The Montreal Canadiens have more to answer for than simply surrendering a two-goal lead to the San Jose Sharks earlier this week in a 4-3 overtime defeat. Just as troubling was their failure to secure points against a beatable opponent at home, especially one playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
This pattern has repeated itself throughout the young season.
Self-Inflicted Errors Doom Canadiens Against Sharks
Winning the second half of a back-to-back is hardly rare, yet the way San Jose erased a 3-1 third-period deficit reflects more on Montreal’s shortcomings than the Sharks’ resilience. As noted earlier, this script has played out repeatedly early in the season. The Sharks did not so much win as the Canadiens lost. Consider the overtime winner: it came on a penalty kill that should never have happened.
It would be easy—and overly simplistic—to lay the blame on goaltender Jakub Dobes. He certainly shares responsibility; taking an avoidable interference penalty in overtime, which left Montreal shorthanded four-on-three in sudden death, is not excusable. Given his uneven start to the season, Dobes is the natural scapegoat.
Yet Dobes is not why the game reached overtime. Earlier in the third period, defenseman Arber Xhekaj took a reckless, unnecessary unsportsmanlike penalty by dropping his gloves against Michael Kesselring, who declined to fight. That sequence predictably preceded Tyler Toffoli’s game-tying goal at 3-3.
Prior to that, Lane Hutson turned the puck over to Michael Misa at the Sharks’ blue line, producing a two-on-one rush and a goal that put San Jose back in contention. This came in a game Montreal had largely controlled in terms of offensive-zone possession. Xhekaj is frequently criticized for a general lack of discipline, but it is difficult to isolate him when Hutson—one of the Canadiens’ best players and among the NHL’s top defensemen—bears responsibility as well. This is a team-wide issue.
Canadiens Developing Troubling Tendencies
Considering that the Sharks’ loss marked the fourth time this season Montreal has surrendered a two-goal lead, the problem demands urgent attention. The Canadiens can be relieved that only nine games have passed, leaving time to correct course. Still, although they earned points in two of those games against division rival Buffalo last week, both required extra time or a shootout. Wins secured after blowing leads carry less weight in tiebreakers—a reality underscored last April when Buffalo edged Montreal for the Atlantic Division title by just three points.
That may ultimately prove moot, given how consistently Montreal is surrendering leads—particularly during what should be the easiest stretch of their schedule. So far, the Canadiens have played six of nine games at home and just one back-to-back set. Four of their opponents, including the Sharks, have faced Montreal on the second night of a back-to-back. In those contests, Montreal is a mediocre 2-1-1, with both victories—against Buffalo and Detroit, another formidable Atlantic foe—coming via shootout.
In effect, while Montreal has arguably played well enough to rank among the division’s top three, they continue to let slip opportunities to gain ground in the standings. The result is a 4-3-2 record that leaves them outside playoff contention, despite preseason expectations that positioned them as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.
Montreal Faces a Difficult Climb Back
Time remains to recover the points Montreal appears eager to relinquish, but following Tuesday’s loss to San Jose, the Canadiens face four consecutive road games. Four of their next five opponents before month’s end are also non-playoff teams, though each will be well-rested. Furthermore, only four of Montreal’s 14 November games are against teams currently outside playoff contention, and just six are at home. American Thanksgiving typically marks the point at which legitimate playoff contenders separate themselves, partly because the overtime loss point makes late-season comebacks more difficult.
Montreal did benefit from an overtime loss point against the Sharks. Still, when they relinquish leads as routinely as they have in October, there is little comfort in securing a single point.
There is some consolation: Montreal enjoys one of the league’s most favorable schedules, with only 10 back-to-back sets and the league’s largest rest advantage—nine more instances of facing a rested opponent than vice versa. Despite squandering such a gentle start, hope remains. Celebration would be more warranted if the Canadiens had demonstrated they can capitalize. Instead, untimely errors, lapses in discipline, and a missing killer instinct have provided only cause for concern.
The silver lining is that while Montreal co-led the NHL in comeback wins last season with 26, they are now surrendering leads. That at least suggests they have been in position to win more often than not; they simply need to finish games.
It remains early, but Thanksgiving is approaching. Montreal ironically has time to iron out the kinks and stop giving games away before the holiday season. One might debate whether protecting a lead is preferable to mounting comebacks, but the situation changes when the team must climb back in the standings, trailing with more than half the season remaining.
For now, the outlook is unfavorable. Check back in about a month, by which point this slow start will be defined one way or the other.