The Habs win thanks to a (rare) good second period at home

Félix Forget
The Habs win thanks to a (rare) good second period at home
Credit: DansLesCoulisses.com

After a long road trip, the Canadiens were back at the Bell Centre tonight, taking on the Calgary Flames.

For the occasion, Jacob Fowler was in net… and Phillip Danault played his first game in Montreal since the deal that brought him back to the Habs.

Here's the home team's line-up:

For the Flames, Dustin Wolf was in net.

Here's the visitors' lineup:

The Canadiens dominated the first period but were unable to take the lead. Let's jump right into the second period, where there was plenty of action.

First, in the opening minutes of the period, Alexandre Texier found himself very close to the Flames' goal… and he took advantage of it to score a goal from an odd angle.

It was Texier's 100th career NHL point.

A few minutes later, Phillip Danault generated a great scoring chance when he came out of the penalty box… and was seen pounding his stick on the ice to receive the puck.

He then passed it to Lane Hutson, who gave himself a Shea Weber look to double his team's lead.

Then, a minute later, Oliver Kapanen showed his relentlessness (and a little luck to avoid a penalty) to wrest the disc from Nazem Kadri.

And Kapanen added another to his team's record.

At the end of the period, however, Joel Farabee provided the answer. He beat Jacob Fowler to put the Flames on the scoreboard.

You'd think that's a shot Fowler would like to see again.

After 40 minutes, the Habs held a 3-1 lead. Yes, the Habs had a good second period in front of their fans. #Miracle

And in the third period, the club continued to impress. The first line was once again the source of a great scoring chance, and Cole Caufield completed the scoring with a magnificent pass reception.

Texier picked up his third point of the game on the sequence, the first of his NHL career.

Nazem Kadri almost gave the Flames another chance late in the third, but the goal was disallowed due to offside on the sequence.

The Habs held on to win their first home game of 2026.

Final score: 4-1 Montreal

The Canadiens return to action tomorrow night, when the Panthers visit the Bell Centre. We'll see if Brad Marchand gets a visit from the Habs players for the occasion.


Extension

– The Calgary Flames aren't a powerhouse, we agree. That said, the Habs didn't fall into the trap: they dominated this game from start to finish. And, above all, it showed that it's capable of having a good second period at the Bell Centre… which is a minor miracle in itself.

– Hehe.

– Alexandre Texier is really making himself indispensable in Montreal. The Frenchman had a strong game tonight, and more and more, he's starting to show that he's on the first line in his own right. Especially since Kirby Dach, who we could have seen taking over this position, doesn't look like a guy who's close to a comeback…

– Oliver Kapanen continues to score.

– Joe Veleno briefly left the game late in the third period, but returned later. We can therefore assume that he is not seriously injured, although his condition will be monitored.

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