Canadiens Return Home After Sloppy California Trip

Young team struggles with details as playoff push continues

Published on Mar. 8, 2026

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The Montreal Canadiens returned home from a three-game California road trip with only three out of a possible six points, despite scoring 14 goals in the three games. Head coach Martin St. Louis emphasized the need for the team to focus on the details of their game as they gear up for a playoff push, but the trip revealed a lack of consistency and attention to detail that plagued the Canadiens throughout the trip.

Why it matters

The Canadiens are a young team trying to make noise in the playoffs, but this road trip showed they still have a lot to learn when it comes to playing a complete, detailed game. With their division rivals making moves to improve at the trade deadline, the Canadiens need to shore up the details in their game if they want to keep pace and make a deep playoff run.

The details

Over the three-game stretch, the Canadiens allowed 16 goals, despite scoring 14 of their own. Coach St. Louis stressed the importance of playing with attention to detail, especially at this time of year, but the team struggled with things like defensive zone coverage, special teams, and closing out games. In the loss to the Anaheim Ducks, the Canadiens blew a late third-period lead, with a defensive breakdown leading to the game-tying goal in the final minute of regulation.

  • The Canadiens left for their California trip on March 1.
  • The NHL trade deadline fell in the middle of the Canadiens' road trip on March 3.
  • The Canadiens returned home on Sunday, March 10.

The players

Martin St. Louis

Head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, who emphasized the need for his young team to focus on the details of their game as they push for the playoffs.

Cole Caufield

A young forward for the Canadiens who expressed frustration with the team's lack of attention to detail, saying they look "sloppy" and "average" when they don't execute properly.

Nick Suzuki

The Canadiens' top center, who acknowledged a defensive zone faceoff scramble that led to a goal against in the game against the Los Angeles Kings, saying the team "got mixed up" on their coverage.

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What they’re saying

“For me at this time of the season, obviously effort's always going to be a big part, and compete, but it's also you have to have some details at this time of the season, I find.”

— Martin St. Louis, Head Coach (The New York Times)

“Obviously we've had this group for a while now, and we've all been building this up together and we all know the details and the stuff that we need to do and execute. (When) we don't do that, we look sloppy, we don't look like ourselves and it's pretty evident that way. (When) we're not doing those things, we're an average team. It's pretty frustrating right now to be getting these results.”

— Cole Caufield, Forward (The New York Times)

“It was kind of a scrambled draw and (the puck) was just kind of hanging out in the middle. And then my centre kind of went to the far side and we kind of got mixed up on which guy, who had who. They got a shot through and my guy, I thought he was going backdoor and instead he went right to the slot. I was just a bit late.”

— Nick Suzuki, Center (The New York Times)

What’s next

The Canadiens will look to shore up the details in their game as they return home, with a key matchup against a division rival on the schedule for Monday.

The takeaway

This road trip highlighted the Canadiens' need to improve their attention to detail if they want to be a serious playoff contender. As a young team, they have the talent, but need to develop the consistency and discipline required to win at the highest level, especially with their division rivals making moves to improve their own rosters.