Regular Western Conference powerhouse the Dallas Stars visited the surging Montreal Canadiens on Saturday (Jan. 11) at the Bell Centre. A game that may not have elicited much enthusiasm six weeks ago now carried the potential of must-see hockey, especially with the Canadiens winning nine of their last 11 matches. The game delivered in spades, with
Scoreless First But Plenty of Action
Which club set the tone in the opening stanza probably depended on which fanbase was asked the question. The visiting Stars dominated the shots on target column, rifling an impressive 17 at Samuel Montembeault. The provincial native was up to the task every time, including a bold toe stop on a Mavrik Bourque wrap-around attempt.
Not mad Hab-out it. 😌@Lexus | #TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/6eqOLHlgcP
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) January 12, 2025
Evgenii Dadonov had no shortage of opportunities from in close, only for Montembeault to slam the door every time. In that sense, Dallas was vastly superior.
Then again, Montreal walloped players wearing green and white, delivering 13 hits to Dallas’ two. The tone was set early when Arber Xhekaj plastered Arttu Hyry into the boards. As such, despite getting outshot, the Canadiens also looked like a confident side.
Laine and Benn Score in Second Period
Montreal coach Martin St. Louis surely told his squad it needed to generate offense, and the players responded in the middle frame. The hosts played with much more attacking intent, although this time it was Jake Oettinger producing fine stops.
The game remained scoreless until the Canadiens were awarded a penalty when the Stars’ Matthew Dumba was called for cross-checking. His teammate Colin Blackwell was also found guilty 34 seconds later. With Patrik Laine back in the lineup and Montreal playing 5-on-3, everyone knew what might happen and it did.
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Nick Suzuki and Lane Hutson exchanged the rubber back and forth a bit before the captain delivered a pass in the left faceoff circle where Laine torched a shot for a 1-0 lead at 15:00.
The lead was short-lived, however. As the Canadiens pressed for a second goal two minutes later, Montreal blueliner Alexandre Carrier tried to make a play on the puck along the board but blew a tire. Dallas raced in the opposite direction on a 2-on-1, with Jamie Benn waiting for the right moment to wrist a fine shot into the back of the net at 17:34 that levelled the terms.
Robertson the Shootout Hero
The Canadiens’ hit parade persisted (the final tally was 30-8 in their favour), but they and the Stars remained deadlocked at 1-1. Oettinger and Montembeault put in more admirable work during the final 20 minutes of regulation, with the latter making some acrobatic stops.
The contest would require overtime, the fourth Canadiens game in a row a game to go to the extra session. For their part, the Stars had downed the New York Rangers earlier in the week in OT.
The five-minute session proved exciting, with Cole Caufield hitting the post on one end and Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson forcing Montembeault into action. Robertson would get the last laugh in the shootout, scoring the lone goal with silky smooth skill to provide Dallas with its seventh consecutive victory, 2-1.
Jake Oettinger repelled 30 of the 31 shots that came his way.
The Stars continue their extended road swing by remaining in the general vicinity with a visit to the Ottawa Senators late afternoon on Sunday (Jan. 12). The Canadiens are back on the road for a Tuesday date (Jan. 14) with the Utah Hockey Club before, incidentally, playing the Stars in Dallas on Thursday (Jan. 16).
