Canadiens MVPs From The First Round Of NHL Playoffs

Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Now that the Montreal Canadiens have eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2026 NHL Playoffs, it’s time to take a look at some of the top performers from the series.

Jakub Dobes Reigns Supreme

Admittedly, by asking Habs fans to name their most valuable players of the first round, we were really asking them for submissions to establish the team’s second-most important player.

Simply put, Jakub Dobes was clearly the team’s MVP, as evidenced by the fact that he stopped 181 of the 196 shots sent his way, good for a .923 save percentage, well above his regular-season save percentage of .901. It’s also worth noting he faced 80 high-danger scoring chances, a testament to his ability to make a big save when the Canadiens needed it most.

Dobes may have less experience than most NHL goaltenders, but he gave the Canadiens the confidence necessary to stave off long stretches in which the Lightning dominated, which is the equivalent to having a veteran presence in the net.

Montreal Canadiens Best Of The Rest

With six points in seven games, not only did Lane Hutson co-lead the Canadiens in scoring alongside Nick Suzuki, he also reminded us that he’s not quite done setting the tone for his NHL career.

We already knew he’s dominant presence in the regular season, but it has quickly become clear that he has more to offer in the playoffs.

When it comes to Montreal’s war fleet, Hutson is the rising tide that lifts all ships.

Seeing as the Habs lacked much semblance of sustained offence at 5v5 from their first line, they relied on a bevy of players to supplement their offensive contributions.

You’d have a hard time pinpointing one particular depth forward who excelled, as there were several great options, including power forward Josh Anderson. He scored the first two goals at 5v5 in the series, and his physical play set the tone versus an incredibly greasy Lightning lineup.

Habs fans were also quite to point out the excellent play of the third line, which was actually used as the second line, or possibly the fourth line at different times in the series. Regardless, the play of Alexandre Texier, Kirby Dach, and Zachary Bolduc was crucial to overcome the lack of offence from the first line.

As for defencemen not named Hutson, Canadiens fans sent a fair share of praise Arber Xhekaj’s way, and while he was not dressed for Game 7, it’s fair to say he did great in his limited usage versus Tampa Bay.

With Xhekaj on the ice, the Habs controlled 57% of the shots at 5v5, a considerable achievement when we remember the Canadiens were outshot by a rather wide margin (316-260). Full marks to Jayden Struble, who served as Xhekaj’s defensive partner throughout the majority of the series, as he also produced elite numbers on the third pairing.

There was one member of the organization that did not score a single goal, or provide an assist. He didn’t even manage to land a single hit.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

And yet, Habs fans wanted to ensure head coach Martin St-Louis was recognized for the first-round win.

You could argue he out coached Jon Cooper, one of the most respected coaches in the NHL, but more importantly, he used timeouts wisely, managed his lineup well, and was not afraid to make significant changes when the team faced adversity.

In many ways, the series win was St-Louis’ coming out party.

He’s no longer a coach learning the ropes in the NHL. He’s out to write the next chapter in Montreal’s illustrious history.

All Montreal Canadiens statistics are all situations, unless otherwise noted. Via Natural Stat Trick.

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