Two of the NHL’s hottest teams will meet in Montreal on Saturday as the Canadiens try to snap the Dallas Stars’ six-game winning streak.
The Canadiens return home after a 3-2 overtime victory Friday against the Washington Capitals. Coach Martin St. Louis has won three straight, all in overtime or shootouts, and six of the last seven.
While other teams have longer current streaks, few can match the quality of the Canadiens’ recent run. Montreal’s past six wins include wins over the Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights, who are tied (along with the Winnipeg Jets) with 59 league points, as well as the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks, all of whom are in the playoffs.
Aside from the Canucks game, Montreal’s win over the season is all coming in the way.
Defense has been the backbone of the recent surge. The Canadiens have allowed two or fewer goals in five of those six wins, despite playing four of the NHL’s top seven goal-scoring teams: Washington, Colorado, Tampa Bay and Vegas.
“In the last little while, we gave ourselves a chance every game,” said St. Louis after Friday’s win. “I think the foundation of all that success is what we do defensively and how much we value that.”
Cole Caufield leads the Canadiens with 23 goals and has scored in each of the last five games. Nick Suzuki, whose 42 points led the team, had a five-point game (two goals, five assists) and scored the OT game-winner against the Capitals.
Montreal, which is one point in the Eastern Conference wild card race, could welcome back Patrik Laine (illness) and David Savard (upper body) on Saturday. Both players, who have been out since the beginning of the month, did not go to Washington, but RDS reported that both skated on Friday in Quebec.
The Stars, who have reached the Western Conference finals the past two seasons, are currently in third place in the Central Division. Coach Pete DeBoer’s team is tied with the Detroit Red Wings for the longest winning streak.
A month ago, Dallas was eight points behind Winnipeg and the Minnesota Wild in the division. Both teams remain ahead of the Stars, but that gap has narrowed to six and three, respectively, as the Stars have gone 9-2-1 since December 14.
“We lost a lot early,” DeBoer said Friday. “We didn’t start the season well. We started slow, and we’re starting to hit our stride and rhythm now.”
The Stars’ victory came after the Stars lost forward Mason Marchment to a facial fracture late last month. The forward, who has 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 33 games, is not expected to return until the end of this month.
However, with Marchment sidelined, other Dallas players have stepped up their game. Jason Robertson, who is second in points with 34 points, has scored 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) in his last 12 games. Wyatt Johnston, who ranks third on the Stars with 30 points, has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in the past 11 games.
–Field Level Media