MONTREAL — Jake Evans scored at 3:58 of overtime, leading the Montreal Canadiens to a 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre.
Cole Caufield, with his 30th goal of the season, and Phillip Danault also scored for Montreal (29-17-7), as the Habs halted a two-game losing skid.
Mike Matheson ran his personal point streak to a season-long five games with an assist on Caufield’s goal.
Jakub Dobes made 32 saves in his first career start against Vegas. The 24-year-old boasts a 6-0-1 record over his past seven games, with his last regulation loss coming against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 9.
Pavel Dorofeyev scored both goals for the Golden Knights (25-14-13), who lost their third straight game against Montreal, dating back to last season.
Akira Schmid stopped 23 shots in the losing effort. The Swiss netminder lost for the second time in as many starts against Montreal this season (a 4-1 defeat in Las Vegas on Nov. 28).
It was Montreal’s first regular-season win against Vegas at the Bell Centre since January of 2020.
TAKEAWAYS
Golden Knights: After winning seven straight games between Jan. 6-17, Vegas has struggled to find the win column of late. The team has dropped four of its past five games and finished its four-game Eastern Conference road trip with a 1-2-1 record.
Canadiens: Caufield continued his torrid scoring pace. The 25-year-old, who scored a hat trick in his team’s 4-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday, has now scored in six straight games, the longest streak of his career. Caufield has nine goals over that six-game stretch.
KEY MOMENT
After seeing his power-play goal wiped off the board due to a successful Vegas challenge for offside to start the second period, Caufield responded with a goal that would, in fact, count. Caufield pounced on a loose puck, jamming it past Schmid from in tight to give the Canadiens a 2-1 lead.
KEY STAT
Noah Hanifin skated in his 800th career NHL game for the Golden Knights. The 29-year-old Boston native became the first player of the 2015 draft class to reach the milestone.
UP NEXT
Golden Knights: Host the Dallas Stars on Thursday.
Canadiens: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2026.
Jordan Stoopler, The Canadian Press
