- Jakub Dobeš is going back-to-back. The defence needs to be good tonight.
First period
- Juraj Slafkovský decides he wants the puck more than Colton Parayko and just takes it was from him, setting up Cole Caufield for Montreal’s first chance.
- Brendan Gallagher decides he wants the puck more than Jordan Binnington, and that turnover leads to a chance for the third line.
- Out comes the second line, and Logan Mailloux hooks Ivan Demidov to prevent the rookie from getting the puck at the side of the net, sending his former team to the power play.
- Montreal is racking up a shot total, Every line is spending its shift in the offensive zone.
- So far the only change the Canadiens need to make is keeping their dump-ins away from Binnington. He’s touched the puck the most of any Blues player.
- Zachary Bolduc is off to the box for slashing as he tried to play the puck out of the air and caught Justin Faulk in the hand.
- A shot from the point goes off Mike Matheson in the slot and right over to Brayden Schenn at the side of the net. The fortuitous bounce allows the Blues to take the lead.
- Just as it was looking like the Blues were starting to wrest momentum away, Montreal’s fourth line went to work. Jared Davidson worked the puck off the wall, got it to Bolduc, and Lane Hutson deked across the face of Binnington to deposit a backhand to tie the game.
Lane Hutson sends Binnington to the Shadow Realm First NHL point for Jared Davidson!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) December 7, 2025 at 8:31 PM
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- Brendan Gallagher has left the game. He also left for a period last night. He might need a few games off.
- Alexandre Carrier looks good tonight, using his stick relentlessly to attack the puck-carrier.
- Caufield puts Montreal in the lead as he, Suzuki, and Dobson combine for the power-play triangle play at even strength.
Beautiful passing play by Suzuki to Caufield to make it 2-1 Habs!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) December 7, 2025 at 8:44 PM
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- That extends Caufield’s point streak to 11 games.
- A very good period from Montreal. Just the one unlucky bounce for a goal against, and they still lead 2-1.
Second period
- Gallagher is on the bench to start the second period. We will see how much he’s able to play.
- Jayden Struble jumps up on the opening shift trying to keep the Blues in their zone, but sees three players go the other way behind him. Hutson tries to attack the puck-carrier to prevent a pass, but the puck gets to Dylan Holloway to tie the game.
- Off the next faceoff, a low cycle confuses Dobson as he abandons his man to stay in the corner, and Pavel Buchnevich is left open to put St. Louis ahead.
- It’s just the second time the Blues have scored three goals in the last 12 games, and 15th time all season
- All that good work in the first period is flushed away by an unacceptable effort to start the second.
- Each member of the second line has an excellent chance to tie the game, but the puck refused to go in.
- They will get another opportunity to tie the game on a power play as the Blues get caught with six players on the ice.
- Caufield sends a pass across the top of the crease, but Ivan Demidov’s shot is too central and hits Binnington instead of the open space available.
- Montreal is back to playing in the offensive zone like it did in the first, just two shifts too late in this frame.
- Hutson is brimming with confidence after scoring earlier, firing anytime he’s more than 15 feet inside the zone.
- The tying goal was sitting on the stick of Oliver Kapanen, but his shot on the net with Binnington on the wrong side hit the foot of a defenceman.
- A careless giveaway from Dobson turns what was an easy breakout into a long shift in the Habs end. He then brings it to a halt with a penalty. Not a good shift for him. Not a good period.
- A terrible start to the period, and a great middle 16 minutes or so, then another terrible shift will see the Canadiens start the third period with 89 seconds of penalty kill time trailing by a goal.
Third period
- Montreal survives the rest of Dobson’s penalty, and can not get back to work on creating a third goal.
- Arber Xhekaj heads to the top of the crease looking for a tip. I like it.
- Shots are 4-0 St. Louis so far. It’s a good defensive team playing with a lead.
- Somehow they need to find a way to generate something. They can’t just play into the Blues’ plan of clogging up the neutral zone and watch this game slip away.
- They’re starting to get some zone time now nine minutes in.
- Schenn makes it 4-2 on a two-on-one counter-attack.
- A great fake from Demidov opens up some space for him behind the net, but Kapanen misses his pass.
- There will be a little four-on-four as Josh Anderson and Tyler Tucker head off for roughing. Montreal needs to take advantage of the extra space.
- Martin St-Louis knows it as well, pulling Dobeš with six minutes to play.
- Dobson scores from well above the top of the circle on a one-timer. He’s halfway to redeeming himself.
Noah Dobson with a long-range knucklepuck and the Habs are back within a goal
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) December 7, 2025 at 10:28 PM
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- The Blues respond well to the goal by spending the next shift in Montreal’s zone, leaving just 2:17 on the clock to find a tying goal.
- Montreal gets set up six-on-five with Dobson the extra skater. Caufield sends a shot off the collarbone of Binnington and out of play. Twenty-nine seconds remain.
- Caufield gets one final point-blank chance with half a second to play, but the stop is made, and the Blues will win 4-3.
- Montreal might regret leaving those two points on the board tonight.
- The Habs missed their chance to move into first in the Atlantic, but they will have another in head-to-head fashion with the leading Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) He has the moves
2) Superstar
1) No one-dimensional players on the top line now
