Montreal capped off one of their longest road trips of the season in Dallas, Texas where the anaphylactic green tones may induce a trip to the Willie and Elsa Wu Sensory Room. Jakub Dobes got the start to follow up on three standout performances by rookie Jacob Fowler, who solidified an outrageous 9.71 goals above expected average in seven starts. Alex Newhook centred the top line as the coaches reworked Montreal’s forwards and had to deal with the absence of Mike Matheson, who has another lower-body injury. Lane Hutson earned the Canadiens record for the most assists by a 23-year-old (or younger) with his 136th on Newhook’s second-period tally.
Jake Evans and Phillip Danault delivered a masterclass once more on the penalty kill and five-on-five, despite the special team giving up its only goal in three games. The Stars played flustered and sloppy aside from their two strikes, but Dobes was also precise and steady when they were able to connect for chances. Montreal’s win makes it their fourth in a row and perfect on their road trip through Western Conference teams.
Habs Lineup
Cole Caufield — Alex Newhook — Juraj Slafkovsky
Chris Kreider – Oliver Kapanen — Josh Anderson
Zachary Bolduc – Phillip Danault – Alexandre Texier
Kirby Dach – Jake Evans – Florian Xhekaj
Kaiden Guhle – Adam Engstrom
Lane Hutson — Noah Dobson
Arber Xhekaj – Alexandre Carrier
Jakub Dobes
Game Points
– The first stomach drop of the game for Habs fans came less than a minute into the contest, when Lane Hutson sent an airborne pass into the chest of a Stars forechecker, and Jakub Dobes had to make his first save. Another giveaway and then a failed clear from Kaiden Guhle on the following shift led to chances from Sam Steel, Lian Bichsel, and Roope Hintz. The Canadiens attempted numerous one-touch pass plays through the neutral zone and were picked repeatedly by Stars players skating downhill toward their coverages. Following the first frantic minutes, Montreal’s forwards’ legs were spurred by the defensive play and they began to attack. They embraced the turnover game and began to force some on the part of Dallas, their efforts translating to the games’ first goal.
– The Canadiens hemmed the Stars into their zone during the sixth minutes of play, control of the zone earned by Cole Caufield’s line and Alexandre Carrier at the point. Eventually, some of the skaters changed, and Phillip Danault took a shot from the point after stepping up into the slot. The puck deflected off Jake Oettinger’s own defender and right to Caufield in his office. The 50-goal scorer couldn’t miss the open net and put Montreal in the lead.
– Not long after Caufield’s marker, Mikko Rantanen was rung up for tripping Hutson in the Canadiens zone. A Stars dump-in led to Hutson going back for the puck, then peeking and jumping the opposite way of Rantanen’s body. His stick, however, was in Hutson’s legs as soon as he landed and was therefore tripped. The power play nearly closed on their first chance, facilitated by a faceoff win and quick shot at the net by Hutson. The puck trickled through the mass of bodies after Caufield shot the rebound and then slid through the crease before bouncing off the post. Noah Dobson and Alexandre Texier both got shots on the second unit, and the Habs did not give up a quality chance-against for the penalty killers either.
– A shift that started with a defensive zone faceoff for the Josh Anderson line ended in a penalty as he was called for holding Rantanen as he entered the zone. The second stomach drop for Habs fans came ten seconds into the kill when Danault and Dobes stopped a doorstep chance, but Wyatt Johnston finished essentially the same play on the next possession. Hintz was along the wall instead of below the goal line, but the shooter was in the bumper position between the defending sticks. One quick pass, and Johnston fired on net in a single motion when receiving the puck.
– Dobson played both integral parts of Montreal’s go-ahead goal that came off the stick of Alex Newhook with just under four minutes left in the first. He broke up a clear two-on-one rush by holding his ground and cutting off the pass, then sent the feeder pass up the length of the neutral zone to Newhook as he streaked over the blueline and cut his way past Thomas Harley. Oettinger committed to the butterfly, and Newhook skated right around him before his backhand put the puck in the net.
– 27 seconds later, Caufield notched his second of the game as the Habs won the faceoff and went right back on the attack. The top line received the puck from their own blue line and Newhook carried it over into Dallas’ zone. He took contact on the boards and dropped for Juraj Slafkovsky, who carried it around the boards before feeding Adam Engstrom at the circle for a blistering shot. He labelled iron, but Caufield once more was opportunistic and was able to knock the rebound in behind Oettinger again.
– Both teams came out for the second period in earnest. Montreal’s puck pursuit distinctly affected the Stars ‘defenders, but they continued to give the puck away leading, to a great wraparound chance by Colin Blackwell. Dobes made another solid save on Miro Heiskanen, and the Canadiens did a great job of clearing out the slot before drawing their second penalty of the game. Steel got tied up with Kirby Dach along the boards in the neutral zone, then tripped Florian Xhekaj. The power play struggled to make a zone entry through the majority of the two-minute minor, however, a point shot from Dobson bounced off the boards and Newhook batted the puck into an open net behind Oettinger.
– Down by three goals halfway through the game at home, Dallas pushed back. Jamie Benn capped off a lightning-quick play that took advantage of Slafkovsky covering for Dobson after a failed rush at the net. Montreal had just successfully fought off the initial momentum, Jake Evans with an excellent clear that was not called icing. The Canadiens fully changed, and they tried an attack of their own by Newhook and Dobson, but the defenceman couldn’t get his stick on the floating pass at the opposite post and the puck went the other way. Rantanen carried the puck in and around the net, stretching Hutson and Slafkovsky as the two back before laying a perfect pass for Benn to rip past Dobes.
– Dallas kept up the pressure, and Carrier couldn’t handle the forecheck as he held the stick of Benn behind Dobes well into his shift. The first killing unit held the blue line and Danault/Evans let nothing through their zone. Newhook and Anderson gave the Stars plenty of space and that gap put Dobes in the spotlight with some sensational positional, glove, and push-across saves. Now successful in 13 of their last 14 penalty kills, the Canadiens rode that energy to the end of the period with – imagine it – a two-goal lead!
– The Habs had a plan and seemingly a set play coming out for the final frame, and nearly closed the deal when Caufield fed a beautiful pass through the slot to Dobson. Dobson couldn’t get his shot off in time and Oettinger got across, but the speed of Caufield’s original pivot to spin off his defenceman indicated he knew where he wanted to go from the moment he took possession. Evans, Anderson, and Kreider spent the better half of a minute grinding the Dallas defenders in their own zone and gave Montreal additional breathing room by stymying the momentum Dallas was sure to be desperate for at home in the third.
– Having kept the Stars to 15 shots with 15 minutes left in the third period, the subsequent sleepy atmosphere was briefly upended when Arber Xhekaj was called for interference on Blackwell while possessing the puck… somehow. Again, Montreal held firm at their own blue line through a minute of the minor, then needed Dobes to block an identical chance to Johnston’s in the first period. The rest of the penalty ebbed away as the Stars regrouped, and Montreal would instead be the one to be gifted a penalty call in their favour.
– The top unit was able to win the faceoff, but the passes between Caufield and Hutson were intercepted or off target enough to be knocked away. The second group fared little better, Texier’s pass back to Dobson at the point bouncing over Dobson’s stick to lose the zone and the rest of the man advantage. Following the power play as the Canadiens kept attacking, Slafkovsky took a wrister missile from Carrier to his pelvic region, just as Texier did on Tuesday. He was hurting but finished the shift.
– The game’s next penalty came from a slash on Kreider’s stick that split it in two by Bichsel late in the third. Dach took the faceoff for the initial five, and his loss led to a clear, which gave Dobes the opportunity to inspire the third stomach drop of the game by leaving the puck behind his net for the forechecker. Zach Bolduc and Hutson nearly connected for a great goal as the forward snuck behind Dallas’ defenders, and Dach had tipped a puck that just went past Oettinger but missed the net seconds earlier.
– Glen Gulutzan pulled his netminder with just over two minutes left, and Ole Ole Ole chants could already start to be heard through the coverage. Shots tied at 19 as the game entered its final minute, Montreal fought to give Dobes the vision in front for desperate shots, but Danault and Evans combined for the empty-net insurer. Evans stripped Rantanen in the neutral zone, then handed it off to his cohort after a night of defensive domination.
HabsWorld Habs 3 Stars
1st Star – Alex Newhook
Newhook was entrusted with centring the top line, and once he made his one and only error, he shifted into another gear. He struggled in the faceoff circle cumulatively, but his speed and tenacity made up for it against Dallas. He scored twice and created both of them on his initiative and commitment to finishing the play.
Stats: 2 goals; +2; 2 shots; 1 block; 1 hit; 18:47 T.O.I
2nd Star – Cole Caufield
Cole is Montreal’s superstar winger, bona fide and certain. He is both opportunistic and creative, and Thursday was a showing of the former that often leads to a streak of the latter.
Stats: 2 goals; +2; 3 shots; 18:21 T.O.I
3rd Star – Jakub Dobes
A win was required to support the proposition that Dobes has returned to form, and additional samples are always needed to verify a claim, but he looked square and strong on Thursday night. He had some moments where his slides were slightly excessive, however, he made some stellar stops that were only possible because of his shored positioning and engaged style. He had one mishap handling the puck, but he recovered easily and seemed well at ease as the game clock ticked away. He closed the door on Dallas’ final pushes and sealed Montreal’s win.
Stats: 17 SV; 2 GA; .895 SV%