Canadiens’ special teams key in beating Blues 5-2

MONTREAL — Cole Caufield continued his red-hot start to the season and Kirby Dach scored for the first time in almost a year-and a half as the Montreal Canadiens beat the St. Louis Blues 5-2 on Saturday evening.

Montreal jumped out to a 2-0 lead through Jake Evans and Dach before the Blues bounced back to tie it on goals from Colton Parayko and Jake Neighbours.

Alex Newhook and Caufield’s goals at the end of the second period and the beginning of the third put the Canadiens in control and Joel Armia added another into an empty net to put the game out of reach.

TAKEAWAYS

Canadiens: Special teams have long been a sore spot for Montreal but they have shown early signs of turning that round this season. With a power-play goal and a perfect penalty kill, both units once again contributed to the win.

Blues: Outside of their excellent response to Montreal’s second goal, St. Louis’ offensive zone presence was largely forgettable. They managed to outshoot the Canadiens, but failed create any real danger for the majority of the game.

KEY MOMENT

With a two-goal lead and eight minutes left in the game, the Canadiens faced a crucial short-handed situation. Not only did they kill off the penalty, but they managed to create scoring threats of their own.

KEY STAT

Kirby Dash scored his first goal since March 23, 2023 after missing the entire 2023-2024 season due to a torn ACL.

UP NEXT

Blues: Visit the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.

Canadiens: Visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2024.