The Montreal Canadiens went 1-2-0 during the third week of January and sit fourth in the Atlantic division with a record of 28-17-7. 

The Habs started the week with two days of rest before hosting the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday at the Bell Centre. Montreal put in a gutsy performance, managing to best a stellar performance from Jesper Wallstedt with a 4-3 final. Cole Caufield delivered another last-second dagger, a sweeping one-timer that beat Wallstedt with just 15 seconds left in the game.

Montreal then hosted the hottest team in the NHL in the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, and faced another incredible performance from an opposing goaltender while their own faltered. Montreal outshot the Sabres 34 to 17 and lost the game 4-2. As Jake Sanderson not-so-subtly put it, sometimes you need to make more than 10 saves to win a game. The Habs weren’t perfect, but played well enough to have come away with a win.

Finally, the Habs headed to Boston for a Saturday night classic. Montreal came out of the gates strong and played a great first period, with Caufield taking centre stage. Unfortunately, inconsistent effort and a lacklustre penalty kill sunk the Habs. Not even Caufield’s hat trick could save the ship as Montreal fell 4-2 to the Bruins.

Montreal Canadiens Three Stars

Unsung hero/Honourable mention: Alexandre Carrier (GP 3 | 1G 0A 1P)

Alexandre Carrier has been on an absolute tear the last two weeks. He is in the midst of the best goal-scoring stretch of his career, and he’s playing a solid defensive game while contributing offensively. Carrier is Martin St-Louis’s go-to plug-and-play defenceman who can be placed with three different partners on a given night, swapping between Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle, and Arber Xhekaj.

Third Star: Lane Hutson (GP 3 | 1G 2A 3P)

A familiar name on this list, Lane Hutson, had yet another elite week, elevating himself to tie the NHL lead in assists by defenceman. He is on pace for 83 points, the most by a Canadiens defenceman since Larry Robinson in 1977. He didn’t have his best week defensively, especially in moments against Buffalo, but nobody should be concerned about his development as a defender. His compete level is off the charts, and his performance against Boston demonstrated that. Hutson showed snarl, physicality, and the ability to perform when called on.

Second Star: Nick Suzuki (GP 3 | 1G 4A 5P)

This week showcased exactly what Nick Suzuki is about. His performance last week had ‘captain’ written all over it. He led Canadiens forwards in ice time every game and logged a point in each one as well. He is undoubtedly the Canadiens’ number-one forward, and at this point he needs to be considered amongst the elite of the league. He is fifth amongst NHL centres in points, and third in the NHL in power-play points. His connection with Caufield looks like it will create hundreds of points over the next five years, and he’s cementing himself as one of the best two-way centres in the NHL.

First star: Cole Caufield (GP 3 | 5G 0A 5P)

Caufield is one of the best goal-scorers in the NHL and will be sorely missed if Team USA faces an opponent in overtime. He is the definition of clutch. Only Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid have more Saturday-night goals than Caufield, and he’s second in the NHL in game-winning goals. Caufield lives for big moments, and clutch performances are written into his genetics.

He scored at least once in every game last week and is currently enjoying a five-game goal-scoring streak during which he’s potted eight goals. His chemistry with Suzuki is off the charts, and even though the top line changed three times (and struggled defensively), he still managed to be productive at five-on-five.

Laval Rocket player of the week

Laurent Dauphin (GP 3| 1G 2A 3P)

Dauphin was the only forward who managed to make an impact on the scoresheet every game. Though an electrifying performance from Sean Farrell was nearly enough to give him this award, I’m taking consistency over dominance, and that’s what ‘The Dolphin’ was this week. With so many young players struggling to find consistency in Laval, Dauphin’s offensive efforts have saved the Rocket dozens of times so far this season, and he was impactful in every game for Laval.

Next week

The Habs will play three games, on the standard weekly schedule. Montreal will host Vegas and Colorado in Montreal before a rematch against the Sabres on Saturday, this time south of the border. Three real opponents will test the Canadiens, and the Habs will absolutely need their goaltending to be a positive factor.