The Montreal Canadiens have been outscored 18 to 6 in their last four games, and if they are going to find a way to get out of this losing skid, they will need to find offence somewhere. With Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach out of the lineup, Joshua Roy and Jared Davidson were called up to help with the depth scoring.
Injuries force line changes for the Canadiens
With the injuries, the Canadiens were forced to shuffle their lines in an effort to find more scoring balance. They moved Juraj Slafkovsky on a line with Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov, which means Zachary Bolduc has found himself with an opportunity to play with the Habs' best offensive players, Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.
The newfound second line of Slafkovsky-Kapanen-Demidov got off to a great start against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The link-up play between Slafkovsky and Demidov was a breath of fresh air and potentially could have unlocked another element to the Slovakian winger’s game.
The Canadiens' new first line did not find the same success in their debut game together. They struggled to generate many quality scoring chances, and when the team was trailing late in the third period, Martin St. Louis reverted to the old first line, moving Slafkovsky back up to the first line. However, with the Slafkovsky-Kapanen-Demidov line looking to have had chemistry from the jump, the Canadiens are going to need the first line, specifically Bolduc, to fill the void left by all the injuries.
Bolduc becomes the X-Factor
Bolduc started the season off strong, scoring three goals in the first three games, but has only scored one goal since then. St. Louis attributes the lack of production to Bolduc being taken off the top power-play unit after the start of the season, stating, “He started the year on the first power play unit and had success. We changed that, and he lost those touches. It probably affected him offensively on 5-on-5.”
#Habs Martin St. Louis on Zachary Bolduc
— Chris G (@ChrisHabs360) November 19, 2025
"He started the year on the first power play unit and had success. We changed that and he lost those touches. It probably affected him offensively on 5-on-5. During that time, I liked his commitment on the other side of the puck"… pic.twitter.com/GxsMNYey2i
Following all the injuries, the Canadiens shuffled all of their lines, including the power play. Bolduc has benefited the most from the new lines, getting to play on both the top line and the top power play unit. Bolduc will have ample opportunity to prove that the start of the season was not a fluke.
Caufield will still garner most of the shooting attention on the top line, but there will be opportunities for Bolduc to get second chances off his shots. Playing with Suzuki should hopefully help as well, as the Canadiens' top playmaker will find you if you are open. Bolduc will be playing in the bumper spot on the top power play unit, and the Canadiens hope he can find the same success there as he had in his time with the St. Louis Blues.
Everyone knows Bolduc has the ability to put the puck in the net. We saw it throughout his junior career, and we have seen it so far in his NHL career. He just has to do it with more regularity, and the Canadiens desperately need him to find his scoring touch right now.