Jake Evans supplied the finish Montreal needed in Chicago, scoring twice and adding an assist as the Canadiens turned a tight road game into a 4-1 win over the Blackhawks at United Center on Friday. Jacob Fowler stopped 20 shots, while Kaiden Guhle posted a goal and an assist for Montreal, which has gone 2-0-1 over its past three games.
Evans answers after Chicago’s early push
Connor Bedard gave the Blackhawks the first strike at 4:23 of the opening period. Patrick Kane fed Bedard with a backhand pass through the neutral zone, and the Chicago center carried over the blue line before snapping a wrist shot past Fowler’s glove.
Montreal drew even late in the period, with Evans collecting his first goal of the season at 17:29. Kirby Dach delivered a quick pass from near the goal line to Knight’s left, and Evans cut into the slot before beating Spencer Knight on the glove side.
Evans then put the Canadiens in front for good while killing a penalty at 7:45 of the second. He drove down the left wing on a 2-on-1 and fired from the left circle to make it 2-1.
- Evans finished with two goals and one assist.
- Guhle recorded a goal and an assist.
- Fowler made 20 saves for Montreal.
- Knight stopped 24 shots for Chicago.
Evans said Montreal had learned from Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime loss to San Jose, when the Canadiens surrendered a two-goal lead in the third period. He said the club has been in those situations often enough to recognize the need for a more composed closing effort.
“It’s still early enough that we can fix it,” Evans said. “If you want to win consistently, you need to be in the right spot going into the third and play a mature game. We did that tonight.”
Canadiens build the lead in the second
Guhle stretched Montreal’s advantage to two at 18:26 of the middle frame. His wrist shot from the left point travelled through traffic, with Josh Anderson stationed in front of Knight and taking away the goaltender’s view.
Guhle called it a hard-edged road victory after a difficult opening 20 minutes.
“The first period was a little shaky, but we came alive in the second, got the lead and held it,” Guhle said. “That’s how you want to draw up a road win.”
Mike Matheson, back after missing four games with a lower-body injury, sealed the result with his first goal of the season into an empty net at 17:22 of the third period.
Chicago had its chances, particularly on special teams, but could not convert. The Blackhawks went 0-for-5 with the man advantage, while Montreal was scoreless on three power-play opportunities.
Bedard pointed to the short-handed goal as a pivotal mistake after Chicago’s power play generated pressure but also allowed rush chances the other way.
“We had plenty of looks and moved it well, but we gave up opportunities,” Bedard said. “They had two or three 2-on-1s, and that can’t happen.”
Bedard said he believed the Blackhawks had the better of play through the first two periods, but noted that missed chances can quickly turn into goals at the other end. Chicago has now dropped two straight and sits at 3-7-0.
Montreal handles life without Suzuki
The Canadiens played their first game without captain Nick Suzuki, who is expected to miss two to four weeks because of an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old had not missed an NHL game since entering the League in 2019-20.
Evans said Suzuki’s absence put more responsibility on the rest of the room.
“When Nick went down, I think everybody knew they had to raise their level,” Evans said. “It wasn’t our prettiest game, but it’s good to get another win. We played smarter and didn’t give them a whole lot.”
Montreal, now 5-3-2, heads to Winnipeg for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic against the Jets at Princess Auto Stadium on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.
Matheson said the outdoor game will be a new NHL experience for him in his 11th season. He has played outdoors in college, and his wife, children and parents are expected to attend in Winnipeg.
“I’ve never had the chance to play one in the NHL, so I’m really looking forward to it,” Matheson said. “It’s a different setting, and having my family there will make it even better.”
Rink notes
- Chicago defenseman Ian Cole became the second defenseman selected in the 2007 NHL Draft to reach 1,000 NHL games, joining Ryan McDonagh. Cole logged 18:22, recorded two blocks and finished minus-1.
- Blackhawks defenseman Bowen Byram missed a third consecutive game with an upper-body injury. He remains listed day to day.
- Forward Andrew Mangiapane was activated from injured reserve before the game after missing eight contests with a lower-body injury suffered in the Sept. 29 season opener. He did not play and was a healthy scratch.
