Bolduc’s Disallowed Goal & Canadiens’ Offensive Struggles | NHL News

MONTREAL – A potential goal by Montreal Canadiens forward Zachary Bolduc was disallowed Saturday night against the Recent York Islanders after a review for offside, a decision that drew attention not only for its impact on the score – ultimately a 7-3 victory for Montreal – but too for the reaction of Canadiens head coach Patrick Roy.

Bolduc, who believed he had scored his 11th goal of the season to extend Montreal’s lead to 8-3, admitted he initially wasn’t aware of the offside call. “On the play, I didn’t know it was offside,” Bolduc told RDS. “But when I saw the referee go to Patrick and challenge it, our eyes met and he gave me a little smile. He knew what he was doing.”

Despite the disallowed goal, which would have ended a lengthy scoring drought, Bolduc expressed no resentment towards Roy, his former coach with the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. “It’s part of the game. There’s nothing wrong with that. The game was already in the bag for us and that’s what matters ” he said.

Bolduc’s goal drought extends back to December 23, 2025. Despite not finding the back of the net in that time, he believes his line is playing well. “I think I’m playing well lately,” Bolduc stated. “Our line is playing well. We’re creating a lot of offensive chances. We’re doing everything but scoring. Of course, I’m eager to get on the scoresheet, but I’m not worried that the goals and points will approach in the next few games.”

Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis acknowledged Bolduc’s strong play, even if it isn’t reflected in the statistics. “I know ‘Boldy’ has scored a lot of goals in his young career, especially at the junior level, and last year,” St-Louis said. “Sometimes it’s difficult for the player to measure his progress if he isn’t rewarded with goals.”

The decision by Roy to challenge the goal, although the Canadiens held a comfortable four-goal lead, has been described as lacking “humanity” by some observers. Reports indicate Roy did not offer Bolduc any gesture of sympathy after the call, despite the pair’s history together in Quebec, where Bolduc scored 50 goals under Roy’s tutelage. One commentator suggested a simple nod or smile from Roy would have been appropriate given Bolduc’s struggles.

As of Monday, March 23, 2026, the Canadiens have not commented further on the incident.