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The Habs capped the month of November on a losing note while starting December the same as they were only able to pick up one victory and three points overall out of four games last week as they’ve slipped to second-last overall.

The Week That Was

Nov. 26: Utah 3, Canadiens 2 (OT) – With the Habs already at the bottom of the league in terms of shots on goal, they then put in their roughest performance of the season on that front, managing just 13 shots on goal against Utah.  Nonetheless, they were able to get it to overtime but late in the extra session, Mikhail Sergachev was able to get behind Jake Evans in coverage and pot the winner with just 27 seconds to go.

Nov. 27: Canadiens 4, Blue Jackets 3 – Juraj Slafkovsky has been quieter than expected offensively this season but this was an example that he still has the skill to impact the game as he picked up a goal and an assist.  Emil Heineman gave Montreal their first lead of the game in the third period but it was short-lived as Zach Werenski tied it up four minutes later, sending the game to overtime once again.  However, Nick Suzuki got off a pair of shots in the opening minute, the second of which went in to give the Habs and Cayden Primeau the win. 

Nov. 30: Rangers 4, Canadiens 3 – For the most part this season, Montreal has had a strong penalty kill.  They didn’t in this one and it cost them.  New York picked up three power play goals including the winner in the final minute when Kaapo Kakko buried a Will Cuylle feed seconds after Cuylle hauled down Joel Armia without a penalty.  (Of course, it could be argued that Montreal got away with a missed call in overtime in Columbus on the Suzuki goal; these things tend to somewhat even out).  Still, it was a tough way to end what was a pretty solid game from the Habs overall.

Dec. 1: Bruins 6, Canadiens 3 – Montreal has had a tendency of letting bad things snowball this season and that happened again in this one as Primeau allowed three goals in 70 seconds in the first period to take a close game into a bit of a blow out.  The Habs battled back to make it at least a bit interesting including a pair of goals from Cole Caufield but couldn’t get closer than being down by two despite their efforts.

StatPack

Skaters:

Goalies:

Team Leaders:

Goals: Cole Caufield (16)
Assists: Nick Suzuki (15)
Points: Nick Suzuki (24)
+/-: Kaiden Guhle (+1)
PIMS: Arber Xhekaj (37)
Shots: Cole Caufield (63)

News And Notes

-Defenceman Mike Matheson missed the first two games of the week due to a lower-body injury but returned for the weekend matinees. 

– Joshua Roy was recalled from Laval, taking the place of Lucas Condotta.  However, he was returned to Laval on Monday.

– Rafael Harvey-Pinard was activated off LTIR but rather than rejoin Montreal’s roster at that time, he was waived and assigned back to Laval after clearing.

Last Game’s Lines:

Caufield – Suzuki – Newhook
Slafkovsky – Dvorak – Gallagher
Roy – Dach – Anderson
Heineman – Evans – Armia

Hutson – Matheson
Guhle – Struble
Xhekaj – Savard

The Week Ahead

Tuesday vs NY Islanders – Patrick Roy’s first full season behind the bench hasn’t been able to spark the Islanders who find themselves seventh in the Metropolitan Division and toward the basement in terms of goals scored though not having Mathew Barzal for the last month doesn’t help, nor does the fact they’re missing Anthony Duclair who was injured in their first game against the Habs.  Former Hab Mike Reilly suffered a concussion a little more than a month ago and while undergoing testing for that, it was discovered that he has a heart condition, one that has him out long-term.

Thursday vs Nashville – A popular candidate to be a contender this season, the Predators have been anything but in the first two months.  It was only recently that Jonathan Marchessault recorded an even strength point, a sign that the Habs might have dodged a bullet following their efforts to sign him over the summer.  Steven Stamkos has managed just 13 points in 25 games and Nashville somehow has scored the fewest goals of anyone this season despite their upgraded group on paper.  Juuse Saros has been the busiest goalie in the league in the early going while they just acquired a new backup after swapping second-string options with Colorado over the weekend.

Saturday vs Washington – The Capitals have one of the biggest pleasant surprises through the first quarter and a bit of the season as they lead the Metropolitan Division.  While Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren have platooned so far, the former has the better numbers and should start to cut into Lindgren’s playing time before too long.  It looked like the Habs might miss Alex Ovechkin for this one but he appears to be recovering faster than expected from his fractured fibula as he has already started skating.  Dylan Strome is off to a fantastic start to the season with 34 points in 24 games.

Final Thought

The NHL will be revealing the rosters for the upcoming 4 Nations Cup in February and it doesn’t seem like there will be much Canadiens content in this one.  Nick Suzuki and Samuel Montembeault are longshots to secure a depth role with Canada while Cole Caufield, despite his slow start, is unlikely to track the roster for the United States.  Meanwhile, unless Sweden is extremely impressed with Emil Heineman, Montreal won’t have a representative there either.

Instead, probably their only hope will come from Finland.  Patrik Laine is likely to be named to the roster despite not playing a single second in the regular season yet.  Meanwhile, Joel Armia could have an outside shot at a depth role if the Finns decide that they want a bit more size and defensive acumen at the bottom of their lineup.  But beyond that, expect the majority of Montreal’s roster to have a long midseason break.