Montreal Canadiens and Samuel Montembeault earn their second win since his return from Laval Rocket

The Montreal Canadiens closed out their road trip in the best way possible. Samuel Montembeault earned his second consecutive victory since returning from a conditioning assignment with the Laval Rocket, making 24 saves in a 4-3 overtime win over the Dallas Stars on Sunday afternoon.

Lane Hutson scored the game-winner in overtime, capping off a successful seven-game road trip that saw Montreal post a 4-1-2 record. The victory showcased exactly why the Canadiens sent Montembeault to the AHL for conditioning, as the netminder returned with renewed confidence and sharpness.

Sam Montembeault’s 24 saves have allowed Montreal Canadiens to an important win

Montembeault's best save came at the most critical moment. In overtime, he robbed Wyatt Johnston on a breakaway, denying the Stars forward a hat trick attempt and keeping Montreal's hopes alive. Moments later, Hutson ended the game with a glove-side shot past Jake Oettinger.

The goaltender made several crucial stops beyond the overtime heroics. After allowing a questionable wraparound goal to Mavrik Bourque in the first period, Montembeault denied him on his next opportunity with a goal-line pad save.

In the third period, he made an acrobatic stop on Sam Steel off a give-and-go to preserve Montreal's 3-2 lead at the time. Since returning from his conditioning stint, Montembeault has stopped 52 of 57 shots across two games against difficult opponents in Florida and Dallas.

That performance has likely restored the trust of his coaching staff heading into the next stretch of games. Montreal's offense came through when needed. Alexandre Carrier's point shot that deflected multiple times gave the Canadiens an early lead, with Brendan Gallagher credited for his third goal of the season.

The second line continued its hot streak as Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov set up Oliver Kapanen for his 13th goal. Slafkovsky also broke through on the power play, scoring from the bumper position for his eighth power-play goal of the season to give Montreal a 3-2 lead.

Phil Danault had two assists, reaching 400 career points, and won the critical offensive-zone faceoff in overtime that set up Hutson's winner. Johnston scored twice for Dallas to tie the game multiple times, but Montreal found answers each time.

Playing the second game of a back-to-back against a rested Stars team made the victory even more impressive for the Canadiens, as they head home with momentum on their side. Sitting firmly second in the Atlantic Division standings, just behind the Tampa Bay Lightning, the franchise looks poised for a playoff berth.

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