Three Takeaways From Canadiens Shutout Loss To Wild

The Montreal Canadiens haven’t won at the Xcel Energy Center since 2011, and they saw that streak extended to another season after a 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night.

Their latest setback keeps the Canadiens in the basement of the Atlantic Division, tied with their next opponent, the Columbus Blue Jackets, for the worst point total in the Eastern Conference.

Even though Montreal’s opponent on Thursday was a tough defensive team, the loss wasn’t that bad, considering it was 1-0 heading into the third period. Let’s discuss some takeaways.

Getting Shutout was Bound to Happen

As pointed out during the TSN broadcast, the Canadiens fired only two shots on goal in the first period. Failing to get on the scoreboard in the early stages of a game has its drawbacks, especially when a team ranks in the league’s bottom half with 2.71 goals per game (23rd).

Montreal doesn’t even record 25 shots per game, with an NHL-worst 24.2 shots per game average. They rank 19th in goals scored (46) but are tied with Pittsburgh at the bottom for most goals against with 69.

The 2024-25 Canadiens are not as electrifying on offense as the Winnipeg Jets, and they don’t play a clean defensive game like the Wild. Hence, it’s surprising that it took 17 games for them to eventually be shut out, especially with a goal differential of minus-24.

Shots, Shots, Shots

Interestingly, the Wild average 28 shots a game, and on Thursday night, that’s precisely how many they registered on Sam Montembeault.

Their final total is the tenth highest the Canadiens have surrendered on the season, and their 19 shots are the second time in 17 contests they have failed to reach 20. So far, they are 0-2-0 in those games.

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As pointed out, Montreal is rebuilding and should be ahead of where they were in 2023-24. However, last year, they ranked 28th with 27.7 shots per game, so why did they decrease to 3 shots per game?

Perspectively, the Canadiens were shut out three times and played 22 games with less than 25 shots. This year, after 17 games, they have been shut out once while bringing their total of games without registering 25 shots to nine.

The Canadiens Ran Into a Defensive Team

Filip Gustavsson’s .924 SV% is second in the NHL behind the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, Connor Hellebuyck (.934 SV%). He’s also 8-2-2 with a 2.08 GAA, the second-best total by any goalie who played more than five games.

Historically, the Wild have been a shutdown-style team, so Montreal hadn’t won in St. Paul since 2011, when Carey Price was 23 years old.

Additionally, Minnesota is off to the best start, achieving 25 points faster than any year in franchise history. They also have Kirill Kaprizov, who scored into the empty net and still ranks second in NHL scoring.

Ultimately, losing to the Wild in Minnesota is not the end of the world. Eventually, the tide will turn back in Montreal’s favor, but on Thursday, it was going to be tough no matter how the puck bounced, and now they can regroup for a tired Columbus Blue Jackets team that plays on Friday night.