Canadian Teams Morning Review – Jan. 9: Sens, Canucks, Jets, Oilers, Leafs, Habs & Flames
Thursday night offered a familiar mix for Canadian teams: a couple of reassuring performances, a few uncomfortable reminders of where things stand, and at least one result that felt heavier than the score suggested. Some clubs showed signs of growth and control. Others ran headlong into some momentum they couldn’t slow down.
What tied the night together was contrast. In a few buildings, Canadian teams looked composed, patient, and purposeful. In other cases, they were exposed — not just to talent gaps, but also to timing, confidence, and structural strain. It was a night that didn’t change the standings, but it did underscore where pressure is building and where it’s being managed.
Ottawa Senators at Colorado Avalanche
The Ottawa Senators ran into a freight train — and never got back on the rails. The score says 8–2, but the real story was how quickly this game got away from the Senators once momentum tilted. The defining moment came early in the second period, when what looked like a potential one-goal game was erased by an offside challenge. From there, the Avalanche poured it on, and Ottawa never recovered.
The key figure was Josh Manson, who somehow managed to control the emotional temperature of the game while lighting it on fire. A first-period fight with Tyler Kleven set a physical tone, a goal immediately after leaving the penalty box swung early momentum, and his involvement on Cale Makar’s goal completed a Gordie Howe hat trick that felt symbolic of Colorado’s dominance. This wasn’t chaos — it was controlled aggression.
For Ottawa, fatigue and structure both cracked. Playing the second night of a back-to-back, their goaltending carousel reflected a team searching for stability rather than finding it. Leevi Merilainen was pulled, Mads Sogaard struggled, and by the time Merilainen returned, the game had long since slipped away. The chippiness late felt less like pushback and more like frustration.
Vancouver Canucks at Detroit Red Wings
For the Canucks, the 5-1 loss to the Red Wings was another reminder that this slide isn’t correcting itself. Patrick Kane’s 500th career goal will rightfully grab headlines, but from a Vancouver perspective, this was about something else entirely: the Canucks’ inability to halt a skid that’s starting to define their season. Five straight losses and seven of eight now, with no clear inflection point in sight.
Kane was the key player, not just for the milestone, but for how effortlessly he dictated moments that Vancouver never seemed able to reclaim. His power-play goal late in the first period tilted the ice, and Detroit never looked back. That moment mattered because Vancouver didn’t respond — they absorbed it.
Jake DeBrusk briefly gave the Canucks life with a power-play goal, but it felt isolated. Kevin Lankinen wasn’t the problem, but he wasn’t able to provide a momentum swing either. Detroit’s depth — Axel Sandin-Pellikka, J.T. Compher, Lucas Raymond — steadily widened the gap. This trip is starting to feel less like a road swing and more like a warning sign.
Winnipeg Jets at Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton survived early damage to take away a 4-3 win; Winnipeg added another layer to a growing spiral.
The Oilers didn’t dominate this game — they managed it. After spotting Winnipeg a 3–1 first-period lead, Edmonton reset, counted on its stars, and slowly took control. The defining moment came on Evan Bouchard’s third-period power-play goal, a screened shot that cut through traffic and sealed a comeback that felt inevitable by that point.
Connor McDavid was the key figure, extending his point streak to 17 games. His second-period goal — set up by Leon Draisaitl — shifted belief. It reminded both benches which team could dictate pace when it mattered.
For Winnipeg, this was loss number eleven in a row, and the pattern is hard to ignore. Early offence gives way to defensive leaks, and leads feel fragile. Connor Hellebuyck made his saves, but the margin for error keeps shrinking. The Jets didn’t collapse — they faded, which might be worse.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Philadelphia Flyers
The Maple Leafs won a comeback 2-1 in overtime and learned something useful in the process. Toronto snapped a five-game road skid not by overpowering the Flyers, but by staying patient. The game’s defining sequence came in overtime. Still, it was set up moments earlier when Dennis Hildeby denied Trevor Zegras on a breakaway and followed it with consecutive stops on Matvei Michkov and Sean Couturier.
Easton Cowan finished it, converting a 2-on-1 off a John Tavares pass, but Hildeby was the key player. Not because he stole the game — he didn’t — but because he stabilized it. His calm allowed Toronto to stay structured long enough for the offence to arrive. Former Flyer Scott Laughton’s short-handed goal tied the game late and helped the Maple Leafs get into overtime. It was the kind of win the Maple Leafs can build off.
Florida Panthers at Montreal Canadiens
Montreal’s 6-2 win over the Panthers helps them keep stacking confidence against an Atlantic Division opponent. Alexandre Texier drove this game, recording a hat trick that continued an impressive stretch. But the bigger takeaway was Montreal’s comfort level against Florida. Seven straight wins now against the Panthers isn’t an accident — it’s familiarity turned into confidence.
Samuel Montembeault’s return to the Bell Centre was the defining tone-setter. Calm, efficient, and unbothered, he gave Montreal exactly what it needed while the skaters did the rest. Florida missed Brad Marchand, and it showed in their inability to tilt the momentum once Montreal got rolling. But this game wasn’t about Florida falling apart. It was about Montreal executing a plan that’s starting to feel like a repeat.
Calgary Flames at Boston Bruins
Calgary competed but couldn’t tilt the ice. They lost 4-1 to the Boston Bruins. The Flames didn’t play poorly, but they never controlled the game. Sean Kuraly set the tone early for the Bruins, and from there, Calgary was chasing structure rather than imposing it.
Connor Zary’s late second-period goal gave the Flames a foothold, but Boston’s response was measured and decisive. Elias Lindholm’s goal earlier loomed large, and Joonas Korpisalo quietly outplayed Dustin Wolf when it mattered.
Four straight losses now, and two into a road trip, Calgary feels stuck between effort and results. It’s a familiar place, but not a comfortable one.
The Bigger Picture for Canadian Teams
Thursday night didn’t flatten Canadian teams across the board — but it did expose fault lines. Some clubs are learning how to manage games. Others are still reacting to them. Quiet wins mattered. Loud losses lingered.
As the season tightens, the ability to stay composed — especially when momentum shifts — is becoming the real separator. And on this night, only a few Canadian teams showed they’re ready for that next step.