MONTREAL – Canadiens down the Florida Panthers, the defending Stanley Cup champions, for a second time this season with a convincing 3-1 win at the Bell Centre on Saturday.
Quick hits
- Patrik Laine notched his 13th power-play marker of the season, which places him in a four-way tie for third-most in goals on the man advantage with Dylan Larkin, Brayden Point and Brady Tkachuk. The veteran Finn has nine points (4G, 5A) in his last eight outings.
- Lane Hutson registered a primary assist on Laine’s goal. In total, the rookie sensation has 48 assists on the campaign, moving him to third in NHL assists among defensemen. What’s more, Hutson (68 GP) tallied his 50th career assist and became the fourth fastest blue-liner in NHL history to reach the mark and second-fastest Hab to achieve the feat, behind Vincent Damphousse (66 GP).
- Cole Caufield scored his 33rd goal of the season, inching his way closer to the 40-goal mark. With 61 points, the 24-year-old forward is four points away from equaling his career best (2023-24—65 pts).
- Juraj Slafkovsky extended his point streak to three games (3G, 3A). His helper on Caufield’s goal was his 63rd career assist, which allows him to surpass Mario Tremblay for the most by a Canadiens player before the age of 21.
- Christian Dvorak scored the insurance marker and registered his 100th career goal.
Roster
Joel Armia regained his spot on the fourth line alongside Emil Heineman and Jake Evans after missing Wednesday’s tilt with the Seattle Kraken. As a result, Michael Pezzetta was a made a healthy scratch.
