Habs take a step in the right direction
Losers of three straight in regulation, the Montreal Canadiens embarked on a short road trip to Ohio for a single game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. With long-term injury woes forcing them to ice a new-look lineup, they had to battle their way back into the game just to salvage a point for themselves. Ultimately losing in a shootout, they at least
The good news is that most of the regulation time play was quite encouraging, particularly given all the changes to their forward group.
A little Lane Hutson magic sets up a game-tying goal late in the third period
3-3 in Columbus!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) November 17, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Lane Hutson was magnificent, Juraj Slafkovsky seemed at his best no matter who they lined him up with, and the team battled back from two separate deficits to get themselves a point. That they ended up losing their chance for the second point in the shootout is disappointing, but shouldn’t make us lose sight of how the overall product is getting better despite all of their injuries.
Slafkovsky showed some instant chemistry with Ivan Demidov on their new line, and the pair ended up creating a goal for the team in the second period. Slafkovsky was put back on the top line towards the end of the game when the team was pressing for the tie, but Martin St-Louis leaves that game knowing this is an option for him moving forward. Josh Anderson had perhaps the best game of his season skating with Joshua Roy and Jake Evans. If that line can continue to find chemistry and provide some secondary scoring, they just might be able to maintain a decent record until they get some bodies back.
We didn’t get to see a power play, which may be for the best, since it was by far the most frustrating thing to watch in their previous game. One battle at a time, they say. That said, their five-on-five play was good against the Bruins, even better against the Blue Jackets, and if they can continue to trend in that direction, it should lead to better days ahead.
It was by no means a perfect hockey game, but it was a step in the right direction for a team looking to get themselves out of a funk.
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