Canadiens Need More From Benched Star

The Montreal Canadiens benched a few players in the third period against the Washington Capitals, including a key star forward.

Apr 12, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine (92) pursues the play against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The Montreal Canadiens surprised many when they put together a successful 2024-25 regular season and qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Through two games against the Washington Capitals, however, the underdog Canadiens haven’t shown what made them such a good team in the regular season.

In the third period of their Game 2 loss, Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis benched star forward Patrik Laine.

Patrik Laine did not play in the third period tonight in game 2... 👀 pic.twitter.com/253HTqkBLB

— BarDown (@BarDown) April 24, 2025

He picked up an assist and five shots on goal in Game 1, but Laine couldn’t find a rhythm in Game 2. With just one shot in 10 minutes of ice time, St. Louis felt Laine wasn’t putting the Canadiens in the best position to win.

Laine was glued to the bench in the final frame along with Joel Armia, who took on shift, and Emil Heineman who played two.

The Canadiens were down by just one goal heading into the third period, forcing St. Louis to make some lineup adjustments.

“The guys that I leaned on in the third, I thought they did a great job,” St. Louis said. “As a coach, you make those decisions. You have this gut feeling, and I felt like the group responded when we shortened the bench, and I felt like it gave us a chance. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the next goal, but I felt like it was there, just didn’t quite capitalize.”

Laine is a special player when it comes to power play opportunities and finding the back of the net, but his even strength game has been lagging. The Canadiens didn’t get a power play chance in the final frame, likely leading to some of Laine’s benching.

The Canadiens are returning to Montreal down 2-0 but are sure to find a new stride in front of their home crowd. Expect Laine to be given more chances in Game 3, but he'll need to capitalize on the opportunities he's given.

St. Louis has already shown who has the short leash in the Canadiens lineup.

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