For Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach, the past year has been a grind.
After suffering season-ending ACL and MCL injuries early in the 2023-24 campaign, the 23-year-old spent months in rehab, determined to make his way back to the ice. And while his return marked a major milestone, finding his scoring touch again has proved challenging.
Last night may have offered some relief, though. In the Canadiens’ shootout win over the Anaheim Ducks, Dach snapped a long scoring drought with his second goal of the season — and first since October 26.
“It’s kinda the only way one was going to go in, I guess, was to have the whole open net in front of me,” Dach joked when asked about capitalizing on a mistake from opposing goalie Lukas Dostal. “It was nice.”
Kirby Dach’s goal tonight (2-2) pic.twitter.com/kgV2Io8g9x
— HFTV (@HFTVSports) December 10, 2024
Dach was visibly elated after lighting the lamp, literally tossing the weight off his shoulders as he grinned his way to the bench.
kirby dach finally scores and throws the monkey off his back pic.twitter.com/uOi94G3nfq
— ava (@teapottoffoIi) December 10, 2024
After the game, the Fort Saskatchewan native made sure to acknowledge the support he’s gotten from his teammates during the tough stretch.
“It’s definitely encouraging. I think you feel the family, the love, and the trust we have in each other as teammates and what we are in this locker room when guys are happy for other guys’ success,” Dach noted. “It’s really nice of everybody to help me through this stretch I’ve gone through.”
One player who was especially happy for Dach was linemate Juraj Slafkovsky, who is working through his own offensive struggles at the moment
“I was happy. I feel like when you score a couple of goals, you get your confidence back,” said the Slovakian winger. “That’s what he needs, that’s what I need.”
La bromance entre Slafkovsky et Dach 🫶 pic.twitter.com/M0sdrs8TQK
— RDS (@RDSca) December 10, 2024
Head coach Martin St. Louis also weighed in on the importance of the centre getting back on the scoresheet.
“Sometimes in life, when you do the right things, you get a bounce,” St. Louis said. “I think he got a bounce on his goal, and sometimes that’s all you need.”
While Dach has one of the worst +/- ratings in the NHL (-21) his latest marker could be just the momentum he needs to fully get back on track, and maybe even spark a streak.
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