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Canadiens Postgame

Canadiens Instant Recap: Rookies Steal The Show Vs. Penguins

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montreal canadiens ivan demidov penguins

The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night, the first game of the preseason for both clubs.

Head coach Martin St-Louis opted to give several rookies an opportunity to shine, including Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov, as well as Owen Beck, Filip Mesar, and Sean Farrell on the third line. On the defensive side of the coin, the smooth-skating Adam Engstrom played with Jayden Struble, backing-up Noah Dobson and Mike Matheson on the first pairing.

In the end, Montreal emerged with a 2-1 shootout win, which means it’s time to jump into the highlights!

For the view from the other side of the rink, don’t forget to visit our sister site Pittsburgh Hockey Now.

Rusty Club

It was a very sleepy start for the Habs, even if they were facing a Penguins lineup that was relatively void of high-end talent. An early opportunity, powered by a 5-on-3, gave Montreal a little momentum, but they failed to score, which immediately swung the play in Pittsburgh’s favour, leading to a powerplay goal for Tristan Broz.

There were six penalties in the first period, split between both teams, with the referees also clearly needing to shed a little rust before the start of the regular season.


Emotional Injection

The Penguins held a 2:1 advantage in shots through the midway point of the second period, making the fight between Jared Davidson and Samuel Poulin an important event. Prior to the fight, the Habs were rather lifeless, but there was an immediate uptick in energy once Davidson finished his tilt.

I know some people hate fights, and I’m not here to argue about it, but I have to say it’s supremely entertaining to watch someone like Davidson do everything needed to stand out, while also attempting to change the momentum when it’s needed most.

It’s worth noting Poulin is a few inches taller and about 40 pounds heavier than Davidson.

Rookie Watch

The Canadiens failed to score on their second 5-on-3 of the game, but unlike the first-period failure, they maintained the momentum long enough to score once the powerplay expired.

It was Owen Beck who doubled his effort to score Montreal’s first goal, but full marks to Filip Mesar for providing the assist. Both players are looking to make an impact at camp, and while they may not end up making the team, their performances will dictate their place in the always-important call-up priority list.


The game would require additional time to settle the score, with the best scoring chance owned by the Penguins. Fortunately for Montreal, Jacob Fowler was ready for the quality scoring chance, and saved a near sure-goal for Pittsburgh. Not to be outdone, Penguins netminder Sergei Murashov also made a great save a few moments later, shutting down Demidov after he was set up nicely by Dobson.


Fowler continued to be excellent in the shootout, stopping most of the attempts sent his way. That gave Oliver Kapanen an opportunity to win it for the Habs, and he made no mistake.

Additional Montreal Canadiens Notes:

  • Noah Dobson looked very good out there, particularly when he had an opportunity to shoot, which he took every single time. Dobson finished the 2024-25 season by taking the sixth-most shots in the league by a defenceman, with 197. He may end up crushing that number in Montreal.
  • Owen Beck provides energy, just like Davidson, but I’d argue he’s a lot closer to being NHL ready, and that’s compared to every player who spent the season in Laval last year, not just Davidson.
  • Ivan Demidov’s passing is ridiculous. Just like Lane Hutson before him, Habs players will have to quickly adapt to his skill level, which means anticipating perfectly placed passes at all times.
  • The powerplay chemistry between Demidov and Patrik Laine was encouraging, and it’s clear that having Dobson on the back-end should open more shooting lanes for everyone on the second powerplay unit. That being said, the powerplay was far from efficient on Monday. Such is life in the preseason.
  • Laine looked, well, healthy. And I’m not typing these words with thinly-veiled sarcasm. He drew two penalties, and he kept his feet moving throughout the game. It’s easy to forget, but the last full training camp in which Laine participated was many moons ago.
  • It was one of Mesar’s best showings in a very long time. He did not hesitate to head to the dirty areas on the ice, doing so while his AHL coach, Pascal Vincent, kept a close eye on the action. I don’t necessarily agree with those who have already written off Mesar, but the fact of the matter is the organization needs to see tangible results in the near future. The good news is that Mesar has stood out since the start of camp, and that extra confidence should serve him well once the AHL season begins.
  • Jacob Fowler is the most boring goaltender I’ve ever watched. But please don’t fret, that’s the ultimate compliment for a goalie, particularly a young one. He’s almost always set, and his puck tracking is excellent.

Canadiens Stats Pack

We’re going to take a slightly different approach to the instant recaps this season by adding a section dedicated to statistics and heat maps. If there are any particular stats you’d like to see, feel free to mention them in the replies.

It’s still the preseason, so we’re going to take it a little easy in the stats department, but once the regular-season rolls around, we’ll make sure to add statistical overviews to most of the recaps.

All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.

The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Tuesday, facing the Philadelphia Flyers at the Bell Centre. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm ET.

Did we miss anything in our instant recap? Do you believe a player deserved more attention? If so, let us know in the replies below!

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