Caufield, Newhook score twice as Canadiens top Stars 5-2

DALLAS – Cole Caufield and Alex Newhook each scored twice, and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Dallas Stars 5-2 on Thursday night for their fourth straight road win, the NHL reported.

Noah Dobson had two assists for Montreal, and Phillip Danault scored into an empty net with 48 seconds left for his first goal of the season. Jakub Dobes made 17 saves, according to the NHL. Jake Oettinger stopped 16 shots for Dallas.

The Canadiens (8-3-2) took control in the first period. Caufield opened the scoring at 7:24 when he banked in a rebound in front that deflected off Dallas defenceman Nils Lundkvist, the NHL said. Wyatt Johnston tied it on the power play at 12:53, but Newhook put Montreal back in front at 16:05 and Caufield made it 3-1 just 27 seconds later, ESPN’s game log shows. Caufield’s second came off the left post after Juraj Slafkovsky fed Adam Engstrom for a one-timer, the NHL said.

Newhook added his second at 6:11 of the second period, backhanding a rebound past Oettinger after Dobson’s point shot went off Chris Kreider. Jamie Benn pulled Dallas within two at 8:52 with a wrist shot from the left circle, set up by Mikko Rantanen, but the Stars could not close the gap.

Johnston finished with a goal and an assist for Dallas, and Rantanen had two assists. The Stars (7-5-1) have lost two in a row. Montreal outshot Dallas 21-19, according to ESPN. Caufield, Newhook and Dobson were named the game’s three stars.

The Canadiens sit second in the Atlantic Division with 18 points, ESPN’s standings show. Montreal’s recent wins include shutouts and strong goaltending, as in earlier victories over the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks showed. The teams meet again in Dallas on Dec. 27.

Photo: file photo of Cole Caufield, not from this game (Jenn G from Seattle, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0).

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