The Caufield distraction, loving Félix Séguin, Zack “Tom Wilson” Bolduc, and Laine is waiting

Maxime Truman
The Caufield distraction, loving Félix Séguin, Zack “Tom Wilson” Bolduc, and Laine is waiting
Credit: METADATA-START

Hockey is often full of clichés. Clichés that turn out to be true most of the time…

The Canadiens played one of their worst games in a long time last night, in front of their fans at the Bell Centre. The Montrealers managed just 18 shots and went 0-for-4 on the power play: they couldn't really expect to pick up any points playing like that.

I was talking about clichés a few seconds ago; here they are, the clichés that turned out to be true:

1. The first home game after a long road trip is always tough to play. Emotion and drive inevitably dip a notch. The guys are a little less focused and they often drop that first game.

2. The Canadiens learned this afternoon that they would be making the playoffs. So, it's understandable that the players unintentionally took their foot off the gas a few hours later, in a game that didn't carry as much weight as the previous ones. Even though the captain told us just two days ago that we were aiming for first place in the East…

3. In a back-to-back series against the same team, both teams usually manage to split the series. That's what happened this weekend against the Devils.

4. It is statistically (very) unlikely for an NHL team to win nine consecutive games. After eight, the odds were REALLY stacked against the Habs.

In short, there's no need to panic or go looking high and low for reasons to explain yesterday's loss. The Habs players were having an off day, and they'll most likely bounce back on Tuesday or Thursday (again) at the Bell Centre.

The problem, however, I see it more with the people who paid $600 for a ticket in the upper deck of the Bell Centre yesterday. Don't tell me the “show” was worth $600!
Especially not for someone sitting with their back to the concrete wall separating the fan from the Montreal skyline.

I know that's the price you pay to witness a game that might go down in history, but in hindsight, you have to admit that a ticket in the 300s for yesterday's game wasn't worth more than $50.

Fans who paid hundreds of dollars (on the resale market, but that's another discussion) were expecting five goals, wingers, a win, and Cole Caufield's 50th; in the end, they got a shutout by Jacob Markstrom (a rare 0-goal game for the Habs this season). Not quite the same show, you'll agree…

You might say I'm used to it; I've been going to every CF Montréal game for a decade.


Cole Caufield and his famous 50th goal

I've heard you; many of you have criticized Félix Séguin for focusing on Cole Caufield during his commentary on Saturday night.

I can understand that some fans prefer Pierre Houde to Félix Séguin, and I have no problem with that. I idolized Pierre Houde for a long time.

However, I think there's a bit of hypocrisy in this specific criticism of Félix Séguin's work on Saturday. The story of the game was Cole Caufield's quest for his 50th goal, a feat that only six Habs players have managed to achieve in the entire history of the organization.

Everyone I talked to about hockey this weekend was talking about nothing else.

Ratings were phenomenal because of that on Saturday night.

It's kind of normal for the broadcast to focus more on Caufield's plays than on Brendan Gallagher's defensive plays, right? That's the story of the moment.

OK, maybe TVA Sports / TVA / LCN / Journal de Montréal went a little overboard all day, but the fact remains that they were responding to people's emotions and reactions.

Yesterday, Pierre Houde placed as much emphasis on Cole Caufield's race for his 50th goal as he did on Arber Xhekaj's or Zachary Bolduc's hits. I think he missed the story of the day, Pierre…

During the game, I often felt like I was watching a preseason game in September…

There was certainly a balance to be struck between the two narratives. Yes, I'll go so far as to say that Félix Séguin may have gone a bit overboard on Saturday night, but I'll also go so far as to say that Pierre Houde should have talked more about Caufield.

I mean, the coach did admit after the game that his forward's quest for his 50th goal is starting to become a distraction…

Zachary Bolduc, the agitator
I like Zachary Bolduc. I prefer him to Logan Mailloux.

This season, Bolduc is proving to us that yes, he can score goals, but he's also capable of dishing out hits. Only Arber Xhekaj has delivered more hits than Bolduc in 2025-26 among Habs players.

Yesterday, he got under the skin of several Devils players. And he was the best player on his team according to HockeyStatCards.

Of course, he could defend a little better, but you get my point: Bolduc has made himself indispensable in the coach's eyes.

I saw a few fans mention on social media this weekend that Bolduc was turning into a Tom Wilson-type player.

The comparison might seem outlandish at first glance, but yes, I see Tom Wilson as a player that a guy like Bolduc should model his game after.

We'll see if he can pull it off… because Tom Wilson has something Bolduc doesn't currently have: fighting skills.

Where is Patrik Laine?
It's been nearly three months now that Patrik Laine has been practicing with the team (in a regular jersey), but his name is still on the injured list.

If a reporter covering the team is reading this—or if you know one—I'd really like them to ask Martin St-Louis this simple question: Is Patrik Laine still injured?

I think it's a legitimate question…

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