Canadiens Edge Jets in a Shootout Thriller
So, this game between the Canadiens and the Jets turned into one of those nights where you could almost feel the story unfolding shift by shift. It ended 3–2 for Montreal after a shootout, and honestly, it felt like every moment leading up to that finish had some kind of weight to it.
Right from the start, the energy inside the Bell Centre was boosted by a special moment. Andrei Markov made his homecoming, and the crowd responded with a standing ovation that went on for more than two minutes. It set the tone—this was going to be a meaningful night.
Montreal needed a bounce-back performance after losing to Ottawa the night before, and Martin St-Louis clearly wanted a different look from his players. Line combinations were shuffled. Juraj Slafkovsky found himself back with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, while rookie Oliver Kapanen was bumped into a bigger role as well. Alexandre Texier even earned a shot in the top six. These changes weren’t just cosmetic—they were made to fix defensive issues that had been creeping in.
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But the real headline of the night was Jakub Dobes. The young goaltender was brought back between the pipes, and he was nothing short of outstanding. He stopped 29 shots in regulation and overtime, and when the game moved to the shootout, he turned aside all three Winnipeg attempts. His calm movements, sharp glove, and quick reads were noticeable all game, especially on a few messy sequences where defensive coverage collapsed and he had to bail the team out.
Winnipeg opened the scoring late in the first, taking advantage of a wide-open lane left for Mark Scheifele. But the second period belonged to the Canadiens—a rare thing this season. Slafkovsky tied the game with a smooth power-play goal, set up by Suzuki and Caufield. Then Kapanen buried a one-timer after a relentless puck-battle win by Matvei Demidov, who continues to look more confident with each game.
Winnipeg did reclaim the lead temporarily with a smart passing play against a Montreal unit momentarily stuck without a stick, but the Canadiens didn’t let the period slip away. They finished the frame with life, structure, and finally some rhythm.
There was even some old-school fire thrown in. Arber Xhekaj, after being criticized the previous night for not dropping the gloves, squared up with Jets captain Adam Lowry and took the clear win. It pumped up the building and gave Montreal an emotional spark at the perfect time.
After a tight third period and an overtime filled with close calls, the shootout decided it. Caufield buried his chance. The Jets couldn’t beat Dobes. And Montreal collected two points that felt richly earned.
Now the focus shifts to Saturday, when the Canadiens head to Toronto for another all-Canadian showdown—this time against the Maple Leafs.
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