Mike Ribeiro and Guillaume Latendresse’s experiences as hyped teens in Montreal now serve as cautionary tales for prospects like Ivan Demidov—just as the Montreal Canadiens prepare to face the Washington Capitals in the 2025 playoffs.
This year’s playoffs are upon us, and the HabsWorld writers are giving their predictions on the first-round series. This is the first part covering all games starting April 19th.
On Wednesday, the Habs had one last chance to clinch a playoff spot as they hosted Carolina. They struggled to bury some of their top scoring opportunities but it didn’t matter as Montreal doubled up the Hurricanes 4-2.
Ivan Demidov had a very strong NHL debut on Monday night against Chicago but it wasn’t enough to help the Habs clinch a playoff spot. They got one point closer to doing so however, as they fell 4-3 in a shootout.
It wasn’t Montreal’s best week by any stretch but they did manage to creep a little closer to securing the final Wild Card spot in the East. They still have some work to do to clinch but they’re in control of their destiny while getting an intriguing late-season addition up front.
The Habs played their final road game of the regular season on Saturday in Toronto. However, they weren’t able to get many shots through on goal while Mitch Marner scored the only goal of the night in the opening minute of overtime, meaning Montreal will have to wait a little longer to clinch a playoff spot.
Armed with a chance to clinch a playoff spot with a regulation victory on Friday night, the Habs instead came out slow once again and weren’t able to recover, falling 5-2 to Ottawa.
Topics in this edition of our latest podcast include Montreal’s improbable run to being on the verge of clinching a playoff spot, Lane Hutson’s continued strong play, and the pending arrival of Ivan Demidov.
While there was plenty of excitement off the ice on Tuesday in Montreal, there was still a game to be played as the Habs hosted Detroit. They survived a disastrous first period and scored four unanswered after that to secure the 4-1 win.
The ever-changing Ivan Demidov saga took another turn on Tuesday, this one a very positive one. He was released from SKA St. Petersburg and soon after, the Habs announced that they signed Demidov to a three-year, entry-level contract.