Jason Robertson scored the game-winning goal in the shootout as the surging Dallas Stars beat the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 for their seventh straight win on Saturday night.
Robertson scored the lone goal in the shootout as goalie Jake Oettinger stopped Patrik Laine, Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki.
Oettinger made 30 saves and Jamie Benn scored in regulation for Dallas (27-13-1). The Stars snapped Montreal’s three-game winning streak.
Sam Montembeault made 34 saves for Montreal (20-18-4), which lost for just the third time in 12 games. The Canadiens earned a 3-2 overtime win over the Capitals in Washington on Friday night.
Laine returned to the lineup and scored his ninth goal of the season after missing four games with an illness. Veteran defenceman David Savard (upper body) also rebounded from a four-game absence.
Canadiens: Montembeault stood tall in the red all night, frustrating Robertson with a glove save in extra time. Playing back-to-back, Montreal allowed 16 shots in the first period a night after holding Washington to 17 in regulation and extra. The Canadiens, however, mostly limited the Stars’ quality chances.
Stars: Dallas lived up to its stingy reputation in a tightly controlled game. The Stars came in with the second-fewest goals against per game (2.50) and kept the Canadiens from seriously challenging Oettinger on Saturday.
After Laine got the better of Oettinger during a 5-on-3 power play late in the second, Benn responded with 2:25 left in the period, choosing the top left corner on an odd-man rush to quickly tie the score at one.
All nine of Laine’s goals came thanks to the power play from his “office” in the left circle. He joined Canadiens great Yvan Cournoyer as the only players to score each of their first nine goals in a season on the power play.
Canadiens: Open a two-game road trip against the Utah Hockey Team on Tuesday.
Stars: Visit the Ottawa Senators on Sunday.