Jordan Harris and Kaiden Guhle contributed to Montreal’s NHL-leading 30 goals from defensemen on Tuesday night, while Sam Montembeault stopped 30 shots as the Canadiens defeated the Dallas Stars 4-3.
Cole Caufield also scored for the Canadiens, who ended a three-game losing streak and finished a season-long seven-game travel stretch with a 3-3-1 record. Nick Suzuki recorded a goal and an assist.
Jamie Benn, Jason Robertson, and Wyatt Johnston all contributed to the Stars’ goal and assist total. Additionally, Johnston broke a six-game home winning string for the club. Scott Wedgewood recorded fourteen saves.
Dallas trailed 4-1 with over six minutes remaining when it withdrew Wedgewood. At 16:12 and 18:00, Johnston and Robertson scored 6-on-5 goals, respectively. With Johnston’s score, a 16-game goal drought was broken.
Harris stated, “They will fight to the very end” regarding Dallas, which is two points behind first-place Winnipeg in the Central Division. “As our team gets more experienced, we’ll learn to finish out those games better.”
After trailing 2-1 after one period, Dallas scored its quickest opening goal of the season in 11 seconds, following an eight-goal performance on Sunday night.
Benn tapped in his seventh of the season after receiving the puck from Mike Matheson of Montreal behind the Canadiens’ net subsequent to the initial dump-in. Johnston assisted Benn in doing so with a backhand pass.
At 4:14 of the first period, Suzuki responded with a slapshot from the left circle that evaded Jani Hakanpaa of Dallas for his team-high twelfth of the season. At 9:46, Guhle converted a one-timer from deep within the left circle after securing a lengthy rebound, thereby breaking a 17-game drought with his third goal.
“Obviously that first goal, unfortunate, a tough bounce,” Guhle commented. “I believe our response was satisfactory. “It’s not that we were initially asleep, but I believe it significantly aroused us.”
At 6:54 of the second period, Harris scored his first goal of the season, a wrister that extended the Canadiens’ lead by two goals.
“The coaches encourage all the time jumping up in the play as long as you’re smart about it and choosing your spots,” Harris added.
Caufield, who turned 23 on Tuesday, scored shortly after Dallas completed a four-minute double minor at 6:45 of the third period on a power play. His streak of scoring spans his last three contests.
Wedgewood started his eighth consecutive game since Jake Oettinger was sidelined early in December 15’s Dallas contest with a lower-body injury.
Suzuki has accumulated thirteen points in his last eleven contests, five of which have been goals.
Despite matching a season low with 18 attempts, which is the fewest allowed by Dallas this season, Montreal emerged victorious.
“I give credit to our group for not giving up,” said Peter DeBoer, head coach of the Stars. They fought until the very last chime. “We had an opportunity to tie it up in the final moments.”
For the second consecutive game, the Canadiens entered the game with eleven forwards and seven defensemen. Unfortunately, forward Josh Anderson was sidelined with an injury in the middle of the third period.
Mason Marchment provided Dallas with two assists.
