Dvorak Looking to Pick Up Where He Left Off

Christian Dvorak is looking to pick up where he left off last season in Montreal when he posted six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in the 26 games after the NHL’s Four Nations break. Dvorak played in all 82 games for the Habs a year after he appeared in just 30 when a torn pectoral muscle ended his season in January. Statistically, the first half of the season seemed to be spent getting his game back, but he played the final two months of the year at a 50-point pace.

Dvorak was the best faceoff man on the Montreal roster at 55.8 percent, a rate that would have been second on the Flyers roster only behind Sean Couturier. His presence will take some of the burden off Couturier and Noah Cates, who combined to take 49 percent of the team’s draws last year.

Here’s a look at some of the highlights of Dvorak’s home stretch last year.

February 9

Dvorak actually entered the break with a bit of a hot hand as he scored his sixth goal of the year in a 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay.

March 15

Dvorak talled three assists in the first three weeks out of the break but really started to catch momentum in mid-March. He started with his 100th career goal to ice a 3-1 win over Florida.

March 18

The next time out, he had the best game of his career. Dvorak started the scoring and then contributed three assists for a career-high four-point night as Montreal ended Ottawa’s six-game win streak.

March 22

Two games later, Dvorak scored in the third period to complete a comeback from a 4-0 deficit in Colorado, a game the Avs eventually took 5-4 in a shootout goal and completed a comeback from 4-0 down to COL

March 27

Then Dvorak brought his show to Philadelphia. Flyers fans unknowingly got a look at their future player when he scored in Brad Shaw’s debut as Flyers head coach. Dvorak’s 10^th of the year made it a 5-3 game, but it was less memorable for Philly fans because Matvei Michkov restored a three-goal lead 18 seconds later, and the Flyers won 6-4. Dvorak finished the month with 11 points in 14 games.

April 11

Dvorak’s performance after the break helped spark Montreal to a 14-5-4 record for 32 points in the final 23 games, which tied for fifth-best in the league during that stretch. His final goalof the regular season came in Ottawa, where they dropped a 5-2 decision to the Senators.

Dvorak was a big part of sustaining a season that saw Montreal return to the playoffs for the first time since their run to the Stanley Cup Final in the 2020 bubble playoffs. He scored goals in games 2 and 3 against Washington, slotting him as one of four multi-goal scorers in the 5-1 series loss to the Capitals.