Habs Daily: Gallagher’s Difficult Loss, Playoff Chances, Demidov

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, highlights, and stories you may have missed on Thursday.

Montreal Canadiens News

Even though they held a significant advantage in shots and scoring chances, the Canadiens lost 4-3 to the New York Islanders in overtime. At the very least, it means they secured one very important point thanks to a late goal by veteran Brendan Gallagher. The playoff race has become more intense, as the Islanders are one of the teams that can surpass the Habs in the standings.  [Updated Montreal Canadiens Playoff Odds: The Final Stretch]

Speaking of Gallagher, there was some unfortunate news on Thursday, as his mother Della passed away. We would like to offer Brendan our love and support as he deals with the difficult situation.

You know him, you love him:

Brendan Gallagher ♥️ pic.twitter.com/iRvLYequz6

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) March 21, 2025

The Canadiens may have dropped a point to the Islanders, but they did get a little help from other NHL teams. The Ottawa Senators suffered a one-sided loss to the Colorado Avalanche, while the New York Rangers lost in regulation to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Blue Jackets managed to pick up one point in their 1-0 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers.

The Canadiens hold the second wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a two-point cushion after Thursday night’s 4-3 OT loss to the Islanders in New York #Habs #HabsIO: pic.twitter.com/mlGJMOYXGo

— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 21, 2025

Kevin Weekes is hinting at (another) potential NHL expansion. It’s easy to see why NHL owners want to collect more franchise fees, but at one point the NHL’s expansion strategy will reach a point of diminishing returns, especially if the league expands to 36 teams. There’s simply not enough talent to go around, and the product is already diluted as it is.

There will be 34.
There could be 36 …
Expressed interest in the ownership of an @NHL franchise is through the roof per sources involved in all sides of the process.
🔥#Hockey pic.twitter.com/3I4wILeNMW

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) March 20, 2025

Okay, that’s a very nice looking jacket. It reminds me a little of the old Starter jackets that were impossible to avoid in the early 90s.

Andrew Nembhard 🇨🇦 repping the @CanadiensMTL during his tunnel walk! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/FZe1471EXe

— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) March 20, 2025

Any time you find yourself on a list with Cale Makar, you know things are going well. Of course, we already knew Lane Hutson is enjoying a great year, but it’s always fun to see him alongside one of the best defencemen in the league.

Every player with 50+ points, 95+ blocks and 40 + takeaways:

— Lane Hutson
— Cale Makar

Two way BEAST‼️ pic.twitter.com/coBMmbNJA4

— Hutson Muse (@Hutson_Muse) March 20, 2025

Keep an eye out for an Ivan Demidov update in the near future. I promised it last week, but my boss decided to give me a couple of days off, which was an offer I could not refuse. In the meantime, just know that SKA continues to act like complete amateurs when it comes to Demidov’s usage.

SKA lost 3-2 in shootouts after making their leading scorer Ivan Demidov a healthy scratch 😅 pic.twitter.com/6mI9zPoCEc

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) March 20, 2025

National Hockey Now Network

The situation for the Panthers as the season winds down is similar. The manpower shortage due to injury and suspension has created opportunities for others. Nobody knew it at the time, but the acquisition of Seth Jones was quite fortuitous what with the suspension of Aaron Ekblad. [Florida Panthers]

Make no mistake about it, the New Jersey Devils officially have a goaltending controversy, and former Hab Jake Allen is at the centre of the drama. [New Jersey Devils]

With the Detroit Red Wings scrambling to make the NHL playoffs, the last occurrence coach Todd McLellan wants to see is the double whammy of losing both games and players. [Detroit Red Wings]