Canadiens’ three-goal second period fuels 4-1 victory over Flames

By Canadian Press on January 7, 2026.

MONTREAL — Alexandre Texier had a goal and two assists as the Montreal Canadiens used a three-goal second period to take a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night at the Bell Centre.

Lane Hutson, Oliver Kapanen and Cole Caufield also scored for Montreal (24-13-6). Jacob Fowler made 28 saves.

Joel Farabee scored for Calgary (18-21-4). Dustin Wolf made 31 saves.

Texier opened the scoring 3:10 into the second period when he took the puck at the goal line and roofed it over Wolf’s shoulder for his fourth of the season.

After a Phillip Danault chance out of the penalty box, Texier got the puck back to him, and Danault found Hutson alone in the slot. Hutson fired a slap shot past Wolf. Just 1:07 later, Kapanen finished off a rebound to make it 3-0.

Farabee beat Fowler with a shot from the left circle with 2:21 left in the second for his 10th of the season. The Flames outshot Montreal 14-9 in the period, but were outscored 3-1.

Caufield took a Texier pass and fired a rolling puck past Wolf for his 21st goal 3:56 into the third period. Later in the frame, Nazem Kadri had a goal disallowed after an offside review.

Flames forward William Stromgren made his NHL debut after being called up for the team’s road trip.

Takeaways

Canadiens: In their first home game in 2026, the Canadiens got contributions from three different lines. Hutson now has three goals in his last four games.

Flames: Calgary opened its five-game road trip with a loss, and while the shots were relatively even, the scoring chances were in Montreal’s favour and the scoreline was mostly due to Wolf’s play. They are still searching for their first win in 2026.

Key moment

After his hooking penalty expired, Danault left the penalty box on a 2-on-1 chance. His shot was saved, but the Canadiens kept the play alive for him to set up Hutson who made it a 2-0 game.

Key stat

Texier, who was officially named to France’s Olympic team this week, became the third French player to reach 100 career NHL points, joining Antoine Roussel and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.

Up next

Canadiens: Host the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

Flames: Visit the Boston Bruins on Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2026.

Jared Book, The Canadian Press