zachary bolduc was pushed into goalie John Gibson in a moment that drew a penalty and crystallized a night of fine margins for the Canadiens, who were already coping with Josh Anderson being out day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
What Happens When Zachary Bolduc Is Pushed into the Net?
The incident involving Zachary Bolduc occurred in a scoreless first period and resulted in a Detroit penalty after Bolduc was shoved into the Red Wings’ netminder. The sequence was one of several heated moments that punctuated the game, and the penalty stood out as a tangible in-game consequence of the physical exchange.
Beyond the immediate whistle, the play illustrated how individual confrontations can shift momentum or halt it — a relevant factor for a Canadiens squad forced to manage absences and line changes on the fly.
How Josh Anderson’s Day-to-Day Status Reshapes Montreal’s Lines
Josh Anderson is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury and missed the matchup with the Red Wings after missing the team’s practice the day before, which was listed as a therapy day. Anderson had scored in Montreal’s most recent outing and had registered points in consecutive games before this latest setback.
The 31-year-old had missed six games earlier in the season with an upper-body issue and carries season totals that include 13 goals and 22 points in 61 games, putting him on pace for 27 points. With Anderson unavailable, the club indicated that Joe Veleno could draw back into the lineup after last playing on Feb. 4; Veleno has two goals and four points in 49 games in his first season with the team.
What the Late-game Sequence Meant for the Standings and Outcome
Jakub Dobes started in goal for a second consecutive game and made 26 saves in the win two nights earlier. In the matchup against Detroit, Juraj Slafkovsky ended a recent power-play slump by scoring his 25th of the season late in the second period, giving Montreal a 1-0 lead and breaking an 0-for-8 stretch on the man advantage over the prior three games.
Detroit responded early in the third when Patrick Kane’s shot redirected off JT Compher to tie the game. Late in the period, Mike Matheson’s turnover in the defensive zone led to Alex Debrincat scoring — his 100th goal as a member of the Red Wings — and Andrew Copp added an empty-net goal to complete a 3-1 result.
The loss carried standing implications: Montreal sits third in the Atlantic Division and is six points behind the division leader, while the Red Wings occupy a wild-card position with the potential to close the gap on Montreal with a win in this matchup. Another framing from the game noted the Canadiens held a narrow edge over Detroit in the divisional race, with Montreal two points ahead and holding a game in hand.
zachary bolduc’s physical play and the late turnover that cost Montreal underline the thin margins that have defined this stretch for the club: a key forward day-to-day, a power-play that had been struggling before a timely goal, and tight standings where a single game can alter positioning.
