Habs Highlights: A California Nightmare

Happy Birthday

The first powerplay unit was far from impressive, but the second unit picked up the slack, as evidenced by Christian Dvorak’s fifth goal of the year with a little over five minutes left in the first period.

The goal allowed the Canadiens to enter the first intermission with a well-deserved 2-0 lead, a nice change of pace from their usual early-game deficits.

Yin, Yang

While the first period was incredibly encouraging from a process standpoint, the second period was anything but.

The Ducks, the lowest scoring team in the league, held an edge in both shots and high-danger scoring chances. They even managed to score two goals in less than a minute, putting Montreal’s fragile state on full display.

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With the strong first period in the rearview mirror, the Canadiens proceeded to put together two of their worst periods of the year against one of the worst teams in the NHL.

The good news is that Beck and Mailloux were treated to a game that had a slightly higher intensity level than the AHL All-Star Skills Competition.

The bad news is the Habs are back to playing the same low-event games that fans endured earlier in the season.

That’s not to say all hope is lost for the playoffs, but as of now, I’d suggest brushing up on top prospects available at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Tuesday. They will face the Sharks in San Jose, with the puck drop scheduled for 10:30 pm ET.

All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.