The Montreal Canadiens' difficult week at the Bell Centre reached a painful crescendo on Thursday, November 13, 2025, as a humiliating 7-0 loss to the Dallas Stars was compounded by a significant injury to key forward Alex Newhook.
A Devastating Home Stand
For the second consecutive game, the Canadiens were thoroughly dominated on home ice by a heavier Western Conference opponent. After a 5-1 defeat to the Los Angeles Kings just two days prior, the Habs were shut out in spectacularly lopsided fashion by the Stars. The back-to-back losses, by a combined score of 12-1, dropped Montreal's record to 10-5-2 and exposed vulnerabilities against playoff-caliber teams.
The game also marked a milestone for head coach Martin St. Louis, who behind the bench for his 300th career NHL game—a night he will likely want to forget.
Goaltending Controversy Ignites
The match added intense fuel to the ongoing goaltending controversy. Starter Jakub Dobes had a night to forget, allowing five goals on just 13 shots before being pulled in the second period. His replacement, Samuel Montembeault, fared little better, surrendering two goals on six shots.
In stark contrast, Dallas netminder Casey DeSmith was flawless, turning aside all 24 shots he faced to earn the shutout against his former team.
The Newhook Injury: A Costly Collision
The most concerning moment of the night came in the second period when Alex Newhook was injured. After being tripped by Dallas defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin, Newhook slid feet-first into the end boards. The impact was immediate and severe.
The forward put no weight on his right leg as he was helped off the ice by teammates Mike Matheson and Oliver Kapanen, his face contorted in pain. The loss of Newhook seemed to deflate an already struggling team, and the game quickly spiraled out of control thereafter.
The incident sparked frustration among the home crowd, who later watched as Arber Xhekaj attempted to confront Lyubushkin. While Xhekaj dropped his gloves, the Dallas player did not engage, leading to coincidental five-minute majors but no tangible satisfaction for the Canadiens or their fans.
A Game of Unanswered Goals
Despite outshooting the Stars 14-5 in the first period, the Habs found themselves down 1-0 after Dallas capitalized on a power play. The floodgates opened in the second period with four Stars goals.
Esa Lindell started the onslaught, beating Dobes from the high slot. Shortly after the Newhook injury, Tyler Seguin capitalized on a slow line change for a breakaway goal. The scoring frenzy was capped by Jason Robertson, who scored twice in a span of just 1 minute and 39 seconds to give Dallas a 5-0 lead and end Dobes's night.
Montembeault was greeted rudely in the third period, allowing a goal to Alex Petrovic on the first shot he faced. The final insult came with 5:20 remaining when a strange bounce from behind the net found Colin Blackwell alone in front to complete the 7-0 rout.
Bigger Concerns Emerge
This was the first time this season the typically high-scoring Canadiens were held off the scoresheet. The team has now lost four of its last five games and holds a concerning 1-5 record against teams that made the playoffs last season.
The performance raised questions about the team's ability to compete against heavier, more experienced opponents—a familiar critique that echoed their five-game first-round playoff loss to the Washington Capitals the previous spring.
As Gazette columnist Herb Zurkowsky noted on social media, "Canadiens have a team built for the regular season. Not the playoffs. I think we’ve seen that last two games."
Defenceman Lane Hutson, the reigning Calder Trophy winner, struggled noticeably without his usual partner, the injured Kaiden Guhle, posting a combined minus-7 rating over the two losses.
The sentiment from fans in the game's Liveblog was equally grim. One commenter, Rick Woods, summarized the collective frustration: "Not a good night. That’s 2 in a row. Perhaps if the Habs could score the goalie issue would not be an issue. This team isn’t scoring."
As the Canadiens look to regroup, the immediate concern is the health of Alex Newhook, whose injury adds a significant layer of adversity to a team already searching for answers.
