Habs Daily: Canadiens Playoff Odds, Montembeault Usage, Guhle

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

Montreal Canadiens News

There’s no two ways about it, the poor start by the Canadiens on Tuesday cost them an opportunity to add crucial points to the bank. Samuel Montembeault started strong, but eventually bowed to the pressure. The fifth goal, which finally led to Martin St-Louis pulling Montembeault, was all the evidence we need to suggest the team’s starter is exhausted. With that in mind, it’s also fair to say the team’s goaltender usage has been questionable to say the least. It’s not a mater of disrespecting Montembeault, either. He’s clearly tired, and the Habs cannot afford to drop any more games going forward if they hope to make the playoffs. As it stands, Jakub Dobes has not started a game since March 12.  [Habs Highlights: Blues Dominate A Lifeless Canadiens Team]

Even though the Habs lost on Tuesday, they still control their own destiny in regard to a potential playoff appearance. But the margin for error is almost nil, even if the Canadiens do have the inside track on the Eastern Conference teams currently chasing them for the final Wild Card spot. [Updated Canadiens Playoff Odds: Habs Control Their Destiny]

Kaiden Guhle joined the team on their road trip, which means he should enter the lineup relatively soon. This will lead to a change in defensive pairings, and due to the excellent performance from Jayden Struble alongside Lane Hutson, it would be a mistake to break up the team’s first pairing. The other two pairings could stand to be improved, but the optimal setup would lead to David Savard being benched, and that doesn’t seem like a decision Martin St-Louis is willing to make. He’s very loyal toward his veterans, and that’s admirable, but the Habs must ice their best lineup if they’re to make the playoffs. [Canadiens: Guhle Set To Return, Hutson And Struble Thriving]

Lane Hutson continues to be a dominant presence from an offensive standpoint. Some will suggest that he’s bad defensively, but as we’ve discussed, that’s a lazy take. The stats don’t lie, every player who is on the ice with Hutson enjoys a significant improvement in almost every important metric. [Montreal Canadiens Mythbusting: Lane Hutson’s Defensive Impact]

Lane Hutson now has 54 points in 70 games.

– Most points by a rookie defenseman among all active NHL D-men.

– Most points by a rookie defenseman since Nicklas Lidstrom in 1991-1992. pic.twitter.com/yMfEVXNMkY

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) March 26, 2025

National Hockey Now Network

After signing a six-year contract extension in July just over a week after winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers, Anton Lundell is on pace for career highs across the board with 11 games left in the regular season. [Florida Panthers]

Life without Jack Hughes has been tough. It was to be expected, but now that the results are showing themselves, it’s difficult to watch at times. [New Jersey Devils]

The Pittsburgh Penguins were surprisingly without Evgeni Malkin Tuesday when they faced the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena. [Pittsburgh Penguins]