First period
- Kirby Dach gets to take the opening faceoff, a nice reward for his recent play.
- The top line is forced to play some defence as a pass goes awry and catches them all behind the play.
- Samuel Montembeault sees the first shot sent his way blocked in front, but then doesn’t adjust properly for the rebound on a puck that was sitting right in front of him. Kailer Yamamoto opens the scoring.
- Josh Anderson makes a nice play by driving down the wall to attract some pressure then turn and pass it back to an open man in the slot. He could have a lot of success doing that.
- Dach going to the net draws a call on Jack McBain for interference. Another checkmark on his recent evaluation.
- Montreal didn’t create much on that power play.
- Jake Evans sees the puck trickling through Montembeault and over the goal line, but makes a last-minute intervention to prevent the second shot of the game from being the second goal.
- It’s going to be tough for the defencemen to join the rush when they need to be so focused on defence in this game.
- An excellent breakout from their own zone by Oliver Kapanen’s line with all three forward spread across the ice allows Kapanen to carry the puck up ice and dish off to Ivan Demidov to gain the offensive zone, with the give-and-go returning to Kapanen to tie the game. Quality quick-strike offence.
Kapanen and Demidov work a give-and-go in transition, great feed by Demidov to send Kapanen in, and he ties the game at one for the #Habs
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) November 8, 2025 at 8:46 PM
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- A long stretch pass from Mike Matheson is picked off at centre ice, forcing the Habs to scramble back on defence. Utah doubles its shot total from two to four off that ill-advised decision.
- Zachary Bolduc just can’t quite corral of lobbed pass from Alexandre Carrier that sent him in behind the Utah defence. He curls around the back of the net and made a good setup to Dach for a scoring chance.
- The period ends in a tie, and that’s perfectly fine. Montembeault’s struggles seem to have forced his teammates to work their hardest on defence, so maybe that’s a good thing for their long-term success.
Second period
- We used to mock Leafs fans for not returning to their seats in time for the period to start, but the Bell Centre has become worse. Only about half of the seats are full when the puck drops.
- Kirby Dach gets a breakaway, but decided to drop the puck back to Brendan Gallagher, who can’t control it. A missed opportunity there.
- Arber Xhekaj lays a big hit at centre ice. The ref calls a penalty, and most players and fans thought it was going to Xhekaj, but it’s Bolduc in the box for interference.
- Newhook gets a chance to go in short-handed. His shot glances off Karel Vejmelka’s arm and then off the post.
- Utah already has five shots in this period after only registering four in the first period. They boosted their number off that power play, despite Montreal’s short-handed chances.
- Anderson gets taken down as he tries to skate out of the zone on a breakout. Moments later the Mammoth make it 2-1. The crowd is understandably upset, especially after Bolduc was called for something similar but less obvious earlier.
- Cole Caufield really didn’t like the non-call apparently. He carries the puck behind the net and just after coming out from behind the goal line finds a hole in Vejmelka’s coverage to tie the game right back up.
Refs won't give them the obvious power plays, but who needs them when Cole Caufield can sneak one in like this #Habs tie it up again
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) November 8, 2025 at 9:27 PM
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- Newhook gets dinged for a hook deep in Utah’s zone. He tried to throw out his hands to show he was innocent, but that only ever proves your guilt.
- Montembeault is coming up with some important stops right now. Utah now has 12 shots in the second period, still with almost eight minutes to play.
- As the crowd boos following another missed call, Alex Newhook realizes he’s not going to get any help from the officials in this game, so he takes matters into his own hands. He speeds down the ice and dekes around J.J. Peterka to get to the slot, and beats Vejmelka for one of the best goals of the season.
Kapanen gets tripped, once again the refs are keeping the whistles in their pockets. Habs keep skating, and Alex Newhook scores a beauty. 3-2 #Habs
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) November 8, 2025 at 9:41 PM
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- Who needs shots when you just score goals instead?
- The magic formula of the top line and Lane Hutson hits the ice and almost increases the lead to two. Suzuki reads the mind of the defenceman on the forecheck to steal the puck on the wall, and then first he and then Hutson get great chances.
- Despite being outshot 15-7, the Habs outscore Utah 2-1 in the middle frame.
- Now to hang onto the lead in the third or, better yet, extend it by a goal or three.
Third period
- Schmaltz should have tied the game as Montembeault way overplayed the puck and left the net completely open, but the backhand shot went off the post.
- Demidov gets around Mikhail Sergachev and would have gotten a good shot off if Sergachev hadn’t grabbed him by the shoulders. The ref saw nothing wrong with the play.
- A couple of chances for the top line following Nick Suzuki’s chip to himself for the zone entry.
- Once again, Montreal is doing well to defend its lead by playing like it doesn’t have one, working to get the puck into the offensive zone.
- Joe Veleno takes a high stick as even the fourth line is playing in Utah’s end. Now there’s a chance to gain some breathing room with 11 minutes to go.
- Demidov made a nice move to leave a defender in his dust, but then opted for a pass when he should have taken a shot. Breaking through a layer of coverage is a major benefit on a power play.
- Montreal is outshooting Utah 8-5 with the lead in the third. That’s New Jersey and Utah they’ve contained in the past couple of games, not exactly weak offensive clubs.
- Well Caufield has found a new way to score. He one again goes for the short wraparound, and finds success on the rebound. He might get an extra 10 goals this season just from those.
Elite sniper Cole Caufield can sneak it in from anywhere he wants. 4-2 #Habs
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) November 8, 2025 at 10:38 PM
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- And if teams get wise to it and try to shut if off? He’ll just move the puck to Suzuki or his defencemen to take advantage of the open ice on the other side. A fun development.
- The line stays on the ice, and Slafkovský just misses a cross-ice feed from Suzuki on a two-on-one that would have been goal number five.
- Olés with a two-goal lead are okay.
- Utah is finally able to get an actual scoring chance in the period, but Montembeault’s glove is there, and he gets a loud cheer from the crowd and head pats from his defencemen.
- Montreal’s fourth line hems the Mammoth in their own zone as they’re trying to get Vejmelka out. The ensuing change is disjointed and no Utah player can touch the puck, leading to a two-on-zero than Suzuki finished to make it 5-2.
#Habs catch Utah on a bad line change, and Nick Suzuki ices this game
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) November 8, 2025 at 10:47 PM
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- The Mammoth don’t bother pulling Vejmelka, but Montreal scores again anyway. Dach gets a breakaway, and extends his goal-scoring streak to three games with a backhand deke.
- Montreal will win the game 6-2, thanks to an excellent third-period performance, outshooting a team they were beating 12-8.
- Now they get two days off before welcoming the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) If only that game could have been worth one point
2) He likes to spot the opponent a goal or two just to be nice
1) Top Line, Jr.
