become a three-team battle for the division crown between the Canadiens, Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning.

For now, though, the club plans to stay steady and view the recent loss as one to quickly put behind them.

"It was kind of an unfortunate night for us," forward Nick Suzuki said. "A couple of bad bounces for us and we couldn't find a way to put the puck in the net."

The Canucks arrive in Montreal after a 5-0 thumping at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, which accentuated their current freefall.

Vancouver has lost the first three games -- all in regulation -- to open its six-game road swing and have managed to cobble together one victory in its last nine outings (1-6-2). The Canucks have been outscored 40-19 in live play during this stretch.

"It's unacceptable," Canucks wing Kiefer Sherwood told Sportsnet. "It's frustrating and, yeah, just unacceptable. We need to scrap and claw for every game right now, and we've got to take more pride in the little things, winning our battles, defending our net front. ... We can't just keep getting behind in these games and trying to come back."

On top of the loss, No. 1 goaltender Thatcher Demko was injured again in Toronto. Demko was victimized for three goals on six shots in the first period and coach Adam Foote said he suffered a lower-body injury along the way.

Demko was placed on injured reserve on Sunday and goalie Nikita Tolopilo was summoned from AHL affiliate Abbotsford.

Demko missed one month this season with a suspected groin issue and has suffered a half-dozen injuries over the past two campaigns.

The Canucks were expected to struggle after trading away captain Quinn Hughes in mid-December, but this run has been grueling. Vancouver has yet to hold a lead since the calendar flipped to 2026. During this trip, the Canucks have trailed by at least four goals in all three outings.

"You just keep going, you keep teaching. ... It's a young group," Foote said. "They go through some bumps in the road where you have to learn the hard way."