Canadiens suffer lopsided loss to Golden Knights after signing a huge blockbuster trade

It was Hockey Fights Cancer night on Saturday at the Bell Centre.

Back to the game, though—it was a rough one for the Canadiens, who fell 6-2 in a lackluster showing.

News Highlights:

Part I: Bruce Cassidy, dismissed by both the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins despite leading Boston to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, has found success in Vegas. The Golden Knights coach reached his 400th career win last Thursday in Ottawa. Meanwhile, the Bruins recently let go of head coach Jim Montgomery, proving they have their

own challenges.

Part II: The Canadiens have yet to win a game this season when conceding the first goal.

Part III: Vegas center Jack Eichel recorded a goal and two assists against Montreal, reaching 32 points for the season in just 21 games—the fastest in Golden Knights history.

Vegas has now won seven straight against Montreal. While five of those wins were one-goal games, Saturday’s was a blowout.

Part IV: Vegas has scored 81 goals this season—an impressive total.

Observations from the Game:

• Quickest “Olé” Chant: A fan began the chant within the first minute, though it was more deserved by the second period, with Montreal trailing 5-0.
• Winning Streak Woes: Montreal has yet to win three consecutive games this season and hasn’t done so since last March.
• Slow Start: Despite a week’s rest, the Canadiens looked flat, managing only six shots in the first period.

Key Plays and Stats:

• First Period: Canadiens’ captain Nick Suzuki accounted for half of the team’s six first-period shots.
• Penalty Trouble: Montreal committed a “too many men” penalty just two minutes in.
• Physical Play: Vegas defenseman Nicolas Hague earned a cross-checking penalty for sending Jake Evans into goalie Adin Hill.
• Defensive Struggles: Kirby Dach’s turnover led to Vegas’ second goal, and Juraj Slafkovsky’s defensive lapse contributed to Callahan Burke’s first NHL goal. Slafkovsky also gave the puck away on Vegas’ third goal.

In just 12 minutes and 23 seconds of the second period, the Golden Knights scored five times. Slafkovsky, a -4 in that period, was demoted to the fourth line.

Bright Spots:

• Montreal’s Goals: Emil Heineman scored the first on a pass from Joel Armia, and Brendan Gallagher set up Jayden Struble for the second.
• Armia’s Missed Breakaway: Short-handed, Armia missed the net on a clear chance.

Post-Game Quotes:

• Slafkovsky: “I probably have to work my ass off. When you’re minus-4, I don’t even know what to say.”
• Suzuki: “We played a good first and third, but turnovers in the second killed us.”
• Dach: “You can’t take shifts off against good teams. We need to play a full 60 minutes.”
• Montembeault: “It’s frustrating to get pulled, but the coach was trying to shift momentum.”

The Canadiens have a lot to work on if they hope to compete with teams like Vegas.