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The Canadiens started their season with a win they didn't really deserve—thanks, Jakub—in Toronto. Since then, they've suffered three straight losses. Three losses in which they gave up no fewer than 17 goals. You can't give up five or six goals per game and expect to succeed in this league.
Yesterday, it's true, the Habs deserved a better outcome. Martin St-Louis was right after the game. However, considering all the games the Habs have managed to pull off despite being the worse of the two teams on the ice, you could call this a case of the pendulum swinging back. Or the law of large numbers taking effect as the sample size grows.
However, no matter how much we rant and rave about this and that, one fact remains: the Canadiens are off to a poor start to the season. They sit second-to-last in their division, just one measly point ahead of the Red Wings (who have a game in hand). Tomorrow night's game at the Bell Centre will therefore be to (avoid) last place in the Atlantic Division.
Unsung as it may be, this is the worst start to the season (after four games) since Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes took over. In short, since the rebuild began.
2026-27: 1-2-1
2025-26: 2-1-1
2024-25: 2-2-0
2023-24: 2-1-1
2022-23: 2-2-0
To have just one win in four games when your rebuild is complete and you're (almost) aiming for the Stanley Cup is a huge disappointment.
The list of things that aren't working for the Habs is long. And the fact that pretty much everyone has higher expectations than in previous years only highlights the items on that list.
1. The Canadiens have lost both of their home games (in regulation) this season. They'll need to start winning again in front of their fans (who pay a lot to watch their team play). That was a problem in last year's playoffs.
2. The Habs have the sixth-worst power play in the NHL so far this season (7.7%). That's not normal! There's too much talent on the team to be so far behind in that area.
3. The Habs have the eighth-worst penalty kill in the entire league (70.6%). If Montreal had performed better on special teams yesterday (0-for-3 on the power play and two goals allowed while shorthanded), they would have won the game in regulation.
4. The Montreal players need to shoot on goal more
. They did that yesterday, and it showed. If they keep doing it, it'll pay off.
5. Juraj Slafkovsky, Kirby Dach, and Mike Matheson need to step up
. They account for $17.2 million of the team's cap hit
. They can't be as lackluster as they are right now.
6. Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton should have improved the team last summer, but they didn't. They need to fix this—and soon. The Canadiens still have the same problems and the same weaknesses.
7. The injured players need to get back on the ice. I know, there's nothing we can do about it, but Ivan Demidov, Oliver Kapanen, and Kaiden Guhle are all missing from the Habs right now. By the way, who does the team miss the most?
Which injured player do the Canadiens miss the most right now?
— DansLesCoulisses (@DLCoulisses) October 9, 2026
8. The Canadiens need to play better in the second period. Montreal has scored only three goals in the second period, while allowing eight. That makes no sense.
It's up to the Canadiens to bounce back.
But with so many optional practices, it's hard to address the team's weaknesses. Especially after a (too) short training camp…
