3 Takeaways From the Canadiens’ 4-1 Win Over the Blackhawks

There were an abundance of questions about the Montreal Canadiens as they embarked on a four-game road swing. Could they put in a total, 60-minute effort? Are they capable of holding third-period leads? How would they cope with captain Nick Suzuki’s absence due to injury? Friday night against the Chicago Blackhawks suggested some answers, thanks to a comfortable 4-1 win for head coach Martin St. Louis’ group.

Jake Evans’ Coming Out Party

Not much has been written about Montreal’s fourth lines this season. At the risk of sounding rude, it’s largely because it hadn’t accomplished much worth writing about. According to the offensive line statistics for the Canadiens at MoneyPuck, every trio with Jake Evans at centre (i.e., the various fourth line combinations this season) has had an expected goals for (xGoals For) towards the lower end of the totem pole. Only one combination, that being Josh Anderson, Evans, and Zachary Bolduc (15.9 minutes played) has an xGoals For above 1 (1.5).

Lo and behold, Evans and company – in this case Kirby Dach and Owen Beck – had a ball in the Windy City. The Toronto native netted a brace, his first two of the campaign. Beck also got his first point of 2026-27 with an assist on Evan’s first-period equalizer. The goal was the stuff of fourth-line moxie, with Beck plowing into the Chicago zone and providing excellent forechecking. He slid a pass to Dach, who then cleverly found a wide-open Evans in the slot for the goal.

Evans’ second marker of the match was on the penalty kill in the middle frame. Kaiden Guhle forced a turnover and pushed the puck forward to a racing Evans. His wrist shot outdid Blackhawks netminder Spencer Knight with such rapidity that the referees needed a quick moment to check the replay before making the official call. 

He wasn’t done for the night either. Later in the second period, as Montreal generated more impressive forechecking in Chicago’s zone, the 30-year-old aided on Guhle’s seeing-eye goal that made it a 3-1 contest. 

Mixed Reviews for the Caufield, Kapanen, Slafkovsky Line

If there was ever a perfect occasion to test a new first-line combination, it was Friday night on the road versus a struggling Blackhawks side. If it works, fantastic. If it doesn’t, perhaps Montreal won’t suffer the consequences against one of the league’s weaker opponents. St. Louis opted for a combination featuring Cole Caufield, Oliver Kapanen, and Juraj Slafkovsky.

It ended up being very much the latter. If one were to dig up excuses, a plausible one is that Montreal spent much of the evening with players sitting in the sin bin. The Canadiens drew six penalties for a total of 12 minutes. Granted, Montreal survived each situation on the man disadvantage, but it left less time than desired for the top line to find its rhythm. There was also the fact that the club’s fourth line pulled its weight and then some. In comparison, the top line was rather anonymous.

That’s not to say that Kapanen is a dud when playing between Caufield and Slafkovsky. Like it or not, Montreal will have many more games to find out if that’s the solution to navigate Suzuki’s absence. 

There is nevertheless some irony to the fact that those three players were the only ones on the team with a negative plus/minus (each was minus-1). It was the result of a smidgeon of bad luck. Slafkovsky’s attempt to dump the puck backfired when it deflected off a linesman, and Chicago took advantage by sending Connor Bedard on a partial breakaway, who promptly beat Jacob Fowler. 

Montreal Controlled the Game

Finally, it was refreshing to witness the Canadiens control a match. Yes, they went down 1-0 in the first period, but the club never panicked.

The Canadiens comfortably outshot Chicago 28-21, killed all their penalties, netted on the penalty kill, and outhit their rivals significantly, 23-11. One can offer the counterpoint that the Blackhawks are not the fiercest opposition. This is true, as the Illinois-based ensemble is only 3-7-0 this season.

But given the struggles the Canadiens endured throughout October, they needed a contest they controlled from start to finish. It wasn’t always pretty. Neutral zone turnovers were provided like coupons, and the third period was indeed something of a slog as Montreal mostly protected its two-goal lead. 

Speaking of two-goal leads, there’s another plus on the evening. For once, a 3-1 advantage didn’t disappear. In fact, it increased with a Mike Matheson empty-net marker toward the end. 

Greater Tests Await

All that said, the Canadiens will take the two points. If the Atlantic Division is going to be as competitive this season as it was last, then any win is of critical importance, just as any defeat may be interpreted as a setback. 

The Winnipeg Jets will be a tougher challenge on Sunday. They may not have a stellar record (4-3-3), but they’ve played decent hockey overall. Furthermore, they’ll be the home side for the much-anticipated Heritage Classic. As the old philosophy dictates, all the Canadiens can do is take it one game at a time. No two opponents are alike, but considering the questions Montreal has had to answer over the past few weeks, the 4-1 victory over the Blackhawks produced the desired positive vibes.