Well now …
The Canadiens’ regular season has ended much like it began more than six months earlier: with a less-than-flattering loss on the road.
Montreal dropped a 5-2 decision to Toronto — one of the few highlights of the Maple Leafs’ non-playoff season — on Oct. 8. And on Tuesday night, it might have been worse.
The Canadiens were defeated 4-2 by a Lehigh Valley AHL squad that was masquerading as the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The Flyers, who clinched their first playoff berth since 2020 24 hours earlier, were playing their second game in two nights and made nine regulars healthy scratches. That included their top three scorers, top four defencemen and starting goalie.
The Canadiens, meanwhile, desperately needed a victory. Already knowing they’ll face Tampa Bay in the opening round of the playoffs, Montreal’s slim hope of securing home-ice advantage was contingent on a win.
With the Lightning owning the tiebreaker and completing its season Wednesday night at home against the dreadful New York Rangers, the Canadiens faced daunting odds. In reality, Montreal probably squandered its hope of finishing ahead of Tampa Bay on Saturday, when it .
Two losses in three games heading into the playoffs. A harbinger of the Canadiens’ coming fate or needless fodder? Stay tuned.
Our random thought of the night: Since the Flyers dressed half of their NHL roster, we’re wondering whether the suckers who purchased tickets received a 50 per cent discount? Rhetorical question.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch: Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes failed in his quest to win a 30th game as a rookie. And won’t capture the Rocket Richard trophy. He completed the season with 51 goals. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon has 53 goals. Lane Hutson failed to get his 67th assist, which would have broken Larry Robinson’s single-season record.
Yeah, but: Eight of MacKinnon’s goals were scored into an empty net, while Caufield had none. Maybe they could share the trophy? Seems only fair.
News you need (Part I): Oliver Kapanen was playing his 100th NHL game. The Canadiens had won six straight on the road.
News you need (Part II): This game was played in a tidy two hours, 28 minutes. If only they all went this quickly.
A period for the ages: Caufield produced five of the Canadiens’ opening six shots in the first period. He accounted for 10 of Montreal’s 29 shots at Samuel Ersson, who was starting for the first time since April 2.
Jacob Gaucher #78 of the Philadelphia Flyers battles with Jakub Dobes #75 of the Montreal Canadiens in the second period at Xfinity Mobile Arena on April 14, 2026 in Philadelphia. Mitchell Leff / Getty Images
Sieve of the night: Let’s not take anything away from Dobes’s season. But on this night … meh. He was beaten on the third and sixth shots he faced in the first period. The opening goal, by Porter Mortone, beat Dobes between the legs.
Hit of the night: Hunter McDonald, one of five players recalled from Lehigh Valley, put his shoulder into Jake Evans. Seconds later, the Flyers had a two-goal lead. There likely was a correlation between the two events.
News you need (Part III): The Canadiens had one shot through six minutes to begin the second period.
Shots are overrated: Montreal scored on its second shot of the period. Brendan Gallagher, playing after being a healthy scratch the last four games, scored for the first time since Feb. 4.
Pass of the night: Kaiden Guhle to Gallagher.
Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher reacts after scoring a goal against the Philadelphia Flyers in the second period at Xfinity Mobile Arena on April 14, 2026 in Philadelphia. Mitchell Leff / Getty Images
Food for thought: Was this possibly Gallagher’s final goal in a Montreal uniform?
How not to play the position (Part I): Dobes, who plays goaltender in a rather unorthodox but exciting style, frequently leaves his net to play the puck. We’ve predicted he’ll eventually score a goal into an empty net, but he’s not always great handling the puck. His bad clearing attempt went off Evans and directly to Matvei Michkov on Philadelphia’s third goal.
Late goals kill: Evans brought the Canadiens to within one with 11 seconds remaining in the second period. It was Evans’s first goal in 12 games.
Until they don’t: It was the Canadiens’ final goal of the regular season.
Best goal while falling to the ice: Evans.
How not to play the position (Part II): A Juraj Slafkovsky turnover led to the Flyers’ fourth goal. Slafkovsky, as is his custom, had one hand on his stick. One day, he might learn.
Next time, decline the penalty: The Canadiens went 0-for-3 on the power play.
Quick stats: Joe Veleno and Arber Xhekaj each had five hits. Veleno played only 10:16. Zachary Bolduc had four hits. Slafkovsky had three giveaways and is the early clubhouse leader at minus-3. Hutson played 26:08 and blocked three shots. Dobes’s save percentage was .840. The Canadiens won 56.9 per cent of their faceoffs and had a 26-21 advantage in hits.
Tyson Foerste of the Philadelphia Flyers battles with Canadiens’ David Reinbacher in the first period at Xfinity Mobile Arena on April 14, 2026 in Philadelphia. Mitchell Leff / Getty Images
They said it: “I thought we played a pretty good game overall,” Nick Suzuki said in Philadelphia. “We created a lot. There were just some small, little plays that ended up in the back of our net. I thought it was just one of those nights where it didn’t go our way.”
“Every game in that jersey is special to me,” Gallagher said. “I’ve been out of the lineup for a while. I just wanted to play well; have a game you could be proud of. I’m trying to contribute to the team’s success. I thought I did that, and we’ll see what happens going forward. This game was important to me. I just wanted to put together an effort to be proud of.”
“Our execution was probably a little bit lower than we wanted,” Evans told the media in Philadelphia. “That hurt us. There was an odd bounce here and there we could have used — and it didn’t happen. We obviously need to be a lot better come playoff time.”
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