Montreal Canadiens ride Bolduc and Dobes as the Blue Jackets’ 1st-period strike fades at Bell Centre

The Montreal Canadiens moved to 40-21-10 with 2 points, while the Columbus Blue Jackets went to 38-23-11 with 1 point in a 2-1 result at Bell Centre on 7:00 PM EDT.

First period

The Montreal Canadiens opened the scoring with 1 goal in the first period, and the Columbus Blue Jackets answered with 1 goal in the first period.

The Habs generated 20 shots in the game, and the Jackets finished with 26 shots.

The Canadiens recorded 24 hits, and the Blue Jackets registered 27 hits.

Second period

The Canadiens went 0-for-2 on the power play with 4 shots, and the Blue Jackets went 0-for-1 on the power play with 1 shot.

The Habs posted a 51 percent faceoff rate on 47 draws, and the Blue Jackets finished at 49 percent on 47 draws.

The Canadiens logged 8 giveaways, and the Blue Jackets had 17 giveaways.

Third period

The Canadiens scored 1 goal in the third period to finish the game with 2 even-strength goals, and the Blue Jackets ended with 1 even-strength goal.

Zachary Bolduc produced 2 points on 1 goal and 1 assist, and Jayden Struble added 1 goal.

Jakub Dobes stopped 25 shots on 26 attempts for the Canadiens, and the Blue Jackets goaltender finished with 18 saves on 20 shots against in a decision tagged as a loss.

Postgame notes

The Montreal Canadiens vs Columbus Blue Jackets match summary reflected a 10 percent shooting rate for the Canadiens and a 4 percent mark for the Blue Jackets.

The Canadiens finished with 17 blocked shots, and the Blue Jackets recorded 8 blocked shots.

The Montreal Canadiens vs Columbus Blue Jackets tactical recap included the Canadiens’ 83 percent power-play faceoff rate and the Blue Jackets’ 0 percent power-play faceoff rate.

The Montreal Canadiens post-game interviews centered on Dobes as a listed game star, alongside Bolduc and Struble as the other named stars.

The Montreal Canadiens vs Columbus Blue Jackets final thoughts start with the Canadiens’ 5 plus-minus team figure against the Blue Jackets’ -5.

Next game

The Canadiens will be on the road against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on 7:00 PM EDT on 2026-03-28, with coverage on ESPN+ and FDSSO.

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