The Montreal Canadiens spoiled the Detroit Red Wings’ home opener Thursday night, rolling to a convincing 5–1 victory at Little Caesars Arena. Montreal turned an early deficit into a statement win, powered by balanced scoring and a stellar performance from goaltender Jakub Dobes.

Detroit started strong when captain Dylan Larkin scored on the power play just minutes into the first period. But from there, it was all Canadiens. Montreal responded with three unanswered goals before the intermission — from Zack Bolduc, Oliver Kapanen, and Mike Matheson — to seize full control of the game.

The Canadiens kept their foot on the gas, adding second-period and third-period goals from Alexandre Carrier and Juraj Slafkovsky. Dobes was a difference-maker in net, stopping 30 of 31 shots to earn his first win of the season.

For Detroit, new goaltender John Gibson had a rough debut, giving up five goals on 13 shots before being pulled for Cam Talbot. Despite outshooting Montreal 31–17, the Red Wings couldn’t overcome costly turnovers and defensive breakdowns that led to several high-danger chances.

Nick Suzuki and Brendan Gallagher each tallied two assists, while Matheson led the way with a goal and an assist in the victory.

Montreal (1–0–0) will look to build on the momentum as they continue their road trip, while Detroit (0–1–0) will regroup before returning to action later this weekend.