John Klingberg’s late overtime winner secured a 4-3 road win for the Dallas Stars over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.
Montreal’s (16-37-8) goal scorers were Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Corey Schueneman while Radek Faksa, Jamie Benn, and John Klingberg scored for Dallas (32-23-3).
The game started off with both teams trading golden opportunities to open the scoring.
Just over a minute left in the first period, the deadlock was finally broken when a loose puck found its way to Faksa who slid the puck past a helpless Allen.
Montreal finally got their power play working halfway through the second when Suzuki spotted Caufield with a cross-ice pass, tying the game at one.
With five minutes left, Benn picked up a rebound from the end boards and managed to squeeze the puck through Allen’s legs.
Montreal came out of the second intermission with even more speed, pinning the Stars back in their zone for entire shifts at a time.
After both teams traded ineffective power plays, the Canadiens used their speed advantage while playing four-on-four. Caufield and Suzuki linked up once again, with Suzuki scoring this time.
Montreal continued their domination of the third period as Schueneman’s shot from the point surprised Oettinger, giving Montreal the lead, and sending Bell Center crowd into raptures.
Just as quickly as the Canadiens’ lead had manifested, it was gone when confusion at their defensive blue line left Klingberg all alone in the slot, typing the game at three.
With less than a minute to go in overtime, John Klingberg scored his second of the game, securing the win.
Both teams are back in action on March 19 as Dallas heads off to New York to play the Islanders while Montreal plays host to the Ottawa Senators.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2022.