First period
- Josh Anderson skates the puck down the wing with Joe Veleno heading to the net, but no pass comes, and that line continues to accomplish very little on the ice.
- Cody Glass opens the scoring after Alex Newhook and Oliver Kapanen collided at the Montreal blue line, giving him space to enter the zone and get an off-wing shot on goal.
- The Canadiens keep the shooting percentage perfect in this game as Kirby Dach has a shot from Noah Dobson flip up off of him high in the air over Jacob Markstrom and into the net to tie the game. He has three goals in the last two games.
Now this one is straight from the hockey gods. Kirby Dach ties the game for the #Habs
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) November 6, 2025 at 8:16 PM
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- The Devils are very aggressive on the forecheck, not letting the Canadiens turn back to gain some space and make a pass like they usually do.
- At 9:30, the third shot of the period is sent in on Dobeš from the corner. It’s a simple save.
- Dach’s efforts to make it back-to-back two-goal games sees his go a little too hard toward the net and bump into Markstrom in the crease. That will sent out the Devils’ power play.
- New Jersey gets a great chance after running a pick at the blue line on the entry. The refs can’t miss that.
- Montreal is getting beat too easily in one-on-one battles in the defensive zone. Probably lucky the Devils missed a few good chances.
- The way this period is playing out, mostly in the Habs’ zone, doesn’t bode well for the long-change second period. They need to figure out a better breakout strategy.
- Montreal finally gets some offensive-zone pressure with the top line and the Struble-Hutson pairing on the ice. Hutson draws a trip, but still stays in the play and makes a great pass to Juraj Slafkovský for a scoring chance.
- From looking completely outmatched for much of this game, the Canadiens will now have a chance to take the lead on the power play.
- Suzuki gets a shot and a whistle just six seconds in. Caufield gets another at about the 10-second mark.
- Demidov brings the advantage to an end after just 19 seconds, but Montreal still had as many chances as it would normally get in a full two minutes.
- Caufield earns himself a breakaway at four-on-four and gets two shots on Markstrom, but the goalie makes both saves.
- Jesper Bratt gets a breakaway of his own, but Dobeš makes a confident blocker save.
- Bolduc flies down the wing and looks for a shooting lane, but his shot just glances off the arm of Markstrom and out of play.
- The scoreboard says shots are 7-4 New Jersey, but I don’t think they counted Caufield second breakaway shot of Bolduc’s attempt. so they were more even than that. Montreal was still outplayed, but it wasn’t to the extent of Tuesday’s game versus the Flyers at least. They’ll need to be more organized in the second.
Second period
- It’s amazing how often the top line sees the opponent get the puck but battles back to not only prevent the breakout but regain possession for more chances.
- Jack Hughes walks through the slot and backhands a shot off the post. Another missed chance for them.
- The Kapanen line comes very close to completing a four-way passing play, but the final touch from Demidov can’t connect for the tap-in goal.
- Shots now stand at 10-7, which I think are actually even at 10 apiece.
- Again, a puck that looked like it would easily exit the zone is fought for, and the result is a slot chance for Struble.
- This is a much better period from Montreal, because the quick backward touches on the breakout are working now.
- Despite being completely overwhelmed by wave after wave of Habs pressure, the Devils take the 2-1 lead as some broken coverage allows Ondrej Palat to score. Suzuki and Slafkovský didn’t recognize that they had a man bearing down on goal, and Palat slipped between the two of them to get open for the pass.
- Jack Hughes tries to spin off Kapanen and Kapanen’s attempt to follow the move leads him to get his foot in Hughes’s path. The ref dings him for tripping.
- The Devils made some passes, but Montreal did well to keep the shooting lanes closed. Just one good chance for New Jersey in the dying seconds.
- Demidov has gone to the dressing room after blocking a shot off his instep. Let’s hope that’s just a bruise.
- Montreal hasn’t been able to get back to its previous form since the goal was scored.
- Dach gets the promotion in Demidov’s absence.
- Demidov is back, so it seems nothing is broken.
- The down-low ref allows a vicious cross-check on Dach. The one at centre ice finds something to call the Devils on moments later.
- Not the same urgency to shoot as Montreal showed on the earlier power play. Too many passes once again.
- A good opening to the period, but a momentary lapse has the Habs trailing, and they haven’t done enough to get that goal back.
Third period
- Jake Evans chases down the puck off the wall following a centre-ice faceoff, and Montreal has tied the game up very early.
Jake Evans outskates Jack Hughes and sneaks one in to tie the game for the #Habs
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) November 6, 2025 at 9:58 PM
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- That’s just Evans’s third point of the season, and his second goal.
- Before the Habs can gain any momentum, Struble is off to the box for hooking.
- Dobson saves a goal as the puck deflected off of him and was heading into the net. Almost another goal that went off a defender from a puck travelling across the top of the crease.
- Struble tries to stand his man up at the blue line, but gets his hands up into his face. And that after Montreal spent a full shift in the offensive zone following the kill of his previous penalty. A rough start to this frame for him.
- Evans plays a big part in killing that one off. They look pretty strong on the PK tonight.
- Alexandre Carrier gets his feet taken out from under him as he goes to collect a dump-in. No call.
- But Kapanen doesn’t need one. He and Demidov fight to gain possession of the puck after a dump-in, and the Finn frees himself to get out front for the goal.
Great forecheck by Demidov and Kapanen, Newhook puts it on goal, and Oliver Kapanen finishes it. 3-2 #Habs
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) November 6, 2025 at 10:14 PM
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- The Canadiens probably don’t deserve the lead, but they also don’t have to feel guilty and give it back.
- Suzuki somehow gets a pass through traffic across the crease to Slafkovský, but Slafkovský’s shot goes off the post.
- With the lead, the Canadiens are keeping the Devils in their own zone. Quality defence right here.
- They just can’t seem to avoid the overtime period. Timo Meier ties it up with Matheson hobbled by blocked shot.
- Montreal gets two late chances, but we are indeed off to some three-on-three.
Overtime
- Hard to complain about a point in New Jersey, but the second one is now available.
- Newhook gives the puck away at the offensive blue line, and Bratt puts an end to Montreal’s perfect run in the overtime period with a backhand deke on a breakaway.
- The struggles in New Jersey continue, but they take a point, their 20th, back home for Saturday’s game
EOTP 3 Stars
3) Skilled players like … Jake Evans
2) As long as he doesn’t get hurt
1) I guess not every building can be the Bell Centre
