Game 54: Montreal Canadiens @ Los Angeles Kings
Start time: **10:30 PM EST / 7:30 PM PST**
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Kings region: FanDuel Sports Network West
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
The Montreal Canadiens didn’t play an ideal game in San Jose last night. There was a chance in the first game of a back-to-back to get out to a big enough lead that they could save a bit of energy down the stretch to carry into the second game. Instead, they were forced to play right until the final whistle by a San Jose Sharks team that outshot the Habs 30-20 in the game and took advantage of a couple of power-play opportunities. Ultimately it was the Canadiens winning the special-teams battle that resulted in the win, as Montreal scored a couple of power-play goals of its own and netted the game-winner on a short-handed two-on-one. I think it’s fair to say it’s not the way the Habs wanted to win the game, but they needed to put an end to their five-game losing streak, and that, at least, was accomplished.
Now they go into Los Angeles for the second game of the road-trip-ending back-to-back with a bit less in the tank than they probably should have had, meaning that if the game plays out the same way as last night’s they may not have the juice to push for the late go-ahead goal and stave off the final push from their opponent. As least as far a skaters go, Mike Matheson was the only one with a draining deployment of 27 minutes. No other defenceman hit the 20-minute mark, and only Juraj Slafkovský was at that number, right on the nose, among the forwards.
It was a big help that Owen Beck played almost 10 minutes instead of the four of five Michael Pezzetta had been playing in that spot, and his line played much of the night in the offensive zone, wearing down San Jose’s defencemen instead of their own. The trio of Beck, Brendan Gallagher, and Christian Dvorak led the team in scoring-chance share, registering two to every one they gave up. Now Martin St-Louis knows he can trust that unit with his newest charge for more time this evening and further distribute the ice time.
There were some other positives from the game, including a few players getting rewarded for their recent work with goals. Cole Caufield snapped a three-game goalless streak with a power-play marker from a new spot on the ice as a sort of high bumper. Lane Hutson brought an end to the five-game pointless streak that followed his Habs rookie defenceman record of nine with a point by setting up Caufield’s 26th goal of the year. Alex Newhook found the scoresheet for the first time since January 21, also adding an assist and hitting a post. And Gallagher netted his first in seven games, and seemed to be enjoying his time with a new teammate who plays a similar forechecking game to the one he thrives on.
| Canadiens | Statistics | Kings |
|---|---|---|
| 25-23-5 | Record | 27-17-6 |
| 48.5% (25th) | Scoring-chances-for % | 52.5% (7th) |
| 2.92 (16th) | Goals per game | 2.78 (23rd) |
| 3.34 (28th) | Goals against per game | 2.52 (5th) |
| 20.3% (20th) | PP% | 15.4% (29th) |
| 82.5% (5th) | PK% | 82.3% (7th0 |
| 0-1-0 | Head-to-Head Record | 1-0-0 |
There is a two-day break after tonight’s game, and a two-week pause after the back-to-back that comes later this week, so the Habs can empty their reserves in tonight’s match. They may have to in order to beat the Los Angeles Kings, because it’s an opponent that has given Montreal trouble for a long time. L.A. has won the last seven meetings dating back to the COVID season, and the Habs haven’t scored more than two goals in any of those games. Montreal always has a tough time penetrating the neutral-zone defence the Kings employ, and the only way to get through it is to attack it as a cohesive unit with speed and short passes to beat players one-on-one — which the Canadiens aren’t in the optimal form to execute. They’re far from the only team that has trouble with the system however, as the Kings rank fifth in the league with an average of two-and-a-half goals allowed per contest in 2024-25.
Los Angeles isn’t significantly better at scoring goals of their own, however. A 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes four days ago stopped a run of seven games scoring two goals or fewer, and they lost all but one of those matches. If the Canadiens can manage to get their goal total to three, they will have a great chance of coming away with the win; the Kings have only won four of the 23 games this season when an opponent posts that many on them.
The goal-scoring Los Angeles enjoyed last season (3.10 per game) didn’t carry over this year, and that’s largely because Drew Doughty hadn’t been around to create it. The defenceman just played his first game of the campaign a week ago and notched his first point in the win over Carolina. His absence resulted in a drop of seven percentage points in their power-play efficiency from last season to this, accounting for many of the lost goals.
They also didn’t get the step forward from Quinton Byfield they expected after he scored 55 points last year. So far, he has just 25 in 50 games played, joining Juraj Slafkovský and Alexis Lafrenière as young players whose anticipated breakouts this season never materialized.
The Kings have also seen a drop from Kevin Fiala, who led the team with 73 points last season but this year has been maligned by the local media for his lack of work ethic. He is on pace for just 51 points, and is the only regular in the Kings lineup with a negative goal differential — at -10. He did have two goals in the last game versus the Hurricanes, however, so the Canadiens will have to hope that isn’t a sign of him starting to heat up just in time for their visit.
