Canadiens Postgame
Habs Highlights: The Jakub Dobes Show, Slafkovsky, Laine

The Montreal Canadiens were in Dallas on Thursday, looking to avenge their 2-1 shootout loss to the Stars on Saturday.
Rookie Jakub Dobes was aiming to keep his perfect record intact, once again facing one of the top teams in the NHL. Suffice it to say, Dobes has been thrown to the wolves when it comes to the teams he’s faced, but all signs point to a young player who can handle that type of difficult usage, which is a significant boon for head coach Martin St-Louis.
The Habs started the game on the right foot from a statistical standpoint, and controlled the momentum throughout most of the first period, but the Stars clearly took over in the final 40 minutes. Thanks to a great performance by Dobes (this is a recording), the Canadiens managed to emerge with a 3-1 win.
If you’re looking to discuss more Habs hockey after finishing this recap, make sure to join us for a fun post-game chat on YouTube.
Let’s dive into the highlights!
Resilience On The Menu
We recently investigated some of the myths surrounding 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky, and while some of the criticism regarding his game has been valid, the fact of the matter is that he’s producing quite well at 5v5 this year.
MUST READ: Montreal Canadiens MythBusters – Juraj Slafkovsky Edition
The Habs found themselves in a hole when Michael Pezzetta took another early penalty, a play that may lead to the former Sudbury Wolves forward watching the remainder of the season from the press box, as the Canadiens simply don’t have the luxury of defending penalties from fourth-line players.
Fortunately, as per (recent) tradition, the Canadiens showed great resilience when Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki put together a great passing play to set up Slafkovsky for a tap-in goal.
It was arguably one of Slafkovksy’s best games of the year, and not only because of the early goal. He was taking advantage of shooting opportunities, a rarity in his case. Of course, his usage doesn’t necessarily lend well to a high volume of shots, but he still has to put as much rubber toward the opposing goaltender as possible when he’s on the ice.
Juraj Slafkovsky scores after a great passing play by Suzuki and Caufield. Tie game. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/pBaNlyh73z
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) January 17, 2025
It’s Dobes Time
One thing that has become abundantly clear is that Dobes does not give opposing players much to shoot at. They’re forced to overthink their shots, and attempt to pick corners, which makes the prospect of scoring off the rush very difficult.
So, so calm. It also helps that Dobes has the wingspan of a condor. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/ZUCz2TuEHU
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) January 17, 2025
Dobes stopped every single high-danger chance he faced at 5v5 through the first 40 minutes of play, a key contribution because the Canadiens lost most of the momentum to the Stars in the second frame.
Some of Jakub Dobes’ saves tonight.
He’s stopped all eight of Dallas’ high-danger chances at 5v5 so far.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/SPaWpBBm6d
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) January 17, 2025
Laine’s Form
The powerplay goals from Patrik Laine have been a big help when it comes to securing wins in close games, but the most important element he can bring to the table for the Habs is strong play at 5v5.
We saw him score his first 5v5 on Tuesday versus Utah, and he followed it up with a nifty little play against Dallas that led to a high-danger scoring chance. The speed at which he sent the puck back to his stick from his skate was a thing of beauty.
He was quite upset when he got to the bench, probably because he sent his shot wide, but it was still a very encouraging sign from a player who is slowly but surely finding his 5v5 form.
Sweet move here by Patrik Laine to create a scoring chance. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/xno8NWC2q4
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) January 17, 2025
The skaters rewarded Dobes for his strong play by scoring a crucial goal midway through the third period. Lane Hutson quickly found a shooting lane, hoping to generate a rebound, but Alex Newhook managed to get his heel on the stick before it made its way past Jake Oettinger. The play extended Hutson’s point streak to six games, which means he still leads all NHL rookies in scoring, with an impressive three goals and 33 assists in just 44 games.
As for Newhook, he still needs to become a more reliable source of offence, but he has been using his speed much more often in the New Year, which is exactly what you want to see from the silky-smooth skater.
Alex Newhook tips the Lane Hutson point shot to give the #GoHabsGo a 2-1 lead. pic.twitter.com/wbIbKay2oo
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) January 17, 2025
Joel Armia, who enjoyed a great game from a defensive standpoint, sealed the deal for the Habs by scoring his 100th career goal in an empty net.
The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Saturday, facing the Toronto Maple Leafs with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET. All the Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.
When 2024 ended, I wished a Happy New Year to all and a wish that the Habs mature syle of play would continue in 2025. To my surprise, and I am sure most Habs fans, the team has continued its incredible play with no signs of relenting. This bubble may yet burst, although I suspect we are not witnessing a bubble as much as the team growing and maturing before our eyes. In any event, I’m just going to enjoy the ride as long as it lasts. Hopefully, the ride continues on Saturday at home against the beloved Leafs. GHG.
🤞
Yeah, finally someone who acknowledged that maybe the Habs are now a good team and that this isn’t a fluke…and that this could be the start of something interesting, if not remarkable.
Also, lets not kid here…the lack of injuries is playing into this. Maybe, the Habs were never THAT bad, over the past 3 seasons, and that the main reason why they were was because they were decimated by injuries three seasons in a row???
In regards to Newhook and his offensive output , I noticed it’s rarely mentioned in articles that injuries have been a big factor on his line this season . Dach’s play wasn’t anywhere close to his best over the first 30 or so games . Laine needed time getting up to speed too after missing the first 2 months . With healthy linemates , Newhook’s production will improve . He finished strong last year and imo he could end up with 20 goals yet this season .
Had Newhook been playing with 2 linemates who weren’t returning from serious injuries, his offensive output would surely have been a lot better in the first half . I expect he will finish the season strong like last year , he could still end up with a 20 goal season if he’s healthy the rest of the way .
The problem with Newhook is not this year but next year. If Demidov is entering the lineup he is sure to be a 2nd line winger. Assuming that means Newhook gets bumped to the third line where he won’t be playing with skilled players who will help to boost him up. If he’s going to produce 20 to 30 points per season as a third liner who doesn’t play shorthanded and is not a PP1 player….. does he still have any value for the Habs?
I think Newhook is underrated because of the injury situation. Just last night Stars goalie Oettinger raved about the Habs top 6 , talking about how they took a huge leap from a year ago . Tochett spoke of the Habs speed as a team after the Canucks game . Newhook’s one of their fastest guys .
Really the whole 2nd line we’re out for long periods between last year and this season .
The way I see it is with Demidov on the 2nd line next year , the 3rd line gets stronger with Newhook moving down . With a player like Newhook that can be used top 6 on the wing and has the versatility to play 3rd line center that’s a plus in a lineup . The bottom six are contributing to the scoring now and they’ll be joined by Laval’s best guys in the next couple of years . Hage will be coming too .
Armia was excellent tonight. He should have gotten 2nd star instead of Newhook. I hope one of the boys grabbed his 100th goal puck for him.
I know most of the acclaim is going to Hutson right now, leading all NHL rookies in pts, but do I dare say that a goalie controversy is brewing in MTL???
I jeep waiting for Dobes to crack, but he never does.
4 games played, at FL, at Col, at Wash, at Dal…and he has yet to give up more than 2 in any game. Both S% and GAA are insane…against 4 top teams on the road. He won the game last night, as Habs were outshot by 10.
I say that the goaltending going forward should be split nearly 50-50. Ok, Monty gets the nod 60-40. But I want to see more of Dobes. He will finally get to play at home this Sun night vs NYR.
We could be looking at a star goalie of the future – right now…and he turns 24 in May! And dare I say this draws comparisons to a certain rookie goalie in 1971-72 who won the Calder? Not saying this will happen (98% chance it won’t)…but this whole thing is quite intriguing, n’est pas?
“but Alex Newhook managed to get his heel on the stick”
What?!? 🙂 I’m guessing you meant “…get the heel of his stick on the puck”!
Otherwise, that’d be a very unique way to score! 🙂