On Thursday, the Montreal Canadiens knocked off one of the East's best teams, beating the Boston Bruins 5-2 in a decisive win. Among the highlights was the return of top-four defenseman Mike Matheson, who had been held out six games with a lower-body injury.
Matheson made his presence felt right away, assisting on Montreal's second goal and was on the ice for two other Canadiens goals, finishing plus-three on the night. Over his last four games, Matheson is a plus-seven with a goal and four assists, three of them primary assists.
His five points through nine games this season put him on pace for roughly 40, in line with his typical production in Montreal of 30 to 40 points. The one outlier was 2023-24, when he broke out for 62 points in 82 games.
Matheson’s return bolsters a Montreal team that is already rolling, with an 11-1-3 record over its last 15 games. Over that stretch, the Canadiens’ offense ranks inside the top 11 at 3.40 goals per game, while the defense has been even stronger, allowing 2.53 goals per game, a mark that sits inside the top five.
Numbers back Matheson makes Montreal better
With Matheson in the lineup this season, Montreal is 6-2-1 and has outscored opponents 28-23, including a current five-game winning streak in which the Canadiens have allowed just five total goals.
Since the start of last season, Matheson has the second-best rating among Montreal defensemen at plus-13 and ranks third on the team in blocked shots with 166. He has also averaged the most ice time of any Canadiens defenseman over that span at 24:06, leading Lane Hutson by just eight seconds.
At 32, the Pointe-Claire, Quebec, native still has his legs with a top speed of 35.85 kilometers per hour ranks in the 89th percentile, and the 6.19 kilometers he skated in Montreal's 6-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 3 ranks in the 86th percentile this season.
His underlying numbers are strong as well, with MoneyPuck stats showing both of Matheson's defense pairings this season rank among the best on the team in expected goals percentage. He and Alexandre Carrier sit at 76.5 percent over 36 minutes together, while his pairing with Hutson is close behind at 71.4 percent.
With Matheson back, the focus shifts to the front lines. The back end has been stable thanks to Matheson and others like Kaiden Guhle, Noah Dobson and Lane Hutson, as well as a Calder Trophy-contending start from rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler.
Now, injuries are hitting the forward group, with Ivan Demidov being joined on the injury list with veteran winger Chris Kreider, who was recently listed as day-to-day. Montreal’s defense will need to stay strong, and with Matheson back in the lineup, its chances of doing that are better than ever.
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