The Montreal Canadiens’ promising NHL campaign has hit turbulence. After winning nine of their first 12 games, Montreal has now dropped four of their last five, culminating in a 7-0 defeat at home against the Dallas Stars on Thursday night. Veteran forward Brendan Gallagher reflected on the defeat, saying, “First period was really good, I thought we probably outplayed them. The last 40 minutes was all them. They’re a good hockey team. They took it to us, and they made us pay for our mistakes.”

The Canadiens were first handed a heavy loss earlier this week, falling 5-1 to the Los Angeles Kings, signaling that early-season challenges are beginning to mount. General manager Kent Hughes had stressed the need for the team to handle slumps more effectively than last season, which featured streaks of wins followed by equally long losing stretches. Captain Nick Suzuki acknowledged the moment, stating, “It’s a long season. There’s ups and downs, and this is our first taste of that adversity, where we haven’t played a few good games in a row. We just got to respond to the next game. And I’m confident in our group to be able to do that.” Gallagher added, “It’s our first test this year, so we’ll find out. We all remember what we went through last year… I’m confident the answers are in this room.”

Dallas, a Western Conference finalist last season, asserted control after a competitive opening period. Jason Robertson led the Stars with two goals and an assist, while Wyatt Johnston, marking his 100th career goal, Esa Lindell, Tyler Seguin, Colin Blackwell, and Alexander Petrovic also scored. Goaltender Casey DeSmith recorded 23 saves in a commanding performance. Despite the 7-0 scoreboard, Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis described the match as “weird” and emphasized that his team played better than the result suggested. Montreal outshot Dallas 14-5 in the first period and 24-19 overall, but a second-period surge from Dallas proved decisive. St. Louis remained measured, saying, “I wouldn’t say that our confidence is low. We’re just hitting a little roadblock right now… and we’re going to keep pushing.”

The Canadiens’ situation worsened when forward Alex Newhook exited the game after crashing into the boards following a trip by Dallas defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin. Team officials confirmed Newhook suffered a right-leg injury and would be sidelined for an indefinite period. Gallagher expressed concern, noting, “He was having an unbelievable year. You just feel for him at this point.” Newhook had six goals and six assists in 17 games, surpassing last season’s total points, while also contributing on Montreal’s penalty kill. Suzuki added, “He’s off to probably the best start of his career.”

Montreal’s goaltending remains a pressing issue. Backup Jakub Dobes, who started the season with six consecutive wins, allowed five goals on 13 shots over two periods. Starter Sam Montembeault replaced him in the third but stopped only four of six shots. Dobes’ save percentage has fallen to .901, while Montembeault’s stands at .857. Gallagher stressed the need for improved support, saying, “We’d like to do our job and do a little bit more in front of them to make it easier.”

With early-season injuries and inconsistent performances, the Canadiens face a critical juncture. As the NHL season progresses, the team must regroup, maintain morale, and demonstrate resilience to overcome adversity and remain playoff contenders.