Monday night was one of the most anticipated games we’ve seen in some time for the Montreal Canadiens. Not only did they have an opportunity to secure a playoff berth for the first time since the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, but the ultra-talented Ivan Demidov was set to make his NHL debut against the Chicago Blackhawks. Surrendering a two-goal lead before ultimately losing in a shootout, the Habs ended up spoiling the party for the Bell Centre faithful.
Still, what we saw from Demidov in that game should be cause for great excitement about this team’s future.
IVAN DEMIDOV, WELCOME TO MONTREAL
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) April 14, 2025
2-0 #GOHABSGO pic.twitter.com/MSgNF4nsRI
On just his second NHL shift, he was dancing around the goal line before setting up Alex Newhook to open the scoring. A few shifts later, Demidov sent the Bell Centre crowd into a frenzy with the goal shown above. It took him just one period of action to show Montreal just what he is capable of, proving that all of the hype around his debut was well warranted.
With a little puck luck, he could have had several more assists, and possibly another goal as well. He was the most dangerous looking player in red for the remainder of that game, consistently creating space for himself with his skating and puck handling, and looking extremely comfortable for someone getting their first taste of NHL action. It was as good a debut as we could have asked for, and yet, the game still ended up being a massive let down.
As a team, the Habs looked terrified to make mistakes from the 2-0 goal onward. That fear led to them making possibly more mistakes than they normally would, and Chicago took those opportunities to tie the game, and even hold a lead until late in the third period. It was wildly disappointing after the way Demidov started the night, and now they’ll have to find a way to regroup with just one game left to play.
The Habs have two ways they can qualify for the playoffs between now and the end of the regular season this Thursday. Option one is to get at least a point in their final contest against the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow night, and option two is to hope that the Columbus Blue Jackets fail to win both of their remaining games in regulation. One of those games is tonight, so with a little help from the Philadelphia Flyers, they could finally clinch their spot without lifting a finger.
If that doesn’t materialize, they still control their destiny, and maybe Ivan Demidov has a few more tricks up his sleeve to help them punch their ticket tomorrow night.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll be back on Wednesday night for the season finale, which will be at the Bell Centre against the Carolina Hurricanes.
