Team effort snaps Habs’ losing streak
Losers of five straight, and about to embark on a tough three-game road trip out west, the Montreal Canadiens needed something positive to come from a Saturday night tilt with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre. They got exactly what they needed out of that game, coming together for a very strong showing in a 5-2 win, allowing them to hit the road with some confidence this week.
It was a dominant effort from top to bottom, and came at a time when the team sorely needed to prove to themselves that they remain capable of such an effort.
Juraj Slafkovsky with some great patience, starts a tic-tac-toe to Demidov and ultimately Noah Dobson for his second of the night.
3-0 #Habs pic.twitter.com/uvVjlXGudx
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) November 23, 2025
It was possibly Noah Dobson’s best game as a Hab, chipping in two goals in the win. Josh Anderson also continued his Leaf-killer ways with two goals of his own. Florian Xhekaj fell just shy of a Gordie Howe hat trick in his NHL debut, registering an assist and a fight. Contributions were coming from everywhere in the lineup, and even those who didn’t register multi-point nights were playing at a level that would typically see them get there.
If you just look at the box score, you might be able to overlook the performance of one Juraj Slafkovsky for all the scoring that came from elsewhere in the lineup. He looked like a different animal against the Leafs, driving the play and keeping the Leafs on their heels every time he stepped on the ice. He had some nice silver lining performances during the losing streak, and seems to be kicking things into high gear at a very important juncture in the season.
Goaltending had been the most persistent issue for the team during the losing streak. Jakub Dobes didn’t need to be spectacular with the way the team played in front of him, but he didn’t give up any cringe-worthy goals either. Hopefully this is the kind of game that can give him a bit more confidence, which can only improve if the team in front of him keeps giving efforts like that one.
Now the team can hit the road with a little more pep in their step. The losing streak felt like it had sapped the confidence not only from their netminders, but from the team in front of them. They were selling out to try and generate chances while coming from behind, exacerbating their issues in net by giving up odd-man rushes the other way. They got back to their game against Toronto, and hopefully can carry that with them on what figures to be a tough road trip.
And not for nothing, there may just be a new fan favourite at the Bell Centre.
Bienvenue à Montréal, mon Florian.
W in his first NHL fight. pic.twitter.com/8eG846ohZA
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) November 23, 2025
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 start of the road trip against the Utah Mammoth.
