Ivan Demidov Shines as Canadiens Rally Past Canucks
What a night it was in Vancouver! The Montreal Canadiens pulled off an incredible comeback against the Canucks, winning 4–3 at Rogers Arena. And right at the center of it all was rookie Ivan Demidov, who had his first-ever three-point game in the NHL. The young forward finished with a goal and two assists, and honestly, you could feel his confidence growing as the game went on.
The night didn’t start in Montreal’s favor, though. The Canucks came out strong, taking a quick 2–0 lead. Elias Pettersson opened the scoring early in the first period, finishing a neat give-and-go that left him with an open net. Then, midway through the second, Jake DeBrusk made it 2–0 with a power-play deflection, giving Vancouver what looked like a comfortable cushion.
But that’s when the Canadiens started to fight back. Nick Suzuki, who’s been absolutely on fire lately, cut the deficit to 2–1 late in the second period. It was a beautifully executed power-play goal — Suzuki buried a backdoor pass from Demidov with a smooth finish. That assist extended Suzuki’s point streak to nine games, during which he’s racked up 13 points.
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The momentum clearly shifted in Montreal’s favor after that. Just 1:39 into the third period, Juraj Slafkovsky tied the game. Once again, Demidov was in the middle of it — he collected a loose puck in the slot and quickly slid it to Slafkovsky, who fired it past a sprawling Kevin Lankinen. You could tell Vancouver’s defense started to look rattled at that point.
Then came Mike Matheson, who stepped up with a long-range shot that found its way through traffic, putting the Canadiens up 3–2. And just minutes later, Demidov added his own goal to cap off his breakout performance — a deflected one-timer from the right faceoff dot that beat Lankinen short side. That made it 4–2 and sent the Montreal bench into a frenzy.
Vancouver did manage one more goal, a late deflection by Conor Garland off another Pettersson setup, but it wasn’t enough. Jakub Dobes held strong in goal for Montreal, finishing with 28 saves and improving to a perfect 5–0–0 this season.
For the Canucks, it was another tough loss — their third straight. Pettersson and Hughes each had multi-point nights, but defensive lapses cost them again.
For Montreal, though, this game was all about resilience — and Ivan Demidov’s coming-out party. The rookie looked composed, creative, and confident, proving why the Canadiens have been so high on him. If this performance is any sign of what’s to come, the Habs might have another young star in the making.
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