Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Between pipes against Bolts
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Montembeault will tend the twine at home versus the Lightning on Tuesday, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.
Montembeault has been underwhelming of late, going 2-2-1 with a 3.61 GAA and an .871 save percentage in his last five outings. Still, the 28-year-old backstop was solid the last time he faced Tampa Bay on Dec. 29, conceding just two goals on 23 shots in a winning effort. Of note, however, it was Jonas Johansson in the other goal that evening, but it will be Andrei Vasilevskiy opposite Montembeault in Tuesday's tilt.
Canadiens' Kaiden Guhle: Assists in consecutive contests
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Guhle notched an assist, four shots on goal and four PIM in Sunday's 5-4 overtime win over the Rangers.
Guhle has a helper in each of the last two games and four points over his last seven outings. His assist came up clutch Sunday, as he fed Patrik Laine on the game-winning goal 3:20 into overtime. Guhle is up to 12 points, 52 shots on net, 61 hits, 95 blocked shots, 27 PIM and a minus-1 rating through 40 appearances in a top-four role this season.
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Canadiens' Josh Anderson: Nabs helper Sunday
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Anderson registered an assist, two hits and four PIM in Sunday's 5-4 overtime win over the Rangers.
Anderson has logged three points, 10 PIM and 12 hits over his last six contests. The pesky third-line winger has chipped in decent depth offense this season with 18 points over 46 appearances. He also has 60 shots on net, 104 hits, 54 PIM and a minus-7 rating. Anderson won't help in all fantasy formats, but he's a useful depth forward for those managers in need of some grit.
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Canadiens' Jake Evans: Slides helper in overtime win
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Evans produced an assist in Sunday's 5-4 overtime win over the Rangers.
Evans had the secondary helper on Patrik Laine's game-winner in overtime. The 28-year-old Evans was superb in December with 12 points over 14 contests, but his offense has corrected course in brutal fashion -- his helper Sunday was his first point in nine games in January. That's how it goes for fourth-liners, even those as critical to their team's performance as Evans. He's at 24 points, 45 shots on net, 63 hits and a plus-8 rating over 46 appearances. The chances are slim for him to ever have another month as strong as December, but he still carries fantasy value in deep formats.
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Canadiens' Alex Newhook: Offers helper Sunday
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Newhook logged an assist and four shots on goal in Sunday's 5-4 overtime win over the Rangers.
Newhook has three points over his last four contests (one goal, two assists). The 23-year-old forward helped out on a Christian Dvorak tally in the second period. Newhook remains in a second-line role as he has for most of the season, though he has not been particularly productive. He's picked up 12 points, 62 shots on net, 43 hits and a minus-11 rating over 46 appearances, well off the pace that's seen him record at least 30 points in each of his first three NHL campaigns.
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Canadiens' Lane Hutson: Point streak up to eight games
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Hutson registered an assist and two shots on goal in Sunday's 5-4 overtime win over the Rangers.
Hutson helped out on Juraj Slafkovsky's goal in the third period, which tied the game at 4-4. The assist extended Hutson's point streak to eight games (one goal, 11 assists). The 20-year-old defenseman has yet to hit the rookie wall, putting up 38 points, 52 shots on net, 62 blocked shots, 26 PIM and a minus-10 rating through 46 appearances in a top-pairing role.
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Canadiens' Cole Caufield: Provides helper in overtime win
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Caufield notched an assist and two shots on goal in Sunday's 5-4 overtime win over the Rangers.
Caufield found Juraj Slafkovsky in the third period for the Canadiens' fourth equalizer of the contest. Over nine outings in January, Caufield has racked up five goals and five assists, and only one of those points has come on the power play. The 24-year-old winger is up to 24 goals, 20 helpers, 11 power-play points, 142 shots on net, 35 hits and an even plus-minus rating through 46 outings overall.
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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Scores against Rangers
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Slafkovsky scored a goal on two shots and added three hits in Sunday's 5-4 overtime win over the Rangers.
Slafkovsky went hard to the net and knocked in a pass from Cole Caufield to tie the game at 4-4 in the third period. This was Slafkovsky's second goal in the last three games, which follows a span of 10 contests in which he was limited to five assists and eight shots on net. The winger is up to six goals, 25 points, 55 shots on net, 103 hits and a minus-8 rating through 43 appearances this season while seeing steady top-six minutes.
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Canadiens' Patrik Laine: Nets game-winner in overtime
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Laine scored a goal on three shots in Sunday's 5-4 overtime win over the Rangers.
Laine made no mistake on a feed to the slot from Kaiden Guhle, giving the Canadiens their only lead of the game at 3:20 of overtime. This was Laine's fourth goal and fifth point over five contests since he returned from an illness. The star winger has been an excellent finisher in his first season in Montreal, potting 12 goals and adding three assists with 49 shots on net and a minus-2 rating through 18 appearances.
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Canadiens' Nick Suzuki: Capitalizes on turnover
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Suzuki scored a goal on six shots in Sunday's 5-4 overtime win over the Rangers.
Suzuki got a stick on a breakout pass attempt and was able to snipe an unassisted tally when he collected the loose puck. The 25-year-old has enjoyed a strong January with three goals, eight assists and a plus-7 rating over nine appearances, and he's been held off the scoresheet just once this month. Overall, the first-line center has 14 goals, 47 points, 95 shots on net, 38 hits, 38 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating through 46 appearances. He's yet to finish above a point-per-game pace in his career, but he's displayed steady growth each season, so getting to that level is a possibility in 2024-25.
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Canadiens' Brendan Gallagher: Earns two points Sunday
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Gallagher scored a goal on five shots, dished an assist, added two PIM, logged two hits and went plus-2 in Sunday's 5-4 overtime win over the Rangers.
Gallagher and Christian Dvorak set each other up on the Canadiens' first two goals of the contest. This was Gallagher's fourth multi-point effort of 2024-25, and it snapped a nine-game point drought. The 32-year-old winger has been a staple on the third line this season, racking up 11 goals, eight assists, 84 shots on net, 49 hits, 21 PIM and a minus-5 rating over 46 appearances.
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Canadiens' Christian Dvorak: Two points in overtime win
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Dvorak scored a goal on three shots, added an assist, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Sunday's 5-4 overtime win over the Rangers.
This was Dvorak's second multi-point effort of the campaign, and it ended a nine-game slump. He was involved in the Canadiens' first two goals, setting up Brendan Gallagher in the first period before scoring one of his own in the second. Dvorak is up to four tallies, 10 helpers, 60 shots on net, 47 blocked shots and a minus-6 rating through 46 appearances. He continues to play in a third-line role as a primarily defensive forward.
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Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Remains undefeated
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Dobes stopped 23 of 27 shots in Sunday's 5-4 overtime win over the Rangers.
Dobes struggled for the first time at the NHL level but still came away with a fifth straight win to start his career. His four goals allowed Sunday matched the total the 23-year-old had given up over his first four outings combined. The Rangers were unable to hold any of their one-goal leads, and Patrik Laine finished off the game with the overtime winner. Dobes has posted a 1.55 GAA and a .940 save percentage at the NHL level so far. Those numbers are bound to regress as he gets more playing time, but he should have no trouble maintaining the backup role for the Canadiens, and he's played well enough to afford Sam Montembeault a bit more rest.
Dobes will be between the home pipes versus the Rangers on Sunday, per Colin Stephenson of Newsday.
Dobes has been excellent through the first four starts of his NHL career, posting a perfect 4-0-0 record, .963 save percentage and 0.98 GAA. He made 32 saves in a 3-1 road victory over Dallas on Thursday. The Rangers have played well lately, going 5-0-2 in their last seven contests.
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Canadiens' Owen Beck: Summoned from AHL
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Beck was recalled from AHL Laval on Sunday.
Beck has nine goals and 25 points in 37 minor-league outings this season. The 20-year-old forward will be an option for Sunday's matchup versus the Rangers.
Guhle posted an assist, four shots on goal, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Maple Leafs.
Guhle has been alright in January with three points, 14 shots on net, 19 hits and 22 blocked shots over eight outings this month. The 23-year-old blueliner still makes more of an impact with physical play rather than offense. He's at 11 points, 48 shots on net, 61 hits, 94 blocks, 23 PIM and a minus-2 rating through 39 contests in a top-four role this season.
