This edition of the Hidden Game is dedicated to Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes.
When a team is outshot by a 2:1 margin — as the Canadiens were in Wednesday night’s 4-3 victory over the Utah Mammoth at the Delta Center — we don’t care how many goals were allowed. All that matters is the win.
Dobes clearly has seized the No. 1 goaltending position with Montreal — at least for now. That doesn’t mean Samuel Montembeault should be thrown under the bus. And the veteran almost certainly will start one of the next two games on this road trip, Friday afternoon at Las Vegas or Saturday afternoon at Colorado.
But Dobes is the hot netminder at this time. And Dobes is the winning netminder at this time. Every point and every victory is all that matters in the battle to secure a playoff berth.
Memo to Gary Bettman: Hockey wasn’t working in Arizona, so the NHL commissioner, in his infinite wisdom, decided to relocate the franchise to Salt Lake City. Attendance on this night — on the eve of U.S. Thanksgiving — was 12,478. Take a bow, Mr. Bettman. As pro franchises go, only the Toronto Argonauts, a team nobody wants to coach, can relate to that figure.
How about those Canadiens?: The team often takes its supporters on a roller-coaster ride, and this night was no different. Up 2-0 after the first period, down 3-2 following 40 minutes. It would have been easy to acquiesce on the road. But this team never quits. Kudos to head coach Martin St. Louis.
The US$10-million man: Logan Cooley, the third overall draft choice in 2022, scored four consecutive goals in Utah’s 5-1 win against Vegas on Monday. He should have saved some of those goals for Wednesday. Cooley, 21, signed an eight-year extension on Oct. 29, with an average annual value of a cool US$10 million. Hopefully he can survive on that.
The future is now: The Canadiens dressed six rookies against Utah, including defenceman Adam Engstrom, who was making his NHL debut. He played a modest 10:42 and had a shot. Florian Xhekaj, playing his second NHL game, logged 8:51, had a shot, blocked one and had two hits. Jared Davidson, playing his fifth game, was limited to 5:23 and had nine shifts.
News you need (Part I): This was Utah’s first loss when leading after two periods.
Sieve of the night: Mammoth goalie Karel Vejmelka allowed two goals on seven shots in the first period. Then he was beaten on the 14th and 15th shots he faced in the third. His save percentage was .765.
Dumb penalty: Jack McBain tripped Lane Hutson in the offensive zone eight minutes into the contest.
Pass of the night (Part I): Hutson to Zachary Bolduc on the Canadiens’ opening goal.
News you need (Part II): Bolduc had gone 13 games without scoring, dating back to Oct. 22. He was due. Some might suggest overdue.
Like watching paint dry: Through the opening 14 minutes, Utah was held to two shots.
Pass of the night (Part II): Cole Caufield to Nick Suzuki on the Canadiens’ second goal.
Milestone: The goal, Suzuki’s sixth this season, was the 400th point of his career.
Lane Hutson (#48) and Cole Caufield (#13) of the Montreal Canadiens rush the puck against Lawson Crouse (#67), Ian Cole (#28) and Mikhail Sergachev (#98) of the Utah Mammoth during the first period of their game at the Delta Center on November 26, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Strange but true: Yes, that was Hutson killing a penalty in the first period.
How the game can turn: In the 12th minute of the second period, with the Canadiens leading 2-1, Caufield had a breakaway from centre ice — but was stopped. Seconds later, Kailer Yamamoto tied the score.
How not to backcheck (Part I): Oliver Kapanen on the Yamamoto goal.
How not to backcheck (Part II): Joe Veleno on Utah’s third goal, scored by Michael Carcone.
News you need (Part III): The Canadiens have now been outscored 33-22 in the second period this season.
Best timeout of the night: It was called by Utah head coach André Tourigny, after Juraj Slafkovsky scored the apparent tying goal in the third period. Following a video review, it was correctly determined that Slafkovsky was offside on the play.
This one counted: Moments later, Suzuki tied the score.
Montreal Canadiens centre Nick Suzuki celebrates scoring a goal during the third period of an NHL game against the Utah Mammoth, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Salt Lake City.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas: Wednesday was the start of the Canadiens playing 16 games over 28 days before the NHL breaks for the holidays. That includes five pairs of back-to-back games.
Quick stats: Caufield had three of Montreal’s 17 shots. Veleno had three hits. Alexandre Carrier blocked four shots, but was also minus-2. Dobes’s save percentage was .912. The Canadiens won 51.7 per cent of their faceoffs while outhitting Utah 20-18. Nick Schmaltz had six of Utah’s 34 shots, but has now gone seven games without a goal.
They said it: “Sometimes because we have a couple of bad minutes in a row, that doesn’t define your game,” Dobes told the media in Salt Lake City. “Just because of a couple of goals, you’re not going to change something. Just stick to the plan. It worked out. I didn’t make the extra save for a couple of minutes, but it doesn’t define the game.”
“Of course I was a little bit nervous at the start,” Engstrom told reporters in Salt Lake City. “Once you get into it, it’s fine. It was an awesome experience. I felt good. I felt I made good plays. Some good defensive zone plays, too. Of course everything moves a lot faster here. You need to make quicker plays with the puck. At the start it felt like people were coming at me fast, but then you get used to it.”
“I’m proud of the guys’ efforts to come back,” Suzuki said in Salt Lake City. “I’m just trying to do my best out there. I get to play with a lot of great players. They’ve helped me get to where I am today. I’m definitely grateful for that.”
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