Let me take you back to the Four Nations Confrontation.
With Canada playing in overtime against the USA, no one wanted to look selfish on the ice and it was a celebration of an unnecessary pass to a teammate. It didn’t work out because the guys didn’t shoot.
And that's when coach John Cooper told his team to be selfish and shoot. This led to Connor McDavid's golden goal moments later.
John Cooper: “Someone be selfish and throw it in the net.”
Connor McDavid: *scores on the next shot*pic.twitter.com/mz6rKKHwY8
– B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 21, 2025
I think we're on the Canadiens' side. Martin St. Louis will have to take a page out of his old pilot's book and ask his guys to shoot more.
Why should he do this? Because in the last two games, the Habs players haven't played well enough to score so few goals.
Obviously this is not a disaster. However, it is clear that some minor adjustments need to be made at this time as performance on the ice is not ideal.
Lack of opportunism… lack of time… few shots on goal… unnecessary penalties… not everything right. By the way, it's not unusual for an 82-game season to go a little off the rails… but it needs to be fixed.
The most striking example is the number of shots on goal. After allowing just 20 shots on goal against the Flyers on Tuesday, the Canadiens performed worse yesterday with just 19 shots.
Obviously you can't shoot when you take unnecessary penalties and waste time defending in your zone. This is part of the equation.
Struble… it will be great to take a penalty in the third period…#CH #Habs #Canadiens
– Marc-Olivier Beaudoin (@MOBeaudoin1) November 7, 2025
This is one of the reasons for the losses on Tuesday and Thursday. But there are other reasons why The Canadiens fought hard but lost yesterday (4-3) in New Jersey.
What do I remember from that game this morning?
1. To see Jakub Dobes is as emotional as he was after his team's failure says a lot about his desire to win. He didn't have such a strong reaction to the Canadiens' playoff loss last season. #Rising expectations
The Canadiens must be hoping Dobs leaves this morning. In life, you can't hold on to defeat for too long.
2. Mike Matheson (who tried his best, but failed, to hold onto the lead late in the game) is getting a lot of comeuppance this season. One of the reasons for this is his defensive play.
The pairing he forms with Noah Dobson (six points in his last six games) is working well.
Clutch played Noah Dobson to save the sure goal.
Two more assists in this game.
Impressive game for #53
– Marco D'Amico (@mndamico) November 7, 2025
But you also have to give Alexandre Carrier the credit he deserves. The Devils went 0-for-5 on the power play yesterday, and Quebec's stellar shorthanded play is one of the reasons why.
He was minus-2 throughout the game, but he was strong on special teams.
3. Matheson got hurt late in the game. We'll have to hope he's okay because the Habs can't afford to have Matheson not at the top of his game.
Speaking of playing at his best, Nick Suzuki's leg is clearly hurting. And Ivan Demidov briefly left the locker room during the game…
4. Alex Newhook is doing well this year, but he'll probably be kicking himself for the overtime turnover. This is something you shouldn't do in a three-on-three situation where puck possession is important.
After all, the Habs are no longer invincible after the third period ends.
5. Kirby Dach has scored three goals in his last two games. But other than that, he's playing good hockey and his confidence on the ice is growing.
It would be even better if Zachary Bolduc, who is not feeling confident at the moment, could use his scoring touch.
Kirby Duch looks like he's regained his confidence. Created golden chances for Zachary Bolduc in this game and handles the puck well.
Three goals in two matches really gave him momentum.
– Marco D'Amico (@mndamico) November 7, 2025
At 9:11 Bolduc was once again Martin St. Louis' least used player. He missed a lot of chances on the ice.
It will take something to get the Quebecers off the ice. But what will it take?
6. Learning to play with a leash is not easy. Both the Devils and Canadiens blew one-goal leads during the game.
Remember, the Habs are the youngest team in the NHL.
7. The good news is that while Nick Suzuki's line isn't very productive, the rest can get on the scoresheet from time to time. Even Jake Evans scored yesterday.
This makes the club more dangerous.
Canadiens last 9 goals
1 goal in the first line
4 goals in the 2nd line
3 goals in the third line
1 goal on the 4th lineNice to see some depth
– Guillaume Villemaire (@GVillemaire13) November 7, 2025
extension
The Canadiens returned from Newark yesterday after their game. And today, when the Habs were supposed to train in Brossard, the club decided to cancel training and give the guys the day off.
Next step: preparing for tomorrow evening's visit to Mammoth.
