Top Six Minutes: A rough third ends the home point streak

First period

Cole Caufield sees that defencemen Matthew Robertson played the puck a little bit too far ahead, and poked it past him to start a two-on-zero. Caufield made the cross-ice pass to Juraj Slafkovský, and the Slovak beat Jonathan Quick with the shot.

LIVE SLAF LOVE 1-0 Habs!

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— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) October 18, 2025 at 8:19 PM

Urho Vaakanainen gets called for hooking Oliver Kapanen immediately upon the resumption of play, so Montreal will have a chance to increase the lead.
Bolduc gets a setup in his office in the slot, but Robertson makes a good play on that occasion to deflect it.
Increase the lead they do, thanks to a perfect cross-ice pass from Ivan Demidov to Nick Suzuki on a new-look second unit.

Ivan Demidov tees up Nick Suzuki and it's 2-0 Habs!

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— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) October 18, 2025 at 8:23 PM

If the power play starts to work, look out.
That’s the main four forwards on the team already with a point.
The Rangers panic when Lane Hutson and Demidov begin stickhandling near the net on the same shift. They end up hooking Demidov and go back to the box.
Josh Anderson chases after the puck near the offensive blue line, and holds on when his man gains a step on him. He gets a bit too absorbed in those battles sometimes and forgets there are other players on the ice to back him up.
The Rangers look quite dangerous to start their power play. As has been the case so far this season, that might be the only situation when an opponent is truly dangerous to Montreal.
And they get a goal from the advantage, further dropping the Canadiens’ PK success rate with a Mika Zibanejad shot.
There was almost a two-on-one break with Hutson caught at the blue line, but a deft stick saved the situation by chipping the puck deeper into the zone, and second later there was another Montreal scoring chance.
The Rangers are doing absolutely nothing at five-on-five. Any puck they do get into Montreal’s zone is quickly recovered and turned back up ice.
The Rangers managed six shots in the period, and three of them came on their power play. A solid performance from Montreal, probably their best period of the season so far.

Demidov gets a great setup from a net-charging Alex Newhook, but fires the shot off Quick’s mask.
The Rangers are getting more zone time this period, but they can’t get the puck off the wall and are limited to hope plays launched toward the net.
Garry Galley praises the Rangers’ defence for how they’re … limiting Montreal to a 30-shot, 20-scoring chance pace I guess.
The puck gets lost on a defensive-zone faceoff, but the Canadiens get lucky with a shot that hits the post.
Demidov attempts a drop-pass to Hutson right at the blue line, and it’s nearly a disaster. You can expect a word from Martin St-Louis when he gets back to the bench.
Lane Hutson takes a big hit from Sam Carrick, then goes right back and knocks Carrick down. Xhekaj responds to the hit on his temporary defence partner by inviting Carrick to a minute-long fight with no clear winner.
The Canadiens have absolutely worked on their board work, using their bodies to pin their man on the boards and keeping their sticks free to make a play. Every player is doing it. I think that’s more of Adam Nicholas’s work.
Montreal has played the game well, but Alexandre Carrier goes to the box with 88 seconds to play in the second.
Jake Evans get the puck out of the zone, down the ice, and changes. An eight-second penalty-kill shift.
And now the Rangers look dangerous again when they don’t have to fight through any pressure.
Just 32 second to go on the PK when the game resumes in the third.

Those 32 seconds were too many. Another Rangers power-play goal to tie the game.
Xhekaj and Rempe get into a very light altercation, and the ref sends both players to the box. We’ll play some four-on-four, which should be to the advantage of Montreal.
Suzuki gets a chance immediately.
Demidov gets held as he plays the puck and tries to chase after it. That’s not a penalty for some reason.
Kapanen’s stick breaks just as he goes to fire a shot from 20 feet.
And 15 seconds later the Rangers have the lead on a shot from just inside the blue line that cleanly beats Montembeault. He can’t see that far away, I’m sure of it.
Artemiy Panarin fires a shot off the far post and in, and it’s 4-2.
This period has gone as poorly as the first two did well for Montreal.
Suddenly the Canadiens can’t get ahold of the puck.
Montreal gets one right back on a point shot from Noah Dobson. He gets his first as a member of the Canadiens.

Noah Dobson's first as a Hab and it's a 4-3 game in Montreal!

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— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) October 18, 2025 at 10:22 PM

Do the Canadiens have another comeback in them?
There’s a pause as a linesman goes down after getting caught in the jaw by a Matheson dump-in. The game will be officiated by just one linesman for a bit. Hopefully there are fewer controversial calls than the last time we saw that.
Bolduc was completely open with Quick watching Demidov, but the Russian’s pass had a bit too much on it for Bolduc to deal with.
A wrestling takedown drops Alex Newhook to the ice at the top of the crease. He joins Vladislav Gavrikov in going off with coincidental roughing minors.
It is rather amazing that despite how well Montreal has played for 50 minutes tonight the power plays are even at two apiece.
Suzuki’s stick checks prevents an empty-netter.
Can they score one in 14.4 seconds?
They can not. The unbeaten streak on home ice comes to an end.
A good game until the Rangers exploded for their goals in the third period. Montreal will need to learn to play better with the lead.

3) He was having too much fun as a setup man

2) I thought Hutson did well attempting to send that message himself also

1) The knock was defence, and he seems to have the team on the right track there