Jake Evans exploded for two goals and an assist as the Montreal Canadiens completely shut down the Chicago Blackhawks in a dominant 4-1 victory on Friday night. That third point, a slick feed to Kaiden Guhle late in the second period, wasn’t just big for the team, it matched Evans’ career high, showing exactly why Montreal is rolling right now. The Canadiens are sitting pretty at 4-1-1 in their last six games, while Chicago, on the other hand, is trying to figure things out after dropping two straight and four of their last six.
Evans Lights Up The Scoreboard, Game Shifts Hard
Look, the Hawks actually jumped out early, with Connor Bedard grabbing his second goal of the season just 4:23 into the first period. You might’ve thought it was going to be a wide-open barn burner, right? But nope. The Canadiens quickly started to take control, locking things down and limiting Chicago’s chances. Evans got Montreal on the board, tying the game with his first goal of the season and the game, coming with only 2:31 left in that first period. Then, in the second, Evans put on a clinic. He potted his second goal, a beauty of a wrist shot over goalie Spencer Knight’s stick side, while the Canadiens were short-handed. That’s right, short-handed! That absolute banger gave Montreal a 2-1 lead 7:51 into the second period, and from that moment on, the momentum was all Montreal’s.
Guhle and Matheson Seal It, Fowler Was a Wall
Kaiden Guhle wasn’t letting Evans have all the fun, either. He also beat Knight on the stick side, with a shot from the left point that Josh Anderson screened perfectly. That’s good old-fashioned hockey, creating traffic in front of the net. And just to put an exclamation point on the night, Mike Matheson added an empty-net goal with 2:38 remaining, a classic move to ice the game at 4-1. On the defensive side, Jacob Fowler was an absolute rockstar in net for Montreal, making 20 saves. Even with Chicago getting five power plays, Fowler was barely tested for the rest of the game after the first period, only needing to make three saves in the entire final frame. Spencer Knight for Chicago stopped 24 shots, but his defense just couldn’t give him enough help.
The Canadiens are heading to Winnipeg on Sunday for the outdoor Heritage Classic, which is gonna be epic. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have to quickly regroup as they host Florida on Sunday. They’ve got some work to do after this one.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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