Have The Habs Finally Found A Fit For Zack Bolduc?
During Friday morning’s episode of Le Sick Podcast, Tony Marinaro and his guest, former NHL forward Eric Belanger, discussed the chemistry that is being built between Kirby Dach and Zack Bolduc over the last few games. Along with Jake Evans, who plays a solid 2-way game that completes the trio, the Habs are building a 4th line that can compete against any other team’s 4th line when it comes to skill. Have the Habs finally found the right linemates for Bolduc?
Le Canadien a-t-il finalement trouvé son 4e trio idéal?👀@belly2020 : “De source sûre, Bolduc aime jouer avec Dach. Il espérait jouer avec lui à un moment donné.”#lesickpodcast @thesickpodcasts pic.twitter.com/8EUpTekgLX
— The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) January 30, 2026
When it comes to Bolduc this season, the biggest problem with his game has been his consistency. The Habs forward has been hot and cold over his first 54 games with the team, but one thing that has stood out as a constant has been his inability to find chemistry with any of his linemates. The only player that he has seemingly had chemistry with so far consistently has been Dach, and whoever else plays with them.
Eric Belanger mentioned that he remembers seeing Dach and Bolduc have chemistry with each other during training camp, which is why he isn’t surprised that the Quebecois forward finally looks as if he has linemates that he will be able to stick with for the time being.
.@TonyMarinaro: “There’s something there with Dach and Bolduc together. There’s energy there. There’s size, there’s combativeness”#GoHabsGo #thesickpodcast pic.twitter.com/dnayxeuWfu
— The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) January 30, 2026
Unfortunately, due to Dach’s injury history, we can’t be sure how long this line will last, as he has spent more time on injury reserve than he has been in the lineup since being traded to the Canadiens at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. However, while he’s healthy, Bolduc has someone that he clicks with on the ice. This should allow him to get back into the goal column after not scoring in 17 straight games. Luckily, since being placed with Dach and Evans, he has been able to find his game again. Will that lead to him finding the back of the net soon? Let’s look back at how his goal scoring has gone this season.
At the beginning of the season, it seemed like Bolduc had developed chemistry with both Dach and Brendan Gallagher, as he scored goals in 3 straight games to start the season, but it turned out that was just part of his streaky scoring ability.
It’s only a matter of time before his goal-scoring touch comes back; however, unlike his previous goal-scoring slumps, it seems as if he doesn’t have the same confidence in his shot that he used to have, which explains the struggles that he’s been having on breakaways recently. The chances are coming, but the puck isn’t going in for him. Bolduc is doing the right things, but they just aren’t going in right now.
Couldn’t really fit them into my story on Habs D last night, but feels like Bolduc-Evans-Dach becoming a strong combination. Bolduc has picked up his game of late, and Dach looking more and more like he did before breaking his foot.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) January 30, 2026
Another positive thing about playing with Dach and Evans is that he’s playing lower in the lineup while facing lesser competition on most shifts. With that being said, for Dach just coming back and Bolduc struggling to find his offensive game, the 4th line with Evans is likely the best spot for them right now. These two linemates are also good for Evans’ offensive numbers, as he’s now scored in back-to-back games and has a 3-game point streak.
At the end of the day, this Habs 4th line is not only great for Bolduc but also for his linemates, who have developed some nice chemistry together.
Do you think Bolduc has finally found linemates that he can click with, or will the inconsistencies that he had with others show up with Dach and Evans eventually?
