On Sunday night, the Montreal Canadiens finished up a long seven-game road trip. Thankful though they surely were to have it broken up a bit by the holiday break, it was no easy feat, as they saw some of the very best teams in the league on their schedule along the way. The end result for them was 10 of a possible 14 points, helping them remain near the top of the Atlantic.
In their final act, on the second half of a back-to-back against a Dallas Stars team that sits second in the entire league, they gutted out another overtime win.
Danault fights for a draw, Lane Hutson wheels and calls game with a short side snipe on Oettinger. #Habs win pic.twitter.com/OwM6TkFbTE
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) January 4, 2026
For two periods, they played a very tight game with a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. By the third period, you could tell that they had next to nothing left in the tank. They surrendered a one-goal lead, but still managed to hold on for overtime, where they know they always have a chance. Lane Hutson, whose gas tank seems absolutely bottomless, found a game winner to send the team home with a bang.
What is all the more impressive about the results on this trip is that their top line struggled at times. They relied on some of their youngest players like Ivan Demidov, Oliver Kapanen, Juraj Slafkovksy, and without a doubt, the brilliant Hutson. It wasn’t long ago where if the Habs’ top line were even remotely off for a road trip of any length, they could bank on it being disastrous. That’s no longer the case, as they have a second line that is capable of producing like a top line. Add in the blue line production, and this team no longer melts if their top dogs can’t produce on a given night.
It wasn’t all sunshine and roses – the game against the Blues was decidedly disappointing for instance – but with how tough this trip was from a scheduling and opposition standpoint, it’s hard to imagine them making out any better than they did. Now, with a four-game home stand on tap, we’ll get to see if they can carry some of that swagger with them to the Bell Centre. So far this season, they’ve boasted a far better record on the road than at home, and the next step for this team to continue keeping pace at the top of the Atlantic is to take advantage of home ice when they have it.
Don’t forget, it wasn’t until the second half of last season that this team really took off, and they’re in a much better position this time around.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll be back on Wednesday night for the start of the home stand against the Calgary Flames.
