Game 78: Montreal Canadiens vs. Florida Panthers

Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Panthers region: SCRIPPS
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+

Streaks can be funny things in the NHL. On Saturday, the Montreal Canadiens beat the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center in Newark for an eighth win in a row. On Sunday, playing the rematch at the Bell Centre, Montreal scored zero goals for an 11th consecutive loss to the Devils on home ice, scoring a total of 18 goals during that span; they scored 31 during the winning streak that the Devils just brought to an end.

The previous two seasons, few teams could touch the Florida Panthers as they went on to win back-to-back Stanley Cups. One of the teams that had no issues versus what was regarded as the model franchise of the NHL was Montreal, sweeping the four-game season series in 2024-25. Adding two more wins this season to go with one at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, the Habs have now won the last seven times they’ve played the Panthers.

The final game between the teams will be played tonight with Montreal looking for another perfect season against their divisional foe. It wouldn’t be quite as impressive this time around considering that five other teams have already accomplished that feat this season, but it would just highlight how the balance of power has been changing in the Atlantic, and started even before this poor season from the two-time defending champions.

Tale of the Tape

Canadiens
Statistics
Panthers

45-22-10
Record
37-37-3

48.5% (23rd)
Expected-goal share
50.3% (16th)

3.45 (5th)
Goals per game
2.92 (20th)

3.08 (20th)
Goals against per game
3.39 (28th)

23.9% (8th)
PP%
19.6% (20th)

77.5% (22nd)
PK%
81.2% (10th)

2-0-0
Head-to-Head Record
0-1-1

Cole Caufield (49)
Most goals
Sam Reinhart (29)

Nick Suzuki (68)
Most assists
Sam Reinhart (32)

Nick Suzuki (95)
Most points
Sam Reinhart (61)

Without the difficult loss to New Jersey on Sunday, maybe this would have been the game in which the Canadiens took their foot off the gas. Instead, they now have a reason to play well in a match that otherwise has no impact on their post-season standing. The offence is too good to get held to no goals when the energy and desire are there, and the players will want to make up for the disappointing loss on a night that should have been a celebration of both the winning streak they claimed largely on the road and locking down a playoff spot earlier on Sunday.

They didn’t test Jacob Markstrom and his .884 save percentage much in the last game, and just two high-danger chances at five-on-five all night long after 10 of them 24 hours earlier is probably the best indication that they just didn’t have the legs to play their usual offensive game. After two needed nights of sleep at home, it’s expected to be the .878 efficiency of Sergei Bobrovsky they tackle this evening. Bobrovsky has been in net for three of the seven consecutive losses his team has versus Montreal, and he allowed five goals in his last one on January 8 in Montreal.

Florida has already started looking ahead to next year. All of Uvis Balinskis, Niko Mikkola, Aaron Ekblad, Evan Rodriguez, Anton Lundell, Brad Marchand, and team leader in all of goals, assists and points, Sam Reinhart, have been shut down to give them a long off-season after two short ones the past two summers. They join Jonah Gadjovich who played 10 games this season and Aleksander Barkov who played zero after a pre-season injury in getting a head start on their preparations for 2026-27.

The Canadiens still have a great deal to play for in the final five games. With a win by the Buffalo Sabres over the Tampa Bay Lightning last night, the division lead remains just two points ahead as those two teams sit tied at 102. The Lightning will be in action at the same time tonight, playing a 13th game in 22 days when they visit the Ottawa Senators. If the Canadiens can get the offence back in gear and take care of the Panthers, the possibility could be there for Montreal to battle for the first seed on Thursday.