The Montreal Canadiens left Dallas with a 4–3 overtime win Sunday night, and it was the kind of play coaches like to rewatch on a long flight. Second night of a back-to-back. Tough building. Playoff caliber opponent. The Canadiens didn’t dominate or steal the game, but they didn’t blink either. They absorbed the pressure from the Stars, remained patient and when the opening appeared, they took it.
The moment that decided things came late in extra time. Sam Montembeault made a save that kept the night alive, Montreal won a faceoff and Lane Hutson found the puck on his stick. He fired it and the game was over: just simple, smart hockey.
Quick hit one: Lane Hutson knows when to shoot
Lane Hutson continues to show a rare sense of timing. The goal and power play assist will appear on the scoresheet. What isn’t is how calm he was. In extra time, on the road, a young defender jumps into the game like that? It shouldn’t look easy. Hutson made it seem that way. He is a talent.
Quick hit two: Juraj Slafkovsky finds his feet
Slafkovsky found the scoresheet twice: a power-play goal and an assist at even strength. He set up Kapanen and put Montreal back on top late in the second. The kid is reading faster, his confidence is showing and he’s starting to feel like a top six winger every night.
Quick hit three: Oliver Kapanen keeps chipping
Oliver Kapanen scored again, and that is gradually becoming a normal thing. He’s not actually that flashy, but he produces. In short, it has become reliable and increasingly striking. Five points in his last eight games is not star production. But for him it’s a great depth score. And the Canadiens will need a lot of those goals in the remaining games of the regular season.
Quick goal four: Goalkeeper Sam Montembeault timed the save well
Montembeault turned away 24 shots, but the OT stop on Johnston was the biggest. Without that, Montreal wouldn’t have gotten Hutson’s winner. The game would be over. But he quit and gave Hutson a chance to be a hero. He looked good in the game after a difficult season.
What this game says about the Canadiens
A solid win for a young team. The Canadiens didn’t panic when Dallas pushed, kept their form in the third and stayed calm as the game heated up.
Phillip Danault recorded two assists and passed 400 career points. The Canadiens are happy to have him back after his time out west with the Kings. Montreal also earned its 13th comeback win of the season – proof that this team isn’t giving up. This is a group that believes it can keep playing games – and finish them.
The Canadiens also beat good teams on the road. That’s exactly what Montreal needs right now.
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