First period
- No worries about a letdown here as the Canadiens come out firing. Three shots in the opening 40 seconds.
- A bit of a lull after the opening couple of minutes, but it’s still clear that Montreal is the better team. They don’t always prove that in this type of matchup.
- Owen Beck is playing very well tonight, and just fired a mid-range shot off the post. He knows his days in the NHL on this recall stint are probably numbered.
- Juraj Slafkovský had a couple of rough shifts to begin the game with some misfired passes, but he’s back looking like himself now with setups for his teammates.
- Montreal is up to nine shots through 12 minutes. Only a couple of really dangerous ones, but we always get on them about not shooting enough, so testing a goalie isn’t a bad thing.
- Now the creativity is showing up. Three high-danger chances on three consecutive shifts.
- Calgary has no answer for Montreal puck movement at the moment. They have no choice but to play conservatively to stay in some sort of defensive position.
- Jayden Struble grabs a man by the neck in a scrum that ensues following a hit on an offside call, and he will go to the box.
- It was the most dangerous Calgary looked all period, but they didn’t manage to turn it into a goal.
- A good period from Montreal that just needed a goal or two. They’ve come to play, and that’s the most important thing. putting in more effort than the Flames should see them take this one.
Second period
- A much less convincing start to the second period, which has been spent almost exclusively in Montreal’s zone.
- Caufield strips the puck in the neutral zone, and the Canadiens can immediately go on the attack. Alexandre Carrier carries it into the zone and passes to Alexandre Texier at the side of the net. Dustin Wolf anticipates a pass, and Texier sees that there’s space at the top of the net and fires a sharp-angle shot to open the scoring.
Tex gon' give it to ya! Alexandre Texier goes upstairs on Dustin Wolf and it's 1-0 Habs!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) January 7, 2026 at 9:46 PM
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- Garrett Rank has called a second penalty on the team with 16 shots through 25 minutes. Phillip Danault had his stick pulled out of his hands by debutant William Stromgren, but Danault got called for hooking. The ref seems a little partial to Albertan teams.
- Danault comes out of the box and immediately collects the puck. He gets tripped as he pulls the puck through the slot for a chance, but the Canadiens won’t need a power play to score. Lane Hutson gets the puck in the same spot Danault’s initial chance came from, and fires it in.
Phil Danault gets out of the box, eventually sets up Lane Hutson for a goal 2-0 Habs!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) January 7, 2026 at 9:52 PM
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- It doesn’t take long for the lead to go to three. Nazem Kadri goes down under pressure from Oliver Kapanen. Juraj Slafkovský has the first shot denied, but, Kapanen is there to pull the puck out of Wolf’s reach and put it in the net.
Nazem Kadri tries to draw a call, surrenders a goal to Oliver Kapanen instead 3-0 Habs!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) January 7, 2026 at 9:57 PM
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- Calgary is called for too many men on the ice. Slafkovský has an open chance at the side of the net to extend the lead, but can’t get the right angle to put the puck in.
- I like that they are much less hesitant to shoot the puck now. Martin St-Louis must have limited the number of consecutive passes they’re allowed to make to nine or something.
- Arber Xhekaj hooks the ear of Connor Zary in the neutral zone and will sit for two minutes.
- RDS cuts to Kent Hughes laughing with John Sedgwick about something. It’s a good time to be in Canadiens management.
- Fowler’s bid for a second NHL shutout is spoiled on a long shot from Joel Farabee. He didn’t pick the puck up through a screen and got beaten over the glove.
Third period
- I realized as RDS was showing the second-period highlights that the ice has been good tonight. It was in pretty rough shape in the final games before Montreal hit the road.
- The fourth line and third pairing hems the Flames in their own zone for about 40 seconds.
- Out comes Nick Suzuki’s line to capitalize on the momentum. Texier gets the puck on the boards and whips it across the zone to Caufield. Caufield has to knock it out of the air, but immediately corrals it, and sends another high shot over Wolf for a goal.
Alexandre Texier with an incredible feed and Cole Caufield with an absolute snipe to make it 4-1!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) January 7, 2026 at 10:45 PM
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- Texier registered his third point of the night on the goal. He’ll be doing the post-game interview on RDS.
- There’s a very loud wave going around the Bell Centre right now. Hughes is probably smiling in the management box as well.
- Another great shift for the fourth line. That bodes well for tomorrow when the Habs will need their depth.
- Slafkovský is all over the zone looking to add to Montreal’s lead, but the puck won’t go in for him tonight. I hope he lets out all of that frustration tomorrow night.
- Calgary just touched the puck for the first time this period, and drew a call. Brendan Gallagher goes off whacking Stromgren in the shoulder.
- That just gives the crowd some zone clearances to cheer.
- And a Joe Veleno breakaway. His shot goes wide of the net, but he had drawn a hooking call along the way.
- Kadri scores on a two-on-one for Calgary with four-and-a-half minutes to play. I imagine that will put an end to Montreal keeping the pedal on the gas for a fifth goal.
- Or maybe it won’t, because the Canadiens are challenging for offside, which means it probably was.
- It was indeed offside. So back on the attack.
- The game ends 4-1 for Montreal, and the result was only in doubt for about 20 seconds as they reviewed the Flames’ goal.
- Now let’s see the same result tomorrow night versus the Florida Panthers.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) Lots to like from him and his line tonight
2) Getting contributions from everywhere
1) There might be a few Flames fans on the Habs’ bandwagon after this one
