Yesterday’s game proves that the club’s biggest need is in defense.

Last night, the Canadiens played in San Jose.

For one reason or another, these games are never really easy. And once again, the Canadiens found a way to make it… interesting.

Let's put it this way.

In a 7-5 loss in California (and very late at night for people in Quebec), the Canadiens managed to come back from a three-goal deficit (5-2) to give themselves a chance.

But the club still lost 7-5, mainly due to a penalty for too many men on the ice.

The 7-5 loss, when you think about it, is a good representation of the season. The Canadiens have absolutely no problem coming back and scoring goals.

No one is scoring more than the Habs in the East this season. Carey Price would probably have liked to play behind this team—and I'm not talking about the Sharks here.

https://t.co/b6KjHtAzVW pic.twitter.com/x9VuL6mOim

— Nicolas Cloutier (@NCloutierTVA) March 4, 2026

But defensively, it's a different story.

We don't just want to talk about the defensemen here. We're talking about defensive play in general, including the club's penalty kill, which isn't up to par.

Did the club's PK (27th in the NHL this morning) hurt yesterday? Considering the fact that it gave up two goals in the third period to the Sharks, let's just say that we can't draw too many positives from it. And more than ever, we're emphasizing that finding a good right-handed defenseman must remain the club's priority right now. Yesterday's game served as a message in that regard.

I don't think scoring is the issue with the 2026 version of the Montreal Canadiens.

Defense and overall team defense seem to be the most visible need here. I know some will say goalie as well, but Askarov robbed MTL many times and still let in 5.

— Marco D'Amico (@mndamico) March 4, 2026

Jayden Struble played less than nine minutes yesterday. And in a game where Alexandre Carrier (12:38) played little, the top four were completely overloaded.

If Arber Xhekaj had played, he wouldn't have rivaled Lane Hutson's playing time (over 25 minutes), of course.

Does that mean the Canadiens need to do everything they can to get some reinforcements? Considering that this isn't a new problem and that Adam Engstrom is injured down low… the Habs need to seriously consider paying the price.

It depends on who it is, of course, but still.

Yes, prices are currently high on the market (as demonstrated by the trade of Michael McCarron, a depth forward, for a second-round pick), but if Kent Hughes wants to help his club, he needs to seriously consider it.

Yesterday, his team spoke to him.

Overtime

– Alex Newhook scored twice. Is he becoming the guy he was at the start of the season? Honorable mentions to Mike Matheson (three assists) and Jake Evans (two assists) in the game.

– Kirby Dach didn't have an easy time yesterday… and neither did Juraj Slafkovsky. Is it time to think about bringing Slaf back to the first line? It could energize everyone.

 

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– The Canadiens will enjoy a day off today. Their next game will be on Friday night (9 p.m. Quebec time) against the Ducks. By then, the trade deadline will have passed.

– Here are the Eastern Conference standings.