- Jakub Dobeš gets startled up by the cannon, and we’re ready to go in Columbus.
First period
- A new line of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Zachary Bolduc comes out to start the game. It will be interesting to see how Bolduc can adjust to their style of play.
- The second line that resulted from that shift with Juraj Slafkovský beside the two rookies spent its shift in the offensive zone versus Kirill Marchenko’s trio, and that’s a positive debut.
- Suzuki gets the pass to Bolduc who drives the net, then drops the puck back. So if the reason for adding Bolduc was to get more shots there, he didn’t take his first opportunity.
- Once again Montreal is playing well, but has no shots through five minutes.
- The first one comes off a net-drive by Slafkovský on a nice pass from Ivan Demidov. It was a good effort from Slafkovský to get up after a hard hit from Ivan Provorov and then beat the defenceman up the ice.
- Zach Werenski is allowed to walk in from the blue line right to mid slot as Noah Dobson isn’t sure how he should defend the situation, and fires the puck off the post and in.
- The goal has given all the momentum to Columbus.
- Eleven minutes played, one shot on goal.
- The second shot is a point shot from Arber Xhekaj that results in a rebound, but Joshua Roy can’t get his stick on the bouncing puck.
- I think the linesmen have thrown a player out of each faceoff so far tonight, including both on a couple of occasions.
- Mike Matheson’s shot created another rebound. Jared Davidson gets a bit more on this one, but there’s no goal. But Montreal did double its shot total on the play.
- I’m not even going to complain about the point shots now. Their 1% chance of going in is better than nothing.
- Jake Evans gets off an open shot from 15 feet, but Greaves makes an exceptional blocker save.
- In the end, Montreal had eight shots after a strong finish. A one-goal deficit shouldn’t be a difficult thing to overcome.
Second period
- Some nifty puck-handling fooled even Dobson whom he was passing the puck to, so Columbus had no chance of getting the puck for an early chance.
- Hutson did very well to hold his ground as Zach Aston-Reese tried to plow through him and get to the net.
- This new second line comes through after a great effort from Slafkovský to carry the puck across the top of the zone to change the defensive alignment. Oliver Kapanen gets the goal as puck goes first to Demidov and then Matheson for a pass out to the slot.
Mike Matheson pinches into the play, tees up Oliver Kapanen for his 7th goal of the year 1-1 game in Columbus
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) November 17, 2025 at 9:47 PM
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- Joe Veleno tries to keep the offence going by entering the zone and whipping a shot. The problem is he left the puck a foot behind him before firing.
- Werenski lays out Suzuki at centre ice. Suzuki had some words with the defenceman.
- Montreal gets the puck to go in the net a second time, but the shot came from the neutral zone while the Habs had a player offside, and went off the linesman and in. So no goal.
- Roy loses a battle with Adam Fantilli in front of Montreal’s net, and Fantilli puts the Blue Jackets back in the lead.
- They will have a chance to extend that lead to two goals as Jared Davidson gets called for the hand-tapping variety of hooking almost immediately afterward.
- Suzuki goes off for the hand-tapping variety of slashing, and Columbus has a five-on-three for 21 seconds.
- They get Davidson back, but Marchenko finds the stick of Dmitri Voronkov before Suzuki’s sentence is up to make it a 3-1 game.
- Freed from the box, Suzuki makes a good backhand pass to Bolduc across the ice, but Bolduc takes too long to get the shot off and Greaves gets over.
- Montreal looks deflated now down a couple of goals. That didn’t faze them at the start of the season, but teams are also more comfortable at this stage of the season defending a lead.
- The good news is we have no power plays to complain about tonight.
Third period
- The Blue Jackets start the third period very aggressively trying to preserve their lead, and you have to respect that effort.
- Suzuki collects a loose puck, spins and fires a pass to Caufield, and the puck is about two inches too far in front of the Habs’ top goal-scorer to connect the play for a goal.
- Evans is denied once again on a high-danger chance.
- The he opts to make a pass even though he was in alone 15 feet from the net. Another opportunity the Canadiens spoiled on their own.
- There are few stoppages in this period, just the way Columbus wants it.
- Montreal comes out of the TV timeout on a mission, and Josh Anderson finishes the shift by knocking in a rebound.
Josh Anderson gets the loose puck and tucks it in behind Greaves Habs down 3-2
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) November 17, 2025 at 10:49 PM
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- Greaves has left a few pucks in front of him. Montreal just needs to test him more often.
- Gallagher made a good move to get around his defender and set up Anderson once again. I think that was the first play Gallagher has been able to make tonight, and it almost resulted in the tying goal.
- Slafkovský really looks great with the youngins. Him doing the work to let them get open is working well.
- He comes out late in the game back on the line with Suzuki and Caufield, and just about sets up the tying goal for Suzuki.
- Suzuki gets set up in the slot, but can’t turn on the shot fast enough.
- The puck goes to Hutson at the point, and Slafkovský, setting a screen in front, tips it through Greaves to tie the game. He really deserved that with how he’s played in this game.
A little Lane Hutson magic sets up a game-tying goal late in the third period 3-3 in Columbus!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) November 17, 2025 at 11:07 PM
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- One last rush for Caufield as he tries to end this game in regulation, but we’re headed to overtime. That’s a confidence-boosting point.
Overtime
- Montreal is holding all the possession at three-on-three, looking for the right setup without allowing an odd-man rush.
- Suzuki is losing the handle a lot tonight. That probably prevented about three chances in the overtime alone.
- Greaves robs Demidov on a one-timer following a turnover.
- Montreal tried hard to get that point, but we’re off to a shootout.
Shootout
- Kent Johnson’s dekes are too good for Dobeš to track them all and Columbus starts with the lead.
- Suzuki’s dekes are also too good for Greaves to follow, but he stubs the puck into the post at the end.
- Fantilli misses on two shots, and I think that should be all the Blue Jackets get here.
- Caufield also goes in the quick dekes and teleports the puck past Greaves to tie things up.
- It’s a slow deke kind of night. Dobeš gets about 70% of Marchenko’s shot with his stick, but it trickles in.
- Demidov is stopped, and that will do it for this game.
- Some good fight to get one point, but Montreal now has one win in the last seven games.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) A timely reminder for a team that sits a point out of first in the division with two games in hand
2) It really is that simple sometimes
3) A goal and a hard-earned tertiary assist
