ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Montreal Canadiens dropped a heartbreaking 6-5 shootout decision to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night at the Honda Center, marking the second straight road game where defensive breakdowns proved costly for the playoff hopefuls.
The loss came just hours after the NHL trade deadline passed without Montreal making any moves, a decision that left the team idle for the second consecutive season on that date. Despite the vote of no confidence from general manager Kent Hughes, the Canadiens responded with a high-scoring affair but ultimately faltered in their inability to protect a late lead. Montreal earned a single point in the standings, holding onto the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and trailing Detroit by just one point for third in the Atlantic Division, with two games in hand.
The game unfolded with familiar frustrations for Canadiens fans. Just 20 seconds in, what appeared to be an early goal by Jacob Trouba was disallowed after a coach's challenge revealed an offside, granting goaltender Samuel Montembeault a brief reprieve. But 19 seconds later, Montembeault was beaten on the first legitimate shot he faced, setting a tone of vulnerability that persisted throughout the night. This marked the fifth time this season Montembeault has allowed a goal on his first shot.
Anaheim's Cutter Gauthier, who has been on a tear with 12 goals in his last 16 games—including six over the past four—opened the scoring for the Ducks. The 19-year-old forward, son of former goalie Sean Gauthier and raised in Arizona despite being born in Sweden, leads his team with 32 goals. He notably did not make the U.S. roster for the Winter Olympics. Momentum swung quickly, however, as Nick Suzuki tied the game just 22 seconds later on a precise pass from Cole Caufield, showcasing Montreal's potent offense.
The first period ended in a 2-1 Ducks lead, with the Canadiens managing only four shots total—three in the first eight minutes and one thereafter. Neither team registered a shot in the final six-plus minutes of the frame, a strange lull amid the intensity. In the second period, Montreal briefly took a 2-1 lead but squandered it, continuing a troubling pattern. A dumb penalty by Trouba, cross-checking Jake Evans in the offensive zone, shifted momentum back to Anaheim. Trouba also delivered a heavy hit on Kirby Dach later in the period.
Ivan Demidov had a golden opportunity in the second, breaking away only to be denied by Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal with a sprawling pad save. The third period brought more chaos. Anaheim struck first, with Leo Carlsson converting a two-on-one break just 35 seconds in to make it 4-2. But the Canadiens mounted a furious comeback, scoring the next three goals to seize a 5-4 lead and positioning themselves for their 20th victory from a deficit this season.
Suzuki's faceoff wins were pivotal: He beat Gauthier, and six seconds later, Caufield scored his first of the night. Later, Suzuki bested Mason McTavish, leading to Caufield's 37th goal of the season four seconds after, a laser that gave Montreal the edge. Dostal, who finished with an .821 save percentage, was beaten on three straight shots in less than five minutes during that stretch, earning him the moniker of sieve of the night from observers.
With 42 seconds left in regulation, Chris Kreider equalized for Anaheim, deflecting a Trouba shot to force overtime. It was Kreider's 100th career goal via deflection and came with three assists on the night. In overtime, Demidov again found himself in alone but was robbed by Dostal's glove hand. A potential disaster for the Ducks was averted when Olen Zellweger tripped Lane Hutson, but Montreal couldn't capitalize on the power play.
The shootout proved decisive, with Suzuki and Dach both stopped on backhand attempts, similar moves that failed to deceive Dostal. Montembeault's save percentage ended at .848, slightly better than his counterpart's, but the damage was done. Caufield led Montreal with four shots, while Jake Evans and Zachary Bolduc each recorded five hits. Defenseman Kaiden Guhle blocked five shots, and Arber Xhekaj, returning after two healthy scratches, played 11:06 with three hits. Hutson logged a team-high 25:51 on ice, Noah Dobson 24:56 with four shots, and Alex Newhook was the game's minus-3 leader. Montreal won 55 percent of faceoffs and outhit Anaheim 21-17.
Postgame reactions underscored the frustration in the Canadiens' locker room. Head coach Martin St. Louis told reporters in Anaheim,
“There’s no structure that will defend turnovers. Obviously, closing games … we couldn’t do it again tonight. I’m looking for guys that can do it. Everybody has a part in the goals. It’s not just all on the goalie. His part is magnified. There’s five guys in front of him that can do a better job.”
Captain Nick Suzuki echoed the sentiment, saying,
“It’s the same thing over and over again. We give up the lead. We need to secure those two points.”Cole Caufield, who had a two-goal night, added,
“We found ourselves with the lead with five minutes to go. We can’t close it out. It’s something we’ve been preaching a lot. We’ve got to find ways to get it done. It’s just pretty frustrating right now.”
Defenseman Noah Dobson reflected on the defensive woes, stating,
“Back to back games giving up a lot of goals against. We can’t be doing that at this time of the year. We weren’t able to close it out.”Lane Hutson offered a more optimistic view, noting,
“We’ve done it all year where we’ve shown we can respond. We’ve shown we can come out of it and start winning again. We’ve just got to start building our winning habits again.”
Veteran Brendan Gallagher was blunt about the need for corrections.
“We’re allowing too many shots to get to our net. We’ve got to do everything to make it easier on our goaltenders. Too many scoring chances that are going against us. It needs to be corrected. This isn’t the point of the year where you’re going to look at the positives (in defeat). It’s disappointing to not close out these games. We need to do a better job. It’s not as difficult as we’re making it right now. We understand the mistakes that we’re making. These are important points we wish we could have back. Defensively, we need to make some corrections. Our game right now isn’t in the best place.”
This defeat caps a troubling trend for Montreal, which has allowed four or more goals in 10 of its 22 games since Jan. 1, including four of the last six. The high-powered offense—one of the league's best—has kept the team afloat, but playing with fire defensively could jeopardize their postseason aspirations. The Ducks, meanwhile, are wrapping up a nine-game homestand that began Feb. 1, with just one contest remaining.
Looking ahead, the Canadiens face the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night to conclude their three-game California swing. Securing a win there would net three of six points on the trip and help stem the bleeding. With the playoff race tightening, Montreal's ability to address these defensive lapses will be crucial as they push for a wild-card berth or better in the Atlantic Division.