The annual mid-winter California road trip has been historically unkind to the Montreal Canadiens. Even in years where they’ve had a stronger roster, they just seem to struggle with the voyage, leaving it with less points than expected every time. They provided a glimmer of hope on Sunday afternoon, jumping out to a 2-0 lead over the Anaheim Ducks thanks to a strong first period, perhaps setting the tone for a better time in California than we’re used to.
But that hope was snatched away in the next 40 minutes, as the team drifted their way through blowing that two-goal lead, ultimately losing 3-2 in regulation.
What a snipe by Alex Killorn. 👏 pic.twitter.com/q5GedmdviX
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 2, 2025
This was, infuriatingly enough, the second time in the game that the team collectively sat back and watched Alex Killorn come off the half wall unchallenged for a shot. Both instances ended as the video above, with the puck in the back of the Habs’ net. I don’t know if it was fatigue, missed assignments, or that they think a player on his off wing walking out from the outside hash marks is something they should just be allowing. Once is a mistake, twice tells me they either don’t know or don’t care to cover him.
They were the better team by a pretty significant margin in the first period at five-on-five, even though their two goals came from special teams. High-danger scoring chances were 5-0 in their favour for those first 20 minutes, while they were 6-2 for Anaheim the rest of the way. There’s no sugar coating it, the Canadiens simply didn’t show up for the second and third periods, which is a recipe for disaster no matter who you’re up against in this league.
This historically problematic trip for the Habs couldn’t have come at a worse time, as the team is mired in their worst five-game stretch of the last few months. The team that was playing good hockey is obviously still there – we saw it for 20 minutes to start that game – but they need to find it within themselves to be that team for a full 60 minutes. If they can’t, they’ll be going back to Montreal for their Super Bowl weekend back-to-back with their tails tucked between their legs.
They do have a nice opportunity to get back on track tomorrow night, as the next game of the trip is against a San Jose Sharks roster that sits dead last in the west. If they play even close to the way that we know they can, this is not a game that they should be able to lose.
But again, this is not a league where you can fail to show up for two periods. Lately, the Habs have learned some hard lessons about how easily first-period leads can disappear.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. The California road trip continues this Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks, and we’ll be back with another episode after that, albeit at a pretty late hour for those of us in the east.
