Dobes shaken after 5-4 loss in Washington: Canadiens morning report

The Montreal Canadiens saw their winning streak end in Washington on Wednesday, dropping a 5-4 decision to the Capitals. Looking for a third straight victory, the Habs instead left with a one-goal loss and a goaltender openly acknowledging he has to raise his game.

Dobes owns tough night as Hutson provides the highlight

According to Sportsnet, Jakub Dobes reflected on a tough outing after allowing five goals, saying he needs to be better. La Presse echoed that message, noting the young netminder came out of the night clearly disappointed with his performance.

On the positive side, Lane Hutson delivered the play of the game for Montreal. Sportsnet points out that the defenceman weaved through the Capitals’ defence and ripped home a beautiful goal that gave the Canadiens the lead at that moment. La Presse also underlines that this was the first NHL meeting between the Hutson brothers, with Cole emerging on the winning side for Washington.

For the Capitals, Sportsnet reports that Alex Tuch did significant damage, recording two goals and an assist in the home win. Eyes on the Prize nevertheless describes this outing as one of Montreal’s stronger performances of the young season, even if the effort didn’t translate into two points.

Leadership note, blue-line concerns and Larkin talk

La Presse notes that Josh Anderson has been officially added to the Canadiens’ leadership group, with an “A” now stitched on his jersey to formalize a role he was already playing in practice.

Eyes on the Prize highlights the play of Kaiden Ghule, describing him as a real force when healthy and able to play his hard style consistently. The same outlet points to issues piling up on the Canadiens’ blue-line, a storyline that is likely to remain front and centre in the coming weeks.

Also via Eyes on the Prize, Habs fans’ interest in Dylan Larkin is mentioned, but Sportsnet and TSN reporting relayed there suggests that interest is not mutual, cooling any speculative talk of the forward joining Montreal.

Back home to face the Sabres

In the standings, the Canadiens sit 7th in the Atlantic Division with 7 points in 7 games and a 3-3-1 record. Next up is a return to the Bell Centre, where they will host the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Montreal time. After an up-and-down start and a frustrating loss in Washington, that divisional matchup will be an early test of how quickly this group can bounce back.