The Montreal Canadiens continued their impressive turnaround with a dominant 4-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Friday afternoon. The win marked Montreal's third consecutive triumph, effectively erasing memories of their recent five-game losing streak.
Goaltending Excellence on Display
Samuel Montembeault delivered an outstanding performance in net, stopping 26 of 27 shots and nearly securing his first shutout of the season. The Canadiens goaltender was tested early, making a crucial save against Colton Sissons just ten seconds into the game. Montembeault's shutout bid was finally broken at 15:16 of the third period when Vegas captain Mark Stone found the back of the net.
This victory represented Montembeault's first win since November 8th against Utah and only his second road victory of the season. His impressive .968 save percentage against the Golden Knights suggests he may earn the start in Montreal's next game against Ottawa.
Offensive Contributions Across the Lineup
The Canadiens received scoring from multiple sources in their convincing win. Zachary Bolduc opened the scoring after converting a perfect cross-ice pass from Juraj Slafkovsky that eluded four Vegas defenders. Notably, all six of Bolduc's goals this season have come on the road.
Cole Caufield added to Montreal's lead with what can only be described as a goal-scorer's goal, beating Vegas netminder Akira Schmid from a sharp angle near the end-line. Despite hitting the crossbar on a breakaway later in the game, Caufield's offensive creativity remained a constant threat.
Jake Evans sealed the victory with a third-period breakaway goal, redeeming himself after being denied on a similar opportunity earlier in the contest. Slafkovsky capped the scoring with an empty-net goal after Vegas defenseman Mitch Marner failed to provide adequate defensive coverage.
Coaching Milestone and Team Trends
The victory held special significance for head coach Martin St. Louis, coming exactly eleven years after he recorded his 1,000th NHL point while playing for the New York Rangers. Under St. Louis's guidance, the Canadiens have quickly reversed their fortunes after struggling through an 0-4-1 stretch.
Montreal continues to demonstrate puzzling home-road splits, improving to 7-2-2 away from the Bell Centre while maintaining a mediocre 6-5-1 record at home. The team's efficiency was on full display as they completed the afternoon contest in just 2 hours and 27 minutes.
Defensively, Lane Hutson led all skaters with 25:13 of ice time, slightly edging out Noah Dobson who blocked six shots. Rookie Oliver Kapanen had several quality scoring chances but couldn't add to his season total of seven goals, including a missed breakaway opportunity.
The Canadiens will look to continue their winning ways when they return home to face the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.
