The Montreal Canadiens unexpected playoff run came to an end on Wednesday night. The Washington Capitals eliminated the Habs, four games to one, in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal. The Canadiens fought valiantly until the end, however. Rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes repeatedly frustrated Caps shooters with highlight-reel, spectacular saves.
Emil Heineman, one of the Canadiens’ best players on this night, scored the only goal of the game for Montreal. The Habs struggled to score throughout the series. In their four losses, the Canadiens scored just six goals total. Three of the markers came at even strength.
Over the next few days, as the players and staff speak to the media for the last time this season, there will be an opportunity for evaluation. It’s safe to say that this young team gained valuable experience and management was presented with a wealth of information that can be used to inform their decisions this summer.
But for now, let’s offer some initial thoughts just after the buzzer went to end Game 5.
First Thoughts
In this series the Canadiens power-play was not carried by Patrik Laine. In fact, it got better when Laine was not in the lineup. There is no question that Laine was a dangerous weapon on the power play from the first game that he played on December 3, 2025. His 15 power play goals made the difference in many games during the season.
But Laine’s lack of effectiveness with the man advantage late in the season and in the playoffs coupled with the arrival of Ivan Demidov provided a glimpse into the future. Demidov’s creativity and immediate impact mean that he will be penciled in to the first wave of the power play for training camp in the Fall.
Sam Montembeault was unavailable for Game 5 due to an undisclosed injury. Montembeault did not travel to Washington with the team. While unfortunate, this provided an opportunity for Jakub Dobes to once again deliver an outstanding performance. Dobes did everything possible to keep his team in the game and the series.
Montembeault was injured midway through Game 3 and was not in the lineup for Game 4. Dobes was emotional after recording his first playoff win on Friday. It’s reasonable to expect that Dobes is the odds-on favorite to be named the Canadiens backup next season and has earned himself a greater share of the goaltending load.
Rising Stars
And lastly an initial reaction to the series must include the emergence of Kaiden Guhle and Lane Huston as the number one defense paring of the Canadiens. The Canadiens were not carried by their veteran defensemen against Washington. While the good feelings for David Savard, the person, are being expressed, it is clear the game passed him by some time ago. And while the reckless mistakes of Mike Matheson were tolerated when Montreal was at the bottom of the standings, he has become more of a liability to a squad who wants to be a perennial playoff team.
Who will take time to heal their wounds and who will be dispatched to help the playoff hopes of the Laval Rocket? We’ll have an opportunity to take a much deeper review into the Habs’ season on this Saturday’s brand-new episode of the Canadiens Connection podcast (now available at Hockey Hot Stove.) Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast app.
Canadiens Connection Podcast
If you missed it, here’s last week’s edition, episode 345, of the Canadiens Connection podcast.
