NHL Roundup : Dahlin Has Three Goals and One Assist as the Canadiens Win Third in Row, 9-2

Kjell Dahlin, the NHL’s highest-scoring rookie, had three goals and an assist at Montreal Monday night as the Canadiens routed the St. Louis Blues, 9-2, to move back into first place in the Adams Division with their third consecutive victory.

Center Bobby Smith had a goal and four assists.

Dahlin, who has 22 goals and 47 points, scored on the Canadiens’ first shot of the game. He added two goals in the second period for the first hat trick of his career.

Dahlin assisted on rookie Mike Lalor’s first NHL goal when the defenseman took his pass and sent a slap shot past St. Louis goalie Greg Millen at 6:18 of the third period.

Also scoring for Montreal were Ryan Walter, Mario Tremblay, Guy Carbonneau and Brian Skrudland. Mats Naslund, the Canadiens’ top scorer with 69 points, had three assists.

Pittsburgh 4, New Jersey 3--At Pittsburgh, Terry Ruskowski’s goal with 1:37 left in the third period extended the Devils’ losing streak to eight games. New Jersey has lost 11 of its last 12 games.