Oct 22, 2025; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Montreal Canadiens right wing Ivan Demidov (93) controls the puck against the Calgary Flames during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. | Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Colby Armstrong doing a segment to explain Ivan Demidov’s skill is like me doing a lecture on quantum physics.
First period
The Flames can’t be beat by Montreal if the game is never played. There’s a delay as they can’t figure out how to turn the lights on.
Hopefully they install some better light switches in the new arena that opens up in two years.
They’ve decided to just play with about half of the normal brightness. Dustin Wolf is having a conversation with the ref, and you have to think it’s about how hard it is for him to see the puck.
Oliver Kapanen gets a great chance on a quick pass from Demidov. Wolf was able to follow that one.
Calgary is up to five shots in the opening five minutes. We’re back to the Habs of the opening couple of games with a slow start.
Jakub Dobeš is getting a penalty for high-sticking. Cole Caufield will be a nice guy and take the fall instead with two minutes in the box.
Montreal had a couple of good opportunities while short-handed from Jake Evans and Noah Dobson.
Joe Veleno’s speedy feet draw a call on Adam Klapka. The first time tonight we’ve really seen any of Montreal’s pace.
Bolduc is playing on the right wing of the power play instead of the bumper spot, and he gets a shot, but again just the one from the top unit.
Montreal finally applies some pressure in the offence zone to work the puck to the slot for a shot. Other than the Kapanen shot earlier, that was the first time they looked like themselves.
Demidov carries the puck right in to the top of the crease and gets a good shot.
The greatest save he’s made so far comes on a cross-ice tip shot from Kapanen.
Wolf needing to make huge saves is the proof that Montreal is starting to play its game.
He does sell out completely on the cross-ice move, so sending a pass back from where it came could open things up.
Ramus Andersson goes off for hooking Nick Suzuki.
Bolduc fires a one-timer, and that shot was too good for Wolf to stop.
The power play finally strikes!
Nick Suzuki with the sauce to Bolduc, and he hammers it home, 1-0 #Habs
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) October 22, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Bolduc was again playing much farther out from his typical position on the power play, with Juraj Slafkovský beside the net.
Like the lights, it took the Canadiens a while to get up to their top level, but once that happened they took over the game, and have the lead.
Second period
It’s another slow start for Montreal as they can’t get going out of their own zone. The defenceman are reluctant to start the breakouts with the long change, and there have been three icings so far.
Bolduc clears the puck over the glass on the latest breakout attempt, and that will be a two-minue minor.
Evans skates the puck down the ice and then knocks it away from Wolf before trying to bank it off the netminder. He’s had a couple of short-handed looks tonight, and the penalty kill has looked pretty good, with the caveat that this is the worst offence in the NHL.
Hutson flies out to the blue line to pressure puck-carrier and ends up fighting for the puck all through the neutral zone and in on a partial breakaway. Wolf makes the save, but that’s still a highlight.
Lane Hutson, man.
Another good stop by Wolf.
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) October 22, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Another high-sticking penalty on Montreal as Kapanen catches Nazem Kadri with his butt-end off the faceoff.
Evans gets his third short-handed shot of the game.
Another good, aggressive penalty kill and it ends with the Canadiens executing a four-man breakout while the Flames are changing and a shot for Suzuki.
Montreal is off to the box again. Maybe the third time is the charm for a short-handed goal.
Kadri hits the post from the low slot.
The Flames look a lot better on this power play. No chances, or even clears, for Montreal.
Calgary is just playing a better game in this period, providing better support and flat out working harder.
Montreal was outshot 18-9 in that frame. Possibly their worst of the season. Will they look better without the long change in the third? Let’s hope so.
Third period
With the Red Wings’ loss tonight, Montreal can move into first place in the Atlantic with a win. You have to think they’ll need another goal to do that. It might also be too early to care about such things, but the season is 10% over after tonight.
Suzuki does the thing I mentioned earlier, going one way to pull Wolf across the crease and then going back against the grain, but Wolf still had his foot in place to make another great save.
Dobson’s first bad play of the season is a costly one. He tries to dangle his way out of the zone between two players, and the puck is poked away by Klapka, who ties the game seconds later.
Montreal has barely been in Calgary’s zone this period.
Suddenly the Habs get a flurry of chances from the top line, and Suzuki fires a shot off the post.
I’m not sure what has gotten into Dobson this period, but he just went off for tripping a player Mike Matheson was defending. Is it just too far past the bedtime of a fellow Maritimer?
Fortunately, the aggressive penalty kill is able to wipe out the advantage as Suzuki is tripped up in Calgary’s end.
Four-on-four should be to the advantage of the more skilled Canadiens, but that should have been the case all game long as well.
Brendan Gallagher has his helmet ripped off as he chases after a puck. Holding, interference, unsportsmanlike contact, I guess the referee was spoiled for choice and couldn’t make up his mind on what to call.
At this point it looks like Calgary would just be happy to take a point. Montreal could push for another late win.
Despite having a line of Suzuki, Demidov, and Kapanen, they can’t make it happen. No doubt Calgary is happy to have a point, but this should have been a regulation win for Montreal when you look at the state of both teams.
Overtime
Well it didn’t take long for Demidov to put his stamp on this result. He glides across the ice and goes down low, staying turned toward the slot the whole time, and not even Wolf can stop the one-timer he sets up for Matheson.
Ivan Demidov loves a trap game. Feeds Mike Matheson to end it.
#Habs take two points
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) October 23, 2025 at 12:33 AM
The bad news is that the Habs left an RW on the board, but an ROW isn’t too shabby.
That’s a 6-2 record, with the Oilers on the docket for tomorrow.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) Leading all rookie goalies in wins, by the way
2) That’s how the penalty kill needs to play going forward
1) I am the 2C now
