RALEIGH, N.C. — The Montreal Canadiens extended their winning streak to five games with a gritty 3-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday night at the Lenovo Center, a result that defied expectations against one of the Eastern Conference's top teams. Goaltender Jakub Dobes once again stole the show, stopping 27 of 28 shots after allowing an early goal, improving his season record to 25-8-4 and solidifying his case as a Calder Trophy contender among NHL rookies.
The Hurricanes, who entered the game tied for the most points in the East with Tampa Bay and Buffalo while leading the Metropolitan Division, struck first at the 8:30 mark of the opening period. Andrei Svechnikov capitalized on a power-play opportunity, scoring Carolina's lone goal and extending the team's streak of six consecutive games with a man-advantage tally. But Dobes clamped down from there, posting a .971 save percentage in the contest. This performance echoed his previous outing against Carolina just last Tuesday, when he turned aside 41 shots in a 5-2 win at the Bell Centre, where the Hurricanes dominated early with a 10-1 shots edge before Montreal rallied.
Montreal's offense came alive in the second period, where they scored all three of their goals to erase a season-long blemish. The Canadiens had previously allowed 84 second-period goals while scoring 86, but on Sunday, they flipped the script with a dominant frame that included three tallies. Captain Nick Suzuki led the charge, netting two goals and adding an assist for a three-point night, pushing his season totals to 26 goals and a career-high 91 points. His first goal came off a precise pass from Cole Caufield, who later scored his 46th of the season, while the third Montreal goal was set up by a cross-ice feed from Juraj Slafkovsky to Suzuki late in the period.
Suzuki's performance marked a milestone, making him the first Canadiens player to reach 90 points in a season since Pierre Turgeon (96) and Vincent Damphousse (94) both achieved it in 1995-96. Despite the offensive fireworks, Suzuki is still chasing his first career hat trick. The win also highlighted Montreal's defensive resilience; over their last seven games, they've allowed just 13 goals, and only eight during the current five-game streak.
Defenseman Lane Hutson contributed two assists against Carolina, becoming the fastest blueliner in NHL history to record 30 multi-assist games, achieving the feat in 157 contests. Fellow defenseman Noah Dobson was active offensively too, registering four of Montreal's six first-period shots. The Canadiens blocked 32 shots in total, with Hutson and Alexandre Carrier each swatting away four, while Phillip Danault, Dobson, and Joe Veleno each had three. Montreal won 45.8 percent of faceoffs but were outhit 29-21.
With the victory, the Canadiens now have 42 wins with nine regular-season games remaining, their most since the 2018-19 season when they finished with 44. This sweep of the three-game season series against Carolina makes Montreal the first team to defeat the Hurricanes three times this year; only four other clubs have beaten them twice. It's a remarkable turnaround from last season, when the Canadiens upset the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers four times but struggled overall.
Head coach Martin St. Louis made an unconventional lineup choice with forward Josh Anderson sidelined by illness. He dressed defenseman Arber Xhekaj as a left winger on the fourth line, marking Xhekaj's return after six games as a healthy scratch. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Xhekaj, who hadn't played forward since his junior days, logged just 5:11 of ice time but recorded five hits, providing a physical presence. "My first year of junior, I played 20 or 30 games at forward," Xhekaj said post-game. "I haven’t played forward in a while. I was just excited to get back, playing with the guys. I sit upstairs, watch the guys go to war every night. I just want to be out there. I had a lot of energy. I just thought I’d play simple out there … be physical and get in front of the net when I could. This is a tough rink to play in, and they were flying in the first period."
Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen faced only 18 shots but allowed goals on the eighth, 11th, and 14th shots directed his way, finishing with an .833 save percentage. The Hurricanes generated the game's first 10 shots before Montreal's Zachary Bolduc finally tested Andersen at 11:48 of the first period. In the third, Carolina hit the post when they desperately needed a goal, with Sebastian Aho ringing iron in the fifth minute. Their final power-play chance yielded no shots on Dobes, thwarted in part by blocks from Dobson and Danault.
Physical play was evident throughout, with notable hits including Taylor Hall on Kaiden Guhle in the first period and William Carrier leveling Guhle again in the third. Jake Evans led Montreal with five hits, while Mike Matheson topped the team in ice time at 23:23. Suzuki generated five shots, Dobson four, and Caufield three.
“I think we’ve shown down the stretch here that we’ve been playing playoff hockey,” Dobson said after the game in Raleigh. “You have to weather the storm, especially on the road, and find a way. We’re learning here how to do that on the fly.
“(Dobes) is playing super confident,” Dobson added. “He’s got a lot of poise. He’s competing on every puck. Some big performances.”
Suzuki echoed the sentiment about his goaltender's impact. “(Dobes) is really finding himself as a goalie in this league,” he said. “He has been there for us every single time. He made some unbelievable saves again tonight, when we didn’t have our best game. We knew we had to play a lot better after the first period to help him out.”
Dobes, who wasn't made available to the media following the game, has been a revelation in net for Montreal this season. No rookie goaltender has more wins than his 25, and his back-to-back strong showings against Carolina underscore his growing poise. The Canadiens' success against top teams like the Hurricanes—despite being outshot early and playing on the road—signals a team maturing under St. Louis.
As for forward Patrik Laine, his status remains uncertain; reports suggest he may be seeking a new team next season amid ongoing challenges. Meanwhile, the Canadiens' defensive improvements and timely scoring have them trending upward at a crucial juncture.
With nine games left, Montreal's 42 wins position them well, potentially echoing their 2018-19 output. The focus now shifts to maintaining this momentum as the playoffs loom. Their ability to grind out wins like Sunday's—against a Hurricanes squad that's dominated most opponents—could prove pivotal in the postseason race.
This victory not only boosts Montreal's confidence but also highlights Dobes' emergence as a cornerstone. As the regular season winds down, the Canadiens appear poised to carry this form into what could be a surprising playoff run.