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The Canadiens have just finished a stretch of five games in seven nights with seven points out of a possible ten.
Looking at the big picture , that's excellent. The club has won three games, lost the one against the Red Wings, and escaped an overtime duel (3-2) last night in Washington.
In the end, that's all it took to stay at the top of the standings.
But the fact remains that the Canadiens played the trick they like to play on other teams: come from behind in the third and score in overtime.
The result? The Habs leave the U.S. capital with just one point in the bank. Better than zero points, of course, but still.
If there's one thing that has hurt the Canadiens, it's the power play. Again yesterday, the Habs were 0-for-4 during the game, which isn't very good.
Since January 1, the Habs are 2-for-22 in eight games. At 9.1%, it's the third-worst record across the Bettman circuit.
The Habs were also undisciplined, giving the Capitals five powerplays.But fortunately, the Caps have been on a tear lately, too… and Josh Anderson scored short-handed.
Of course, the decision not to use Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov on the first wave was the talk of the town.
The coach, who can see that his power play is going nowhere these days, wanted to try something different with Noah Dobson and Alexandre Texier on the first wave for the last two games.
But clearly, even though the sample size is small, it didn't produce the desired results yesterday. And since the Canadiens even missed on the heels of a five-on-three, it's clear that this was part of the reason for the defeat.
However, it's not just the special units that explain the fact that the Habs played well for the first 40 minutes of the game before forgetting to finish.
What do I remember about the game?
1. Could Samuel Montembeault have looked better on the overtime goal? Yes, possibly. But was he one of the reasons why the Habs came up a man short and took the game into overtime? Yes!
He's been sticking to his game since his return from Laval. You can tell he's back to his old self, which is a good thing. And that's even though he lost to a Canadiens goalie last night. #LoganThompson
2. I know we had to stir the pot, but Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov didn't play on the first wave of the powerplay. I know Nick Suzuki was punished three-on-three, but Ivan Demidov didn't play in overtime.
Losing without maximizing your first-rate elements… it's noticeable, let's say.
3. The guys are tired of losing to the Capitals. Of course, having played them in the playoffs last year, the emotions are different compared to another club.
It's not easy to beat a big, experienced club. And that's why Kent Hughes needs to go out and get a big, experienced player at the deadline. He has to try, at least.
4. The Canadiens had eight scoring chances that were considered dangerous, compared to 21 for their opponents. The Habs finished with 26 shots, including six in the last two periods of the game… versus 42 for Washington.
The Habs shot themselves in the foot in some respects, despite a good start to the game.
Samuel Montembeault has nothing to reproach himself for tonight. Quite the contrary, in fact.
The Capitals generated 21 (!!!) dangerous scoring chances, compared to only 8 for the Habs.
– Anthony Martineau (@Antho_Martineau) January 14, 2026
5. Brendan Gallagher (who needed to buy himself some fan sympathy) and Josh Anderson, two veterans, stood up to a big, experienced club by scoring.
Reminds me of the 2025 series.
Bolduc -> Danault -> Gallagher.
It's not in this clip, but the play was started by another smart pinch by Noah Dobson.
2-0 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/yH2QoJoExV– Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) January 14, 2026
I read somewhere that the Habs needed to bulk up a bit and get some experience to beat these big clubs. And that somewhere is in point #3 of the text you're reading right now.
Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton, who saw the importance of player size with the Rangers, surely get the message.
extension
Today is travel day for the Canadiens. The club will head to Buffalo to face the Sabres tomorrow night in New York State.
Will Jacob Fowler be in the starting lineup? That would be his turn.
We can expect to see Kaiden Guhle back in the lineup, having skipped his turn yesterday to avoid playing a second game in as many nights upon his return from injury. Who will take his place?
Offensively, I don't really see Owen Beck returning to the line-up. But we'll see.
