First period
- The game begins with a shot off the post by Christian Dvorak.
- Jakub Dobes makes his first save of the game, a snag with the glove that once again generates no rebound.
- Brendan Gallagher gets a shot that Jake Oettinger just squeezes his arm on enough to keep it out. That line is playing well.
- There’s a rebound from Dobes, and Jason Robertson pounces on it.
- Cole Caufield looks a lot like Lane Hutson with a head fake on the zone entry, and his drive to the net ends with him wrapping the puck around a defenceman and backhanding a pass to an open Juraj Slafkovský. An excellent play from a guy many used to think would only be a power-play scorer.
Holy smokes what a feed from Cole Caufield to Juraj Slafkovsky
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) January 16, 2025 at 9:17 PM
[image or embed]
- Nick Suzuki guesses right on a pass behind the net and steals the puck on the forecheck. A perfect pass ends up on Caufield’s stick, but he can’t beat Oettinger.
- Slafkovský ends the shift with a close-range shot that Oettinger saves with his glove.
- Michael Pezzetta takes an interference call with the puck in Montreal’s zone on a delayed offside. He’s becoming unplayable, and he probably knows it.
- That’s now his third game in a row Pezzetta has taken the first penalty of the game in the first period.
- Considering Dallas scored the first goal of this game, the crowd is awfully quiet now. Montreal is controlling the play.
- Joel Armia beats Oettinger, but for a second time tonight the post bails the goalie out.
- Dallas threatens to score with a high-energy shift, but the Habs survive.
Second period
- The Canadiens are having a harder time gaining possession in he second period.
- Caufield got tripped going for the puck behind Dallas’s net. I don;t know why that wasn’t a penalty.
- Dobes is making key saves as the Stars seem to think they can beat him up near his shoulders.
- Despite Montreal taking the puck in for an offensive shift, they still end up with a penalty as Alex Newhook is called for a high stick.
- A Dallas forward decides to skate right by the glove of Dobes as he’s smothering the puck, and the Canadiens pounce on him on the end glass.
- Jake Evans is stopped short-handed. It’s his best situation, and he’s no slouch at five-on-five.
- The Stars are trying everything to solve the rookie goaltender, but six skaters on the ice was deemed too much by the referee. Montreal finally gets its first power play, on an automatic call.
- Now Dallas gets some short-handed chances against Montreal’s second unit.
- A wasted power play with only about 20 seconds for the top unit.
- These are beginning to look like the early-season Canadiens who couldn’t get possession with the puck in their zone.
- Dobes is … chaotic, but effective in this period. He looks a lot like Samuel Montembeault did a few years ago, like he’s playing in a puddle of oil. There’s a lot of room for improvement as he gets control of his mobility.
- Montreal turns the puck over at the blue line, but Dobes’s glove it ready for it. That would have been a goal on Cayden Primeau.
- The Canadiens finally get a shift in the offensive zone, and it results in a hooking penalty.
- Surely the top unit will start this time.
- They do, but have a hard time getting a bit of space to really set up.
- A mad scramble from the second unit threatens to score, but they can’t make it happen.
- This game will go to the final 20 minutes tied, with Montreal needing a new own-zone strategy for the third.
Third period
- Suzuki got his srick on the puck right at the top of the crease, but Esa Lindell made a critical last-second check.
- Nils Lundkvist throws the puck out of play from his own zone, and he’ll sit in the box for it.
- The power play lasts 11 seconds before Hutson has to trip Lindell to prevent a breakaway.
- Montreal gets a too many men penalty as Laine gets involved in the play too early on a change.
- For some reason, Dallas held the puck rather than getting about 30 seconds of four-on-three time, so that’s a bit of a break for Montreal.
- Excellent kill by Montreal. A lot more disciplined in coverage than they were the entire second period.
- Arber Xhekaj falls down to create a two-on-one for Dallas. Dobes has got this.
- All Montreal needs is one shot in the offensive zone. It comes from the stick of Lane Hutson, off a high deflection from Alex Newhook, and into the net. Another point for Hutson.
Lane Hutson from downtown and Alex Newhook gets a stick on it 2-1 Habs in Dallas
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) January 16, 2025 at 11:16 PM
[image or embed]
- Now this is going to be a turbulent final 10 minutes for the Habs.
- Dallas clears the zone on a delayed offside, but the whistle goes when Dvorak intercepts the pass in the neutral zone. I think that was just a brain cramp from the linesman. At worst, it prevented a rush from the man with the puck, so not the greatest loss.
- Montreal is actually playing better since the goal, probably because it was deflating for Dallas.
- Dallas pulls Oettinger with about 2:30 to go.
- A timeout is called with 1:41 left.
- Armia caps off an excellent game, most of it played without a stick, with the empty-net insurance goal.
- The Canadiens even up their road record at 11-11-1. Now four games above .500.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) What is this wizardry?

2) It would be really fun seeing him cheer for goals in the press box this post-season

1) It’s never coming off
