Game 5: Montreal Canadiens vs. Los Angeles Kings
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Kings region: Bally Sports West
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
Through four games, the best word to describe the Montreal Canadiens’ season is “inconsistent.” Appropriately enough, the team has alternated wins and losses. However, the underlying variability runs deeper. Montreal runs hot and cold on a period-by-period level, and has yet to put together a full 60 minute effort (although the victory over the Ottawa Senators comes close).
This inconsistency is the natural consequence of not just a truncated preseason, but also most of the Habs roster still trying to find their own boundaries. For example, the second line of Alex Newhook, Kirby Dach, and Joel Armia had never played together prior to opening night and will need time to figure out their respective roles. In the same vein, the third pairing of Justin Barron and Arber Xhekaj is both forced by an injury to Jayden Struble and purposefully designed as a training opportunity: can Barron be more responsible defensively to cover for Xhekaj’s big hits, and can Xhekaj pick his spots and act as a safety valve when Barron goes for a skate?
It’s that philosophy that put Lane Hutson in the spotlight after Monday night’s defeat to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hutson, facing the first adversity of his NHL career, was a minus four on the night. At the same time, head coach Martin St-Louis hard matched the rookie defender against the Penguins’ second quintet featuring both Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson. St-Louis was simply addressing a reality: at some point in his career, Hutson will come up against opposition smarter than Brady Tkachuk—where head fakes and shimmies are less likely to work. More than that, these occasions will likely come in high-leverage situations such as the playoffs. The sooner Hutson figures out new ways to tackle these situations, the better for the Canadiens.
More than anything right now, the Canadiens need live reps. The next opportunity takes place Thursday night at home against the Los Angeles Kings.
| Canadiens | Statistics | Kings |
|---|---|---|
| 2-2-0 | Record | 1-1-2 |
| 39.5% (32nd) | Scoring-chances-for % | 51.6% (11th) |
| 3.00 (18th) | Goals per game | 3.25 (15th) |
| 3.25 (16th) | Goals against per game | 4.25 (29th) |
| 23.5% (15th) | PP% | 21.1% (16th) |
| 92.9% (4th) | PK% | 70.0% (24th) |
| 0-2-0 | Head-to-Head Record (23-24) | 2-0-0 |
When it comes to identity, the Kings are somewhat in the same boat as the Canadiens. Facing the twilight of Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar’s careers, the Kings have primed themselves to “win now”—but the results have not cooperated, culminating in three consecutive first-round defeats to the Edmonton Oilers. Retooling for 2024-25, general manager Rob Blake brought in Joel Edmundson, Warren Foegele, and Tanner Jeannot to replace Matt Roy, Viktor Arvidsson, and Blake Lizotte. Blake also traded Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Washington Capitals for goaltender Darcy Kuemper in an attempt to solve both the Dubois conundrum and shore up a goaltending position that hasn’t been stable since Jonathan Quick’s departure at the 2023 trade deadline.
To say that things have not gone to plan is a understatement. Doughty was lost in the preseason to a fractured ankle, and is officially “month-to-month”. This is forcing the team to lean on Vladislav Gavrikov and Edmundson, especially in a penalty killing context. However, Edmundson did not play on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs and will likely not suit up against the Canadiens as he and his wife await the birth of their first child. In his absence, Jordan Spence, Andreas Englund, and Caleb Jones will compete for two spots. Spence played the first three games, but Englund and Jones both made their season debuts last night versus the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Furthermore, through three games, Kuemper has a .890 save percentage and looked terrible in an 8-7 defeat to the Senators. To make matters worse, the team announced that he’s unavailable with a day-to-day injury with the potential for a stint on the injured reserve. David Rittich started last night against the Leafs, but was shelled for five goals in a period-and-a-half, forcing Pheonix Copley between the pipes. As a result, the Kings starter against Montreal is unknown.
Completing the trifecta, the Kings as a whole have struggled to generate offence. Yes, they have 13 goals in four games, but seven of those came during 80’s night at the Canadian Tire Centre against two goaltenders who made just 19 saves between them. Remove that, and Los Angeles is averaging a paltry two per game. Kopitar leads the team with six points in four games, but three came against Senators goaltending. In fact, subtract that one game, and only three members of the Kings have more than a solitary point: Kopitar, Kevin Fiala, and Quinton Byfield.
The Kings have not played a game in California since September 30, having departed the Golden State for a seven-game East Coast stint that has taken them to Quebec City, Buffalo, Boston, Ottawa, and Toronto. Montreal marks the last stop on this trip, before returning west for road games against the Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights. It is a tired and reeling team that rolls into Montreal—the perfect panacea, in theory, for a Habs team that has been giving up lots of chances.
However, the visitors are also a veteran team that knows the right way to play—and haven’t allowed a goal against the Canadiens since March 2, 2023. The Kings will play hard from the first whistle, looking to reassert themselves after giving up 14 goals in two games. The Canadiens can’t be lulled into a false sense of security by the standings and recent form, and will need to match that intensity from the get-go.
