Game 65: Montreal Canadiens @ Seattle Kraken
Start time: **10:30 PM EDT / 7:30 PM PDT**
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Kraken region: KHN
Streaming: ESPN+, TSN+
The Canadiens once again had some difficulty closing out a game after going up 3-0, but even in just those outings you can see the progress this season. It started with a 3-0 first-period lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 18 that became a 7-3 loss, then just one week ago they saw the Buffalo Sabres score three goals to tie the game, needing a winner from Mike Matheson in overtime to salvage the effort. Last night, Matheson once again scored goal number four, but this time with the Habs still leading by a goal in the third period. It finished off a regulation win that could be important at the end of the season in a potential tie-breaking scenario.
With Montreal’s win and a loss by the New York Rangers, the Canadiens climbed over two teams to sit in ninth in the Eastern Conference, two points back of the Columbus Blue Jackets who also lost a critical matchup with the New Jersey Devils in a battle for the third seed in the Metropolitan Division. After a 1-1-1 start to this road trip for Montreal, the wild-card standings look like the following:
The Canadiens can’t pass the Blue Jackets with another win tonight since they will have played one more game, but they would tie them at 70 points and have the potential to move ahead with a regulation loss by Columbus on Friday to the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights, thanks to a greater number of regulation and overtime wins (ROW).
To put themselves in that position would mean following up the 1-7-1 stretch that Montreal carried into the 4 Nations break with a 7-1-1 record coming out of it. They’ll need to split the season series with the Seattle Kraken to do that, and make up for their second-worst loss of the season in the process.
| Canadiens | Statistics | Kraken |
|---|---|---|
| 31-27-6 | Record | 27-34-4 |
| 48.2% (26th) | Scoring-chances-for % | 46.1% (29th) |
| 2.94 (16th) | Goals per game | 2.94 (15th) |
| 3.25 (25th) | Goals against per game | 3.22 (24th) |
| 21.4% (17th) | PP% | 18.0% (26th) |
| 82.0% (7th) | PK% | 77.1% (20th) |
| 0-1-0 | Head-to-Head Record | 1-0-0 |
On October 29, the Kraken went to Montreal, got out to a 4-0 lead with just over half of the first period played, and ran away with an 8-2 win. It started a season-long six-game losing streak for the Canadiens that ran their record to 4-9-2 after the opening month of action and seemed to spell an early end to their playoff hopes. The Habs haven’t given up, and have revived their season on two occasions to sit in their current position.
Last night in Vancouver, Juraj Slafkovský was the story with points on each of the first three goals, including one he scored himself. He’s beginning a late-season surge similar to what he produced last year, recording eight points in his last eight games. Montreal’s top line is starting to be just as dominant as it was in the second half of 2024-25, and his play is a key factor.
In Seattle, Shane Wright is the hottest offensive player. Since the beginning of 2025, he leads the Kraken with 22 points in 27 games played as he begins to find his footing three years after the 2022 NHL Draft. It was a bit of a process for the fourth-overall selection, but he’s been faring well in his second-line centre role. He also leads a club that has struggled on the man advantage with seven power-play goals.
The Canadiens played poorly in front of their net last night, something that hadn’t been an issue coming out of the break, forcing Samuel Montembeault into a number of point-blank saves.(though it was shots from long-distance that got past him for the two goals). Montreal had done a good job of keeping the Calgary Flames out of that area three nights earlier. With Jakub Dobes set to start tonight’s game, they will want to make sure to keep that area clean again.
