Bolduc’s shootout winner, ‘We want Larkin’ chants: Canadiens morning report

The Canadiens turned Saturday night at the Bell Centre into a statement win, grinding out a 1–0 shootout victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Zachary Bolduc played the hero, ending the night with the lone goal in the shootout to finally reward what La Presse describes as a second straight strong effort that this time translated into a win.

Fowler flawless and three goals wiped out

In goal, Jacob Fowler stole a good share of the spotlight. Sportsnet characterizes his performance as flawless for the Canadiens, while Eyes on the Prize notes that he went six-for-six in the shootout against Detroit shooters. Five games into the season, La Presse already talks about a “good problem” in net for Montreal, after a quiet training camp on that front.

Offensively, it was a bizarre and often frustrating night. Sportsnet highlights that three Canadiens goals were erased: those by Cole Caufield, Zack Bolduc and Alexandre Texier, including an overtime marker from Texier that was overturned on an offside review. To top off the strange atmosphere, Daily Faceoff points out that a giant inflatable hot dog even tumbled onto the ice during the game.

Bell Centre sends a loud message: ‘We want Larkin’

While the scoreboard stayed tight, the crowd made plenty of noise. Sportsnet, Daily Faceoff and La Presse all report that “We want Larkin” chants broke out less than a minute into the game, targeting Red Wings centre Dylan Larkin. La Presse frames it as a full-on courtship for a number-one centre in Montreal, and Sportsnet looks at how Larkin might fit with the Canadiens if such a scenario ever materialized. Daily Faceoff adds that the 30-year-old American centre has significant control over his future destination, a detail that did little to discourage Habs fans from voicing their wish list.

Early struggles, a crowded crease and the Sabres next

Eyes on the Prize describes this as a slow start to the season overall, though it stresses that Bolduc is doing his part amid those early struggles. Montreal sits sixth in the Atlantic Division with 5 points in 5 games (2-2-1), a reminder that there’s still plenty of work to do despite Saturday’s high note.

Next up, the Canadiens host the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Montreal time. With the goalie picture suddenly a source of optimism and Zachary Bolduc coming off a signature moment, Martin St-Louis and his players will try to turn this narrow win over Detroit into a more sustained push in the standings.