Dobes outing wasted, costly defensive miscue, and more: 3 reasons why Montreal Canadiens lost 4-3 in OT to New Jersey Devils

The Montreal Canadiens lost a tough 4-3 game in overtime against the New Jersey Devils at the Bell Centre on Saturday night. Jack Hughes scored with less than a minute left in the extra frame to lift the Devils past the Canadiens.

Captain Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Alexandre Carrier scored for Montreal. Meanwhile, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Tomas Tatar tallied for New Jersey.

Here’s a look at the three main reasons why the Montreal Canadiens lost in overtime to the Devils on Saturday night.

3 reasons why Montreal Canadiens lost to New Jersey Devils

#1. The Habs were outplayed

Montreal was outplayed on Saturday night. The club was outshot 44-32, with the Devils winning nearly 53% of the shots and generally dominating the game’s pace. Despite outhitting the Devils 20-17 and blocking more shots (32-22), Montreal struggled to control the game.

The Canadiens deserve credit for tying the game after falling into a 2-0 hole and then a 3-2 deficit. However, they could not pull out the win against a superior Devils team. The loss snapped Montreal’s three-game winning streak.

#2. Dobes' outing wasted

Montreal Canadiens rookie netminder Jakub Dobes continued his strong performance, making 40 saves on the night. Dobes kept Montreal in the game, particularly in the third period as the team sought the equalizer.

Dobes remained solid in overtime, stopping two of three shots. However, the Canadiens couldn’t score enough to support him, leaving him with the loss.

Despite the outcome, the outing was encouraging as Dobes continues to show he could develop into a bona fide No. 1 starting goaltender in the NHL.

#3. Costly defensive miscue

The Canadiens lost the game on a costly defensive miscue by top defenseman Mike Matheson. The sequence began with Montreal in the offensive zone, looking to get a shot on goal. Patrik Laine carried the puck into the zone with Matheson on the point.

Laine got the cross-ice feed to Matheson, who bobbled the puck. Devils winger Timo Meier stripped Matheson of the puck and flung a pass to Jack Hughes, who raced off on a breakaway. Hughes beat Dobes to end the game.

Here’s a look at the goal:

Hughes fired a wicked wrister to Dobes’ stick side, beating him cleanly for the game-winner.

The Canadiens will have a couple of days off to regroup before hosting the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night in an interconference matchup.