Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Makes 31 saves in win
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Montembeault stopped 31 of 33 shots in Monday's 4-2 win over the Kraken.
Montembeault was sharp again Monday to pick up a third straight win. The 27-year-old netminder hasn't allowed more than three goals in his last five outings, going 4-1-0 with a .927 save percentage in that span. Overall, Montembeault is 6-3-1 with a .913 save percentage though 11 games while sharing the crease with Jake Allen and Cayden Primeau this season.
Canadiens' Sean Monahan: Two goals to snap cold spell
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Monahan scored a pair of goals in Monday's 4-2 win over the Kraken.
Monahan opened the scoring in the first period, burying a feed from Josh Anderson for his first goal since Nov. 2, before adding a second tally on a power play in the second. The two-score effort snapped Monahan's nine-game pointless skid. After tallying 13 points in his first 15 games this season, the 29-year-old center now has eight goals and 15 points through 25 contests.
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Canadiens' Arber Xhekaj: Headed for minors
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Xhekaj (upper body) was activated off injured reserve and then sent down to AHL Laval on Monday.
Xhekaj was sidelined for seven games due to his upper-body issue but will have to continue to wait before returning the the NHL lineup following his demotion. Prior to getting hurt, the Ontario native managed just three points in 17 outings and shouldn't be expected to offer much in the way of offensive upside, though he's also produced 41 hits and 47 PIM this season.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Tending twine Monday
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Montembeault will protect the home goal Monday against Seattle.
Montembeault has won his past two starts, having stopped 56 of 61 shots. He has posted a 5-3-1 record this season with a 2.73 GAA and a .910 save percentage through 10 games played. The Kraken rank 29th in the league with 2.68 goals per contest this campaign.
Caufield had four shots on net over 20:24 of ice time in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Red Wings.
Caufield was reunited with Nick Suzuki on the top line, as head coach Martin St. Louis adjusted in the wake of Alex Newhook's ankle injury, which is expected to sideline him for 10-to-12 weeks. The first line opened with Caufield, Suzuki and Sean Monahan, but Montreal finished the game with Joel Armia in Monahan's spot.
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Canadiens' Jake Evans: Logs assist in OT loss
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Evans had an assist, a blocked shot and a hit over 16:31 of ice time in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to Detroit.
Evans picked up the secondary helper on Gustav Lindstrom's game-tying goal that set up overtime. The center moved up a notch -- from the fourth to third line -- as Alex Newhook (ankle) was added to injured reserve Saturday. Newhook will miss 10-to-12 weeks, so Evans could be in line for TOI with more offensively gifted forwards until Newhook returns. Evans has assists in two straight games and four over the past six, bringing him up to one goal, six assists, 19 shots, 22 hits, 21 blocks, six PIM and a plus-6 rating through 24 games.
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Canadiens' Josh Anderson: Snaps another drought
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Anderson had an assist, two shots on net, one blocked shot, one hit and two PIM over 14:00 of ice time in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Red Wings.
Anderson was part of the crew that worked hard to set up the game-tying goal, which led to overtime. He battled behind the net to win possession then fed Gustav Lindstrom for the equalizer. The assist snapped Anderson's eight-game point drought, which isn't even his longest drought. Earlier this season, Anderson went 12 games without a point. The forward was expected to be an important part of the offense, but Anderson has just three assists and is still seeking his first goal through 24 games.
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Canadiens' Gustav Lindstrom: Forces OT
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Lindstrom scored a goal on two shots and blocked one shot over 13:12 of ice time in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Red Wings.
Lindstrom moved in from the side wall and wristed a feed from Josh Anderson past Ville Husso, tying the game and setting up overtime. It was the second goal in three games and third of the season for the defenseman. Montreal's blueliners continued to produce offense, scoring two of the team's four tallies.
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Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Sets up power-play strike
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Matheson recorded a power-play assist, one shot on goal, three blocked shots and one hit over 29:17 of ice time in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to Detroit.
Matheson and Nick Suzuki played pass along the boards before the captain struck from the top of the right faceoff circle to cut the Red Wings' lead to 4-3 early in the third period. Montreal's power-play unit, which was unsuccessful over 27 consecutive opportunities, scored for the first time since Nov. 12. When the unit does produce, Matheson and Suzuki are typically involved. The defenseman leads the Canadiens with 10 man-advantage points, while Sukuzi's second with nine.
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Canadiens' Joel Armia: Scores shortie
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Armia had a shorthanded goal in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to Detroit. He added five shots on net, one blocked shot and one hit to his line over 15:51 of ice time.
When Lucas Raymond couldn't control a pass at the blue line, Armia pounced on the loose puck and led a 2-on-1 rush. The 30-year-old forward showed pass before drilling a wrister far side past Ville Husso. It was the third goal of the season and second in three games for Armia, who started the game on the fourth line but took shifts on the first line during the third period. With three injured forwards out long term -- the latest being Alex Newhook (ankle) -- Armia could remain up with the parent club rather than being returned to the AHL, particularly if his shots are finding twine.
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Canadiens' Justin Barron: Shows offense in OT loss
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Barron scored a goal on one shot and blocked three shots over 19:24 of ice time in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Red Wings.
Barron stemmed Detroit's early onslaught, scoring Montreal's first goal with seven seconds left in the first period to cut the Red Wings' lead to 3-1. His pinch led to a Nick Suzuki shot that was blocked right onto the stick of Barron, who deposited his fifth goal in 21 games. The 22-year-old blueliner has a 21.7 shooting percentage and is tied for sixth among defensemen in tallies.
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Canadiens' Jake Allen: Sixth straight loss
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Allen made 28 saves in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Red Wings on Saturday
It was his sixth straight loss, dating back to early November. Allen keeps trying to carry his team, but to no avail. Watch for trade rumbles to start now that Sam Montembeault has inked a contract extension. A change of scenery may be good for Allen, who has a 3.74 GAA and an .898 save percentage in 10 appearances this season.
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Canadiens' Nick Suzuki: Another two-point game
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Suzuki had a goal and an assist in a 5-4 overtime loss to Detroit on Saturday.
His wrist shot from the right circle had eluded Ville Husso early in the third to get the Habs to within 4-3. Suzuki is on a pace similar to last season, when he tallied 66 points in 82 games. It remains to be seen if he's a true number one pivot, or if he's more of a second-line reliable scorer once the Habs fill out their lineup over time. Until then, you should keep trotting him onto your active lineup. Suzuki is going to be the top dog for a bit until the Habs actually build out their lineup.
Newhook is expected to miss the next 10-12 weeks with a high-ankle sprain, per Arpon Basu of The Athletic. He was moved to injured reserve Saturday, per CapFriendly.
Newhook, who has been seeing time in first line and action on the second-unit power-play unit, is a big loss for the Canadiens. He has produced seven goals and 13 points in 23 games during his first season in Montreal after being acquired from Colorado in June. Per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports, Sean Monahan and Cole Caufield are slated to rejoin Nick Suzuki on Montreal's top line.
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Canadiens' Jake Allen: Gets Saturday's start
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Allen will be between the home pipes versus Detroit on Saturday, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.
Allen has started only once in the last five games, giving up four goals on 30 shots in a loss to LA on Nov. 25. Allen is 3-5-0 with a 3.59 GAA and .903 save percentage. The Red Wings have been an offensive juggernaut this season, as they are fourth in NHL scoring with 81 goals.
Alex Newhook suffered a lower-body injury during Thursday's 5-1 loss to Florida, so Stephens' promotion is likely a reaction to that. If Newhook can't play Saturday versus Detroit, then Stephens might make his NHL season debut. The 26-year-old has three goals and 12 points in 16 outings with Laval in 2023-24.
