Eric Engels

The Canadiens have found a straightaway and are hitting cruise control.Martin St. Louis doesn’t have to come up with anything new to explain what’s happening — even after losses, like the one his team suffered to the Stars on Saturday.

MONTREAL — I see how it goes. The Montreal Canadiens go on a 12-5-1 run to jump into the playoff conversation and 120 questions flow into my mailbag in just over 24 hours.

The Canadiens needed a response and found one immediately. The Canadiens put an ugly first period in the rear-view mirror and showed why they're right in the thick of the playoff race.

Jakub Dobes is now 4-0 with the Canadiens after a standout performance against the Stars. His home debut awaits, and Canadiens fans figure to go berserk for the young goalie.

MONTREAL — You don't expect to see history unfold between teams that have been playing against each other for over 100 years, but it happened on Saturday night.

Lane Hutson and the Canadiens were embarrassed on Saturday by their most bitter rivals. So how they responded on Sunday was going to be a massive test of character.

With an impressive win over the Lightning, Samuel Montembeault reaffirmed his position as the No. 1 goalie for the Canadiens.

It doesn't really matter that Anderson only has eight goals and 18 points through 47 games, either, because his impact on the Canadiens' success this season has been far more evident than these offensive categories would suggest.

It's not as if the Montreal Canadiens lied to themselves about what happened Tuesday night at the Bell Centre.

In a 56-second sequence late in the third period of a tie game, the Canadiens blocked six Devils shot attempts. It was the kind of display that showed Montreal's toughness — even though the end result was an OT loss, writes Sportsnet's Eric Engels.