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Habs Highlights: Jake Evans Steals The Spotlight Again

Originally posted on Montreal Hockey Now
By David Landsman | Last updated Dec 29, 2024 9:33 PM ET

For the second time in just over 24 hours, the Montreal Canadiens were facing a Florida-based team, looking to capitalize on their recent hot streak.

Fresh off the heels of shutting down the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers 4-0, the Canadiens were hoping to build on their momentum, and thanks to yet another great performance by Jake Evans they managed to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, emerging with a well-deserved 5-2 win.

Florida State Dominance

Sam Montembeault was given the start, and it wasn’t a particularly busy night, as he turned aside 20 shots en route to his 13th win of the year.

Alex Newhook, who had two assists on Saturday, scored the game’s opening goal, his first goal in seven games.

qqun a commandé un tir parfait?

Snipe? SNIPE.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/oq6Kt6KPT9

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 29, 2024

Christian Dvorak then tipped a Kaiden Guhle point shot midway through the second period, scoring his third of the season, and his first in 19 games.

la reprise

the replay#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/9snYXMf4tK

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 29, 2024

Guess Who?

Jake Evans and Joel Armia scored the team’s third and fourth goal respectively, and Brendan Gallagher added an empty net goal late in the third.

Evans, whose career high is 13 goals, set back in 2021-22, scored for the fifth straight game, and now has 10 goals in just 36 games. The Habs also improved their record to 9-0 when Evans scores this season. The impending unrestricted free agent looks like he’ll be getting a hefty raise this summer if the Montreal Canadiens intend on keeping him around.

JAKE #$%^*&* EVANS#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/fmCK9WRlSy

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 29, 2024

Moving Forward

The Montreal Canadiens have now scored four or more goals in their last six games, producing a 5-1 record in that stretch. The win against the Lightning pushed them ahead of the New York Rangers for 12th in the Eastern Conference, and only three points behind their division rival Ottawa Senators for the final wild card spot.

The Canadiens will be back in action on New Year’s Eve, facing the Golden Knights in Last Vegas. The puck drop is scheduled for 3 pm ET.

This article first appeared on Montreal Hockey Now and was syndicated with permission.

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