Habs Daily: Laine Benched, Playoff Crosschecks, Goalie Battle

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

Montreal Canadiens News

The Canadiens lost Game 2 of the series versus the Washington Capitals, but not for a lack of trying. Samuel Montembeault held the fort long enough for the Habs to find their rhythm, but it was too little, too late. Incidentally, head coach Martin St-Louis benched Patrik Laine, however, you’d be hard-pressed to argue he was bringing much to the table at 5v5. [Montembeault Holds Fort, Laine Benched, Canadiens Fall Short]

Let’s make one thing clear, officials aren’t biased, and they’re not the reason the Habs are down 2-0 in the series. That being said, some of the ugly cross-checks that have gone uncalled are hard to ignore.

It’s the playoffs! You know what that means for penalties…

Cross-checks to the face? Meh pic.twitter.com/y4bPPKfKny

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 21, 2025

The cross-check on Cole Caufield in the dying minutes of the third period wasn’t necessarily as vicious as the one on Brendan Gallagher, but it was clearly a penalty, and the referee was staring at the play.

oh my god. pic.twitter.com/cf8prDPiMt

— ava (@teapottoffoIi) April 24, 2025

Speaking of Montembeault, he’s been very good, but statistically speaking, Logan Thompson has been better. Thompson is giving up some second-chance scoring opportunities, and he’s been caught out of position a few times, but he’s doing a great job stopping every clean shot.

ICYMI: Even though the Canadiens did well to find their rhythm in Game 1 and Game 2, the early dominance from Washington in physical battles was cause for concern. Arber Xhekaj would certainly improve the team’s physicality, but more importantly, he has a healthy track record alongside Jayden Struble. David Savard, on the other hand, struggled in the regular season, but his play in the first game of the series was far from a problem. [Montreal Canadiens Roster Talk: The Arber Xhekaj Debate]

Wednesday Playoff Watch

The Edmonton Oilers have joined the Montreal Canadiens in the 0-2 club. Connor McDavid and Co. lost 6-2 to the Los Angeles Kings. As per tradition, the Oilers opted not to invest in goaltending, which means they’re fine with wasting the primes from two of the best hockey players on the planet, and that’s a crime against the sport. Don’t get me wrong, their defencemen aren’t doing the goalies any favours, but at it’s ridiculous Edmonton hasn’t managed to secure a .900 goalie for the playoffs. They’re abundant and they’re cheap.

AS JUICY AS IT GETS pic.twitter.com/Z7ec2Ng93g

— x – LA Kings (@LAKings) April 24, 2025

The Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche went to overtime, where Tyler Seguin won it for the Stars. The goal of the game definitely belonged to Valeri Nichushkin.

BIG VAL GETS US STARTED‼️#GoAvsGo | #BuiltDifferent pic.twitter.com/z7NhLJ6QmL

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 24, 2025

National Hockey Now Network

It does not take much to get Nate Schmidt going, something teammates noticed immediately and, Tuesday night, jokingly caught the ire of coach Paul Maurice. [Florida Panthers]

By the tone of his voice, one would’ve thought that Charlie Jacobs was delivering a eulogy on Wednesday morning.  [Boston Bruins]

It was the moment Avs fans and all hockey fans alike had been waiting for — Gabriel Landeskog played his first NHL game after missing the last three seasons due to a knee injury. [Colorado Avalanche]