DALLAS — The Montreal Canadiens claimed a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Thursday night, thanks to Alex Newhook’s pivotal deflection that broke a tie in the middle of the third period. Rookie goalie Jakub Dobes, remaining undefeated with a record of 4-0-0, played a crucial role by making 32 saves throughout the game.
Newhook’s goal was upheld after a review to ensure his stick was not too high during a confrontation with Dallas’ Wyatt Johnston near the crease. The 23-year-old Dobes, who was called up from the AHL’s Laval Rocket following the NHL’s Christmas break, has secured all his victories on the road against teams with winning records, including notable clubs like Florida, Colorado, and Washington.
Joining Newhook on the scoresheet were Juraj Slafkovsky and Joel Armia, with Armia sealing the game with a last-minute empty-net goal. The Canadiens continued their strong performance, gaining points in 12 of their last 14 games, boasting a record of 11 wins, 2 losses, and 1 overtime loss during this stretch.
The Stars, however, had Jason Robertson score the opening goal just four minutes into the game, converting a rebound from an Evgenii Dadonov shot. Unfortunately for the home team, this advantage was short-lived, as Slafkovsky quickly equalized, breaking a personal goal drought that had lasted ten games.
For the Canadiens, defenseman Lane Hutson contributed an assist and now leads all NHL rookies with 36 points. He aims to become only the second defenseman in the last 35 years to top the rookie scoring chart, following Quinn Hughes of Vancouver in the 2019-20 season.
The Stars faced adversity with Roope Hintz battling an upper-body injury and listed as day-to-day, along with Tyler Seguin out for the season since December 1 and Mason Marchment nursing a facial fracture since late December. Consequently, Dallas fielded five rookie forwards for this matchup.
A key moment came when Dobes made two crucial saves after the Stars pulled Jake Oettinger for an extra skater with just 2.5 minutes remaining in the game. While the Stars had previously scored four or more goals in six of their last nine games, they struggled to generate significant offense this time around.
Looking ahead, the Canadiens will start a three-game homestand against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, while the Stars are set to visit the Colorado Avalanche in their next matchup.
