Canadiens Triumph Over Stars with Newhook's Game-Winner and Dobes' Stellar Performance

The Montreal Canadiens achieved a 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars on Thursday night, featuring a pivotal goal from Alex Newhook that broke a tie during the third period. Newhook's goal was confirmed after a replay review assessed the position of his stick while he was engaged with Wyatt Johnston near the crease.

Rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes, who has yet to lose a game this season, made 32 crucial saves, improving his record to 4-0-0. Remarkably, all his victories have come on the road against teams with positive records, including Florida, Colorado, Washington, and now Dallas. Dobes was elevated from the Laval Rocket in the AHL to serve as a backup for Sam Montembeault following the NHL’s Christmas break.

In addition to Newhook's goal, Juraj Slafkovsky and Joel Armia also contributed to the scoreline, with Armia netting a last-minute empty-net goal. The Canadiens have shown strong form lately, earning points in 12 of their last 14 games and holding a record of 11 wins and 2 losses during that span.

For the Stars, Jason Robertson opened the scoring with a goal just four minutes into the game, finishing a rebound from Evgenii Dadonov's shot. However, the lead did not hold for long, as Slafkovsky quickly equalized, breaking a personal 10-game goal drought. Despite Jake Oettinger making 21 saves, he faced his first defeat in six games as the Stars have now dropped two of their last three contests following an impressive seven-game winning streak.