The Montreal Canadiens continued their impressive midseason surge with a gritty 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Thursday. Rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes stole the spotlight with 32 saves, securing his fourth straight win in as many NHL starts.
Dobes: A Star in the Making
Dobes, who has allowed only four goals in his first four NHL appearances, once again showed why he’s quickly becoming a critical part of the Canadiens’ lineup. His calm, confident play left Dallas frustrated, even as the Stars created numerous high-danger opportunities. “It seems like everything that hits him just sticks to him,” said Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki. “He’s having a great start to his career. It’s impressive to watch.”
The 23-year-old goaltender, who began the season with Laval in the AHL, expressed his determination to prove himself at the NHL level.
“I want to show them they made the right choice,” Dobes said. “It’s a motivation to prove myself.”
Balanced Offense Keeps Montreal Rolling
Montreal’s offense came through when it mattered most. Juraj Slafkovsky tied the game 1-1 in the first period with a tap-in goal off a dazzling setup by Cole Caufield. In the third, Alex Newhook broke the deadlock by redirecting a point shot from Lane Hutson, who now leads all rookies with 36 points. Joel Armia sealed the victory with an empty-net goal in the final seconds.
“We have a big buy-in right now,” said Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis. “When you have that mindset as a group, it becomes contagious, and we’re seeing that.”
Dallas’ Missed Opportunities
The Stars struck early with a rebound goal from Jason Robertson, but despite a barrage of quality chances, they couldn’t solve Dobes again. Jake Oettinger, who made 21 saves, was left ruing the close loss. “You’ve got to try to look at these games as an opportunity to make a big save,” Oettinger said. “It didn’t go my way tonight.”
Dallas coach Pete DeBoer remained positive despite the loss, noting his team’s strong play overall. “We had more than enough chances to score a couple of goals tonight. I liked our effort,” he said.
Key Moments and Takeaways
The Canadiens’ ability to weather Dallas’ early pressure and capitalize on their own opportunities defined the game. Slafkovsky’s tying goal came just minutes after Dallas opened the scoring, setting the tone for Montreal’s resilience. Newhook’s game-winner in the third was the result of a perfectly executed play, while Dobes’ steady presence in net ensured the Stars couldn’t find the equalizer.
For Montreal, the win extends their streak to six games with points (5-0-1) and improves their record to an impressive 11-2-1 over their last 14 games. Dallas, on the other hand, has now dropped two of three games following a seven-game winning streak.
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