Canadiens Complete Perfect Road Trip With 5-2 Victory Over Stars

Cole Caufield and Alex Newhook each scored two goals to lead the Montreal Canadiens to a 5-2 victory against the Dallas Stars on Thursday night at American Airlines Center, capping a 4-0-0 road trip.

How Montreal Swept the Road Trip Without Suzuki

The Canadiens completed a perfect four-game swing through Central Division rinks without captain Nick Suzuki, who was lost for two to four weeks on October 20 with an upper-body injury, TSN reported. Playing their fourth game in hostile territory, Montreal relied heavily on its depth scoring. Caufield opened the scoring with a one-timer 7:24 into the first period. Just 27 seconds after Newhook broke a 1-1 tie late in the frame, Caufield stuffed in a puck behind goaltender Jake Oettinger to give the visitors a permanent lead, according to TSN.

Newhook struck again early in the second period. At 6:11, just after a Montreal power play expired, a point shot by Noah Dobson deflected off Chris Kreider and Oettinger, bounced off the glass, and landed beside the net for Newhook to backhand underneath the goaltender, making it 4-1. TSN noted the goal came six seconds after Dallas’s penalty kill had ended.

“At home, we were playing good hockey, but weren’t getting the results we wanted,” Newhook said.

“It was kind of nice for us to get on the road together and just be together as a group,” Newhook added, as reported by NHL.com. “We came together a lot during this road trip to find results, protect wins and find ways to win. Shows maturity from our group here. Got to keep it rolling.”

Goaltending and Special Teams Dynamics

Jakub Dobeš earned his first win since opening night, stopping 17 shots for the Canadiens. Dobeš stepped in for standout rookie Jacob Fowler, who had started the previous three games of the trip, including a 46-save shutout against the St. Louis Blues and a Heritage Classic appearance against the Winnipeg Jets, as detailed by Sportsnet.ca.

Montréal Canadiens' Chris Kreider (22), Alex Newhook (15), Noah Dobson (53) and Oliver Kapanen (91) celebrate after Newhook — Photo: TSN

Jake Oettinger stopped 16 of 20 shots for Dallas, allowing a season-high four goals. Entering the matchup ranked third in the NHL with a 1.43 goals-against average, Oettinger faced a persistent Montreal attack that capitalized on rebounds and physical forechecking.

Dallas clawed back momentarily when Jamie Benn scored at 8:52 of the second period with a wrist shot from the left circle off a feed from Mikko Rantanen below the goal line. Wyatt Johnston assisted on the play, praising Benn’s versatility. “He’s a very unique player,” Johnston told NHL.com. “He can play with anyone. He can kind of do it all.”

Late Insurance and Roster Adjustments

Phillip Danault secured the 5-2 final score by putting the puck into an empty net at 19:12 of the third period, notching his first goal of the season. Noah Dobson and Mikko Rantanen each contributed two assists.

Cole Caufield and Alex Newhook added two goals each to their season tallies, and the Montreal Canadiens secured a 5-2 win — Photo: Sportsnet.ca

Montreal played without defenseman Mike Matheson, who was scratched before warm-ups with a lower-body injury and will be evaluated upon the team’s return to Quebec. Arber Xhekaj drew into the lineup in Matheson’s place. Meanwhile, Dallas defenseman Trey Taylor made his NHL debut, recording one hit in 10:44 of ice time.

The win improves Montreal’s standing in the Atlantic Division as they prepare to host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. Dallas, finishing up a six-game homestand, hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.

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