The Montreal Canadiens were taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, and Martin St-Louis’ men were hoping to get a second consecutive win against the old enemy. While the Hockey Night in Canada broadcast team was focused on whether the Leafs would set a league record for the most consecutive games with a goal on their first shot, the Habs were focused on playing a complete 200-foot game and being smart on both sides of the puck.
The first two meetings between the two sides this season had finished 5-2, with each team grabbing a win, and those who believed they’d be treated to a goal festival were sorely mistaken.
Advertisement
Canadiens: 2 Center Trade Targets To Consider
Canadiens To Take Part In 2026 Heritage Classic
Canadiens: Keifer Sherwood Would Be A Big Gamble
For a second game in a row, rookie netminder Jakub Dobes was manning the Canadiens’ net, and there was a lot to like about his game. His movements were well-calculated, his reflexes were lightning sharp, and he was very proactive in the net.
The Czech netminder doesn’t wait for shots to come to him to be involved in the game; he has a knack for harpooning the puck and cutting off passes, which could have led to scoring chances.
Furthermore, he’s really fiery on the ice. If you poke at a puck he has covered and he doesn’t like your aggressiveness, he will hack at you. Not quite in a “in-your-face-Billy-Smith-crazy” kind of way, but he will do it, and you will get the message. The same goes if you are in his crease and taking up too much room; he won’t wait for his blueliners to do the heavy lifting; he will do the heavy lifting and fight for his space.
Advertisement
These are all little details, but they are confidence-inspiring details. Having a goaltender who both looks and is in control will settle any team’s nerves. Even though the Canadiens hadn’t won in the regular season in Toronto since February 2021, they were highly confident in front of Dobes on Saturday night.
Dobes made perhaps the save of the game in the third frame when confusion behind the net between Alexandre Carrier and Noah Dobson handed the Leafs a golden chance. Still, the goalie moved right in front of Dakota Joshua, and used his head to keep the score 1-1.
The Habs’ confidence was also evident in their defensive play as a five-man unit. St-Louis has been on their case all season about defending from the moment you lose the puck, and that’s precisely what they did on Saturday night.
Advertisement
The fact that the Leafs had only 10 shots after 40 minutes and that Montreal had only six blocked shots in the same time span tells the story of a team that didn’t have time to set up its attack. By smothering the locals’ attack, the Canadiens also sucked the air out of the building, and you could have heard a pin drop for most of the game.
Toronto did press on in the third frame, as is to be expected from a team that’s down by one goal. Still, the Leafs could only manage to get a single goal while shorthanded, thanks to an Oliver Kapanen brain cramp. The Finn turned the puck over while the Habs were in deep, which allowed Scott Laughton to take off all alone on the breakaway and beat Dobes with a slapshot.
After 65 minutes, the Leafs only had 23 shots, while the Canadiens had 34.
It was a great night for the first line, aside from the fact that Suzuki had a 36% success rate at the faceoff dot. Cole Caufield scored the only regulation goal for the Canadiens with assists from Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov, extending his point streak to 10 games. The sniper had four shots on goal, three missed shots and three hits. The American also scored one of the Habs’ two shootout goals, lifting the puck above Dennis Hildeby’s shoulder once he saw how bent forward the goaltender was, a perfect read.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, Slafkovsky had four shots on goal, one missed shot, two hits, a blocked shot and a giveaway. Beyond the stats, though, it’s his dedication to the defensive side of the game that stuck with me tonight. The backcheck, the diving play to delay the Leafs going the other way, the big Slovak was on his game tonight.
The captain’s game streak with a point came to an end, but that’s hardly something he’ll be worried about, and his passing game with his winger was on point.
For the second game in a row, St-Louis decided to use Alexandre Texier in the shootout, and this time it paid off. When he was signed, we were told he had some excellent offensive skills, and while we had seen it in practice so far, he showcased them when it mattered tonight, allowing the Canadiens to claim the second point.
On Sunday night, the Canadiens will be back in action at the Bell Centre when they welcome the St. Louis Blues. With Dobes’ performance in Toronto, one can wonder if the coach won’t be tempted to stick with him for that game as well, after all, Samuel Montembeault is struggling mightily right now, and the Czech netminder wasn’t overworked on Saturday night.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
Advertisement
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens’ page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens’ roundtable on The Hockey News.
Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here.
