Looks Like Lots of Penalties… Canadiens Outworked but Outnumbered in the Box This Weekend

St. Paul shows flashes, but discipline troubles and special teams swing two tough games

It was one of those weekends where the St. Paul Canadiens didn’t just battle their opponents — they battled the whistle, the clock, and the constant grind of skating shorthanded.

Between Friday and Saturday, St. Paul put up good moments, strong shifts, and even opened both games with early jump. But with penalty totals stacking up and momentum repeatedly interrupted, the Canadiens couldn’t find the rhythm they needed, falling 5–1 to Wainwright and 9–1 to Killam.

 

Friday: A Strong Start That Never Got to Breathe

On home ice against the Wainwright Bisons, the Canadiens came out exactly how you want to start a weekend: hard on pucks, fast in transition, and rewarded with a 1–0 goal from Quinn Szpak just seven minutes in.

And then the parade started.

The second period turned into a stretch of back-to-back minors, roughing calls, matching fights, and a couple of game misconducts. The Canadiens spent more time defending than attacking, and Wainwright took full advantage with four goals in the middle frame.

St. Paul was outshot 27–1 in that period alone — the kind of number that tells the story better than anything else. Despite a better third, another Bisons marker made it 5–1 and closed the book.

Saturday: The Road Gets Rougher in Killam

The Canadiens fired 20 shots in the first period on Saturday in Killam — a start most teams would be thrilled with. They tied the game 1–1 thanks to Szpak again, and for a moment it looked like St. Paul had rediscovered their stride.

Then things slipped.

Killam regained the lead, then capitalised shorthanded not once, not twice, but three times. Special teams didn’t just hurt St. Paul — they broke the game open. By the time the third period arrived, Killam had the momentum and kept piling on.

The Canadiens went 0-for-3 on the powerplay, while Killam found goals in every situation: even-strength, powerplay, and short-handed.

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The Takeaway

The effort is there. The compete level shows up every night. The penalty trouble, though, is stealing too much oxygen from a team that plays its best hockey at full strength.

Cleaning up the discipline, tightening special teams, and getting back to five-on-five hockey will make an immediate difference — because when the Canadiens get rolling, they’ve shown they can skate with anyone in this league.