The Canadiens (9-3-1) continue to roll without their captain. Nick Suzuki participated in Saturday morning’s skate, but didn’t dress for a 5-4 Habs win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Bell Centre on Halloween night. They’ve won five straight since Suzuki went down with an upper-body injury.
How the Habs won:
The win streak has truly been a team effort, with each skater recording at least one point in the last five games. Last night, Josh Anderson scored twice, while linemate Chris Kreider arguably had his best night as a Hab.
Meanwhile, the young fourth line wreaked havoc, with Owen Beck dropping the gloves with Blake Lizotte and Florian Xhekaj slamming Hendrix Lapierre against the boards. The rookie pair combined for five hits and assisted on Oliver Kapanen’s goal.
Sidney Crosby had a big night on the scoreboard with a goal and two assists, but the Habs dominated in the faceoff dot. They won 57.1 per cent of draws, with Jake Evans leading the way with 11 wins in 16 tries. In his 800th career game, Phillip Danault won seven of 13.
Beck is fighting for a permanent lineup spot and he’s using his fists. In the same shift, Beck hit Kaedan Korczak hard into the end boards, then pounded Lizotte at centre ice.
22-year-old Owen Beck with a MONSTER sequence, dishing out two big hits before answering the bell and dropping Blake Lizotte ?
Lane Hutson on the bench: “Holy f**k” ? pic.twitter.com/hKqBACXr2G
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) November 1, 2026
Both “sheriffs” dressed tonight and looked the part for the runway arrival. Arber’s younger brother, Florian, laid down the law with his hit on Lapierre in the first. The Habs could use some of this pugnacity come playoff time.
Florian Xhekaj SHOVES Hendrix Lapierre into the bench door, and the Pens take exception ??
Xhekaj and Ville Koivunen both receive roughing minors on the play. pic.twitter.com/fPCwe3Ky7y
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 31, 2026
But this night was about goals. Four were scored in the first 7:26, and it would’ve been five had Cole Caufield’s would-be ninth goal of the season had not been called back on a goalie interference challenge. Did Kaiden Guhle hit Sergei Murashov? The Sportsnet intermission crew called it a “terrible ruling.”
After review, Cole Caufield's go-ahead goal was overturned due to goaltender interference. pic.twitter.com/iKjD4fSPOr
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 31, 2026
The Habs scored twice in the first period. Both happened in the first 3:05 and within 26 seconds of each other. Kapanen broke his season-long scoring slump with his first. It tied the game after Erik Karlsson’s ice-breaker on the power play.
OLIVER KAPANEN GETS THE HABS ON THE BOARD ? pic.twitter.com/SX0XC2eoi7
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 31, 2026
Next shift, Anderson swiped the puck in the offensive zone and beat Murashov for an unassisted goal. The Pens would tie it up before the midway point of the first.
TWO GOALS IN 24 SECONDS FOR THE CANADIENS ✌️ pic.twitter.com/ClURzLh9qz
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 31, 2026
The Habs lit the lamp twice early in the second period. Not unlike the first, both came in rapid succession. At 1:54, Lane Hutson and Alexandre Texier executed a slick give-and-go to give the Habs a 3-2 lead.
ALEX TEXIER GIVES THE HABS THE LEAD EARLY IN THE SECOND ? pic.twitter.com/fqN9Ig7r1D
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 1, 2026
Next shift, 27 seconds later, Kreider also got time and space in front of Murashov and he outlasted the netminder. After going nine games without a point, the key off-season acquisition has three points in his last two games.
HELLO, CHRIS KREIDER ?
MONTREAL IS BUZZING ?️ pic.twitter.com/j6uvxCHo4W
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 1, 2026
The Pens pulled to within one on a goal by Rickard Rakell. Arber Xhekaj spat the puck up the middle of the ice, but not many players can do what Karlsson did to keep the puck onside.
Les Penguins n'ont pas dit leur dernier mot ; les Penguins réduisent l'écart rapidement pic.twitter.com/cG7Kqh5r7M
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) November 1, 2026
Habs regained their two-goal lead when Lane Hutson’s point shot off the draw hit Anderson and knuckled its way to the back of the net.
Crosby hit two milestones during the game. With his first assist, he set an NHL record for the most assists with one franchise with 1,112, passing Ray Bourque. Meanwhile, his third period goal to pull the Pens to within one put him at 1,771 points, tying him with Marcel Dionne for 6th all-time.
He entered the game with only seven points in 13 games, but you can always count on the future Hall-of-Famer to step up his game at the Bell Centre.
SID BRINGS THE PENS WITHIN ONE ?
?: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/eswclJ6cbd
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 1, 2026
Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler didn’t hit the .900 save percentage mark in their most recent respective wins, but they were still all smiles as the Habs banked another two points in the standings. Fowler made 25 saves and allowed four goals, but saved his best work for the third, where he made 14 saves.
And weep not for Fowler’s .864 save percentage on the night: on his current seven-game win streak he has 1.67 goals against-average, a .941 save percentage and two shutouts.
Dobes and Fowler ? pic.twitter.com/DzQMcGSZ97
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 1, 2026
Hockey Stat Cards shows it was a big night for the grinders. Earlier in the day, the club announced Mike Matheson will miss two weeks with a lower-body injury. Samuel Montembeault is also day-to-day, but where does he fit? Kirby Dach was also a late scratch because of illness.
In his 800th game, Danault recorded a point and hit another season-high in ice-time with 19:57.
Arber Xhekaj’s giveaway aside, he and Adam Engstrom formed a strong pair in limited duty with Matheson out. Guhle is still playing monster minutes: 24:05.
NHL Game Score Impact Card for Montréal Canadiens on 2026-10-31: pic.twitter.com/2UaLRp4Iv0
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) November 1, 2026
Next opponent: Habs continue their homestand on Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets (4-7-3). Things have unravelled for the Jets since losing to the Habs in last week’s Heritage Classic. Since then, they’ve been obliterated twice by the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Hockey players sprint up the ice.
Hockey players sprint up the ice.