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The Canadiens Finally Protect A Lead And Get Big Win In Chicago
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- The Canadiens Finally Protect A Lead And Get Big Win In Chicago
While many fans and media have already flocked to Winnipeg for Sunday's Heritage Classic, the Montreal Canadiens had to make a pit stop in the Windy City to face the Chicago Blackhawks Friday night. For the first time in 546 games, the Habs were without franchise cornerstone Nick Suzuki as they took on Connor Bedard and co. Martin St-Louis promoted Oliver Kapanen to the first line and brought Owen Beck back in.
As for Mike Matheson, he returned to the lineup for the first time since October 10, prompting the coach to throw his pairings in the blender. He moved Lane Hutson to the right and paired him with Matheson; Noah Dobson dropped to the third pair alongside Arber Xhekaj, while Kaiden Guhle and Alex Carrier stayed together. In net, Jacob Fowler returned after Jakub Dobes' questionable overtime penalty against the San Jose Sharks.
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A Team Effort
The first frame wasn't even over when Phillip Danault got some shifts with the top unit. As promising as Kapanen is, he's not a finished product yet, and top-line play often means facing the other team's best players. The top unit was on the ice when Chicago opened the score. Matheson sent the puck to Slafkovsky close to his skates, making it harder to dump in; it backfired, and Bedard took off on his own, an opportunity he wasn't about to miss. Still, Kapanen finished the first frame with a 60% success rate in the faceoff circle, while Bedard won only 25% of his draws. By the end of the game, the Finn was at 61.1 % while the Hawks' captain was at 33.3%.
Down by one in the first, the Habs got some much-needed production by their fourth line. The Kirby Dach, Jake Evans, and Owen Beck line tied the score thanks to a great passing play, surprising chemistry for a line formed, with all due respect, by the leftovers in the Canadiens' lineup. Beck showed great tenacity to recover the puck and pass it to Dach, who flipped it to a wide-open Evans almost instantly. The pivot was all too happy to open his account on the season, and he was just getting started.
Showtime Meets Showstopper
In the second frame, the Canadiens repeatedly tried to shoot themselves in the foot, but Jacob Fowler just wouldn't let them. As Montreal kept taking penalties and allowing odd-man rushes, the youngster stood tall and showed incredible composure.
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Whether it's a one-timer, a wrister, or a deflected shot, he was there, square to the puck and in position. He doesn't care whether you're a rookie or a game legend like Patrick Kane; he brings the same Olympian calm. On an odd-man rush in the second frame, Lane Hutson cut off the passing option, leaving Fowler to deal with the shot. Perfectly positioned, the goalie made an easy save and froze the puck. In full control, he brought the kind of energy a team needs despite the chaos and pressure around him. The American stopped 20 of 21 shots, posting a .952 save percentage. It's his fourth consecutive win, and he's made a strong case for the Heritage Classic start on Sunday.
Evans To the Rescue
After scoring the Canadiens' first goal, Evans came up clutch in the second frame. As the Habs took repeated trips to the box, he was in every battle, playing big minutes on the penalty kill and with five forwards on the Hawks' first power-play unit. Montreal got a few odd-man rushes of their own and less than eight minutes into the second, he chose to shoot on a two-on-one. He beat Spencer Knight clean for his second of the game. It was his first two-goal game since January 22, 2022, against the Anaheim Ducks.
That wasn't enough for Evans, though; deep in the Hawks' zone, he battled to keep the puck and skated towards the blueline, drawing both Sam Rinzel and Kane to him before passing to Guhle, who unleashed a shot in which the puck had eyes, finding its way behind Knight to double the Habs' lead. Dach also earned full marks; he played a solid game on both sides of the puck, even making a guest appearance on the penalty kill.
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Leading 3-1 heading into the third frame, the Habs had a chance to show they had learned from the last couple of weeks, and they did. They played a mature, well-thought-out third frame, putting the puck deep and forechecking rather than turning it over at the offensive blueline and exposing themselves. With nine minutes left in the third frame, the Haws were laboring even to exit their own zone and had yet to take a shot on net. If Fowler weathered the storm in the second, he hardly broke a sweat in the third, facing only four shots. The Canadiens not only protected the lead but also got an insurance marker through Matheson on an empty net.
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