The next win can’t come soon enough for Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis. That’s not just due to how the Habs are mired in a four-game losing streak with a playoff berth having slowly emerged as a quasi-realistic goal over the last two months. He’s also sitting at 99 career wins, with No. 100 proving very hard to come by.
Take the latest loss as a clear example. The relatively well-rested Canadiens faced the Minnesota Wild, who had played the previous night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The visiting Wild weren’t just playing backup Marc-Andre Fleury, who went on to shut out the host Habs 4-0. They were also missing superstar and leading-scorer Kirill Kaprizov to injury.
Granted, Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle had just gotten injured. However, it’s clear the Habs should have fared better overall, especially considering how they’ve proven themselves capable of handling top competition over the last two months, during which they’ve climbed out of last place in the Eastern Conference to at times find themselves in a wild-card spot, all under St. Louis’ watch.
So, while St. Louis clearly has a lot more to prove, he’s shown significant growth from his beginnings as a head coach with zero experience over the last three years, as his 100th win, whenever it comes, goes to show. Here are his top 10 wins in chronological order to further drive the point home:
Feb. 20, 2022: 3-2 shootout victory over the New York Islanders
This was actually St. Louis’ second career win. His first, a 3-2 overtime win over the St. Louis Blues a few days earlier, was obviously special in its own way and maybe even kismet considering his last name and how it took losses in his first three games to finally earn it. However, the shootout win over the New York Islanders was more impressive for a few reasons.
Firstly, it came on the road instead of at home. Second, it proved the first was no fluke. Finally, it wasn’t just the team’s second win in a row, but the first time all season the Canadiens had won two games in a row, hinting that the light at the end of the tunnel was closer than it might have appeared at first.
The outcomes of the last two full seasons and change kind of run counter to that argument. However, the Canadiens did win their next three too, for a season-high five in a row.
April 29, 2022: 10-2 regulation victory over the Florida Panthers
Canadiens fans will probably recognize this 10-2 victory over the Florida Panthers as Carey Price’s last game. It was also the last game of the last-place 2021-22 season.
It’s inherently probable the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Panthers were simply going through the motions here and didn’t care heading in, as they had bigger fish to fry. However, while they probably didn’t care if they lost, they logically weren’t hoping to get embarrassed to the degree they did. The fact they outshot the Habs 39-37 goes to show they put forth at least some effort, adding to this win’s legitimacy.
Maybe the Panthers were simply looking to get the regular season over with. However, it’s logical the Habs were too, as G-d awful as it had been. So, this is an undeniably valid entry, even if only due to the fact the 10 goals they scored, on the strength of Cole Caufield’s first career hat trick, represent a(n obvious) highwater mark for the team under St. Louis.
Nov. 12, 2022: 5-4 overtime victory over Pittsburgh Penguins
This was the second come-from-behind overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in as many months for the Canadiens. The reason this one made the cut while the other just missed out is the nature of the comeback in question. The Habs trailed 2-1 heading into the third. They proceeded to tie it up in the opening minute, Caufield scoring the equalizer, only for the Penguins to score a go-ahead goal soon thereafter.
Less than a minute later, Nick Suzuki tied it up again. With six minutes left, the Pens scored for a final time, only for Sean Monahan to score another game-tying goal, again less than a minute later.
Mike Hoffman put every weak-of-heart fan in attendance at the Bell Centre out of their misery with the game-winner in the extra frame. Outshooting the Penguins 42-24, the Canadiens showed incredible poise and resilience in this one, in a glimpse into how good they have the potential to be.
Nov. 19, 2022: 5-4 shootout victory over Philadelphia Flyers
Caufield scored his second of the game with just three seconds left to pull the Canadiens even with the Philadelphia Flyers in a back-and-forth affair at the Bell Centre in November 2022. The Habs had fallen behind 2-0 just a few minutes into the first only to eventually pull ahead 3-2. The Flyers obviously scored twice more to set the stage for Caufield’s heroics. Suzuki scored the only goal in the shootout to seal the victory in dramatic fashion.
March 25, 2023: 8-2 regulation win over Columbus Blue Jackets
It’s not the 10-goal outburst the Canadiens enjoyed against the Panthers to end the previous season. However, 8-2 is a significant enough margin of victory to warrant an entry of this list. The just-recently called up (and then sent down) Rafael Harvey-Pinard scored a hat trick in this home win, which technically would have been enough to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets on its own. Suzuki however officially led the way with one goal and four points.
Feb. 13, 2024: 5-0 regulation win over Anaheim Ducks
Obviously, a shutout (care of Cayden Primeau) is impressive. A 5-0 shutout is all the more impressive for obvious reasons, because you’re also firing on all offensive cylinders, with this victory at the Bell Centre marking Juraj Slafkovsky’s first-ever three-point game. However, a 5-0 shutout in which you only give up 13 shots on net? That is a complete game,
It’s also not far off the team record, set in 1999 against the Carolina Hurricanes (10), a game which had a far more embarrassing result (for the Canadiens). So, it shouldn’t be a shock to learn the 13 the Habs allowed against the Ducks here is the fewest they’ve given up in a game under St. Louis.
While Slafkovsky scored the most points of any skater, Suzuki scored twice (compared to the former’s single tally). Also of note, Brandon Gignac, who had just signed an NHL contract to fill a hole on the roster at centre, following the departure of Sean Monahan via trade, scored his first-ever goal at Age 26. Jake Evans accounted for the other goal.
March 5, 2024: 4-3 overtime win over Nashville Predators
Some context is needed here. On Feb. 16, 2024, the Nashville Predators were a mediocre 27-25-2, just outside the Western Conference playoff picture. On March 27, they were 43-25-4, having just gone on a 16-0-2 run to vault themselves into a spot they would not relinquish (ultimately losing in Round 1 to the Vancouver Canucks). The point is, they were near unbeatable for over a month, with just two overtime losses as their only blemishes.
You can probably see where this is going. And only one of those losses came in Nashville. It was to the Canadiens, who overcame an initial 2-0 deficit and a late 3-2 one to force overtime, when Suzuki ended it.
Props go to Joshua Roy, who scored the late equalizer, just two and a half minutes after Ryan O’Reilly had put the Predators ahead. On the play, Roy didn’t just score, but made former James Norris Memorial Trophy-winner Roman Josi look foolish. He outskated Josi and snapped it past goalie Juuse Saros, to set the stage for Suzuki’s game-winning goal, just 17 seconds into the extra frame.
April 9, 2024: 9-3 regulation win over Philadelphia Flyers
At the other end of the spectrum, the Flyers, who make a second appearance on this list, were a team in a veritable free fall at this juncture. After their previous game, they had still been in a wild-card spot. However, heading in, they had lost seven in a row, including a separate contest to the Canadiens. The Habs won that one, also at home, 4-1.
If you had envisioned the Flyers being more motivated for the rematch, you weren’t alone. Yet, in an incredibly embarrassing display, considering the stakes, the Canadiens dominated to lead by six in the second by the time the Flyers even got on the board. Had the game just started at that point, when the Flyers started skating, the best they would have mustered against a fifth-from-last-place team would have been a 3-3 chance at overtime.
All that to say, the Flyers, who won their next two, only to drop their last game of the season to the Washington Capitals (who snuck in as the second wild-card team in the East), deserved to miss the playoffs. The Canadiens did too, but they should be given credit for actually showing up in what was a game that didn’t mean nearly as much to them. Of course, seeing as this game marked the first career hat trick for Slafkovsky, who scored the game-opening goal one minute in and the eventual game winner, it probably does in retrospect.
Dec. 31, 2024: 3-2 regulation win over Vegas Golden Knights
Normally, the Canadiens’ annual holiday road trip serves purely as what one might imagine is a valuable bonding experience between teammates. Because any expectation for wins is generally met with huge disappointment on the part of fans. This 2024-25 season, things were different, though.
Starting on Dec. 3, the Canadiens went on an impressive 16-6-1 run. That included the aforementioned road trip, on which they went 4-2, the wins each coming against the last four Stanley Cup champions. Their New Year’s Eve win over the Vegas Golden Knights was arguably the most impressive of the bunch and probably the win where people started taking notice that these Habs were, maybe not a playoff team, but legitimately good.
Sure, the Canadiens got outplayed. However, they also showed incredible resolve, which was made all the more impressive by the date. They trailed 2-0 to end the first, after having given up an early goal to Zach Whitecloud… and a late one to Noah Hanifin with just 12 seconds left. However, they eventually won despite still trailing heading into the third period, the first time all season they had earned two points under those circumstances.
If you haven’t been paying attention, they’ve since accomplished the feat several more times. However, in this one, Caufield first got the Canadiens on the board in the second. Emil Heineman tied it eight minutes into the third and Kirby Dach scored the difference-maker a few minutes later, off a cross-crease pass to Patrik Laine that deflected in off goalie Adin Hill. Sometimes you have to be lucky to be good.
Jan. 10, 2025: 3-2 overtime win over Washington Capitals
At the time, the Capitals represented the biggest test for the surging Canadiens. The fact they’re still in contention for the Presidents’ Trophy as the top team in the Eastern Conference only reaffirms the sentiment the Habs coming out on top in this one has been their most impressive victory this season.
It’s not just that the Canadiens beat the Capitals. They limited them to 17 shots, while putting 30 on the goaltending combination of Logan Thompson and starter Charlie Lindgren, who left early in the second due to injury. Caps defenseman Jakob Chychrun opened the scoring in the first. Caufield and Josh Anderson scored in the second, while ex-Hab Lars Eller tied it early in the third. As alluded to earlier, the Canadiens didn’t just hold on until overtime to earn a point, though. They continued to play the Capitals closely, effectively biding their time for the right opportunity and Suzuki to score the game-winning goal.
On the play, Lane Hutson broke up a Capitals odd-man rush with his skate, the puck deflecting to Caufield. He passed it to Suzuki, who tried to pass it back, only for Dylan Strome to get in the way. The puck came back to Suzuki who buried it on the broken play.
All that to say, in this one, the Canadiens were good to be lucky. For the most part, that’s been the case the last little while.
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