The Montreal Canadiens turned up their effort in the second period skating to a decisive win against the Chicago Blackhawks.
GAME RECAP | Montreal Canadiens 5 vs Chicago Blackhawks 2 | FINAL
Montreal Canadiens defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2.Canadiens Lineup
Forwards
22 Cole Caufield - 14 Nick Suzuki - 20 Juraj Slafkovsky
91 Sean Monahan - 71 Jake Evans - 17 Josh Anderson
11 Brendan Gallagher - 28 Christian Dvorak - 56 Jesse Ylonen
51 Emil Heineman - 13 Mitchell Stephens - 40 Joel Armia
Defensemen
8 Mike Matheson - 58 David Savard
21 Kaiden Guhle - 52 Justin Barron
47 Jayden Struble - 26 Johnathan Kovacevic
Goaltenders
Starter: 30 Cayden Primeau
Alternate: 35 Sam Montembeault
Out of the lineup
Scratches: Gustav Lindstrom, Michael Pezzetta, Jake Allen
Injuries: Carey Price (knee), Chris Wideman (back), Kirby Dach (knee), Rafael Harvey-Pinard (lower body), Jordan Harris (lower body), Alex Newhook (lower body), Tanner Pearson (upper body)
Game Report
The Montreal Canadiens completed a pre-Christmas road trip by earning five of a possible six points. The mood was festive post-game as the players celebrated a convincing win after scoring five unanswered goals against the Blackhawks in Chicago. Sounds of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" were heard coming from the Habs dressing room.
Are the playoffs the 'you' that the players have started dreaming about?
With the success on the road, the Canadiens have entered the conversation and sit three points out of a playoff spot. The Habs captain confirmed that the possibility of post-season play has been part of the motivation for their recent good play.
Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky each had a goal and an assist. Mitchell Stephens scored his first goal of the season and his first as a Hab. Jayden Struble had a clear decision in his first NHL fight and made the save of the night with Cayden Primeau down and out.
Chicago had a 2-0 lead early in the second period but that's when Montreal flipped the script. Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson said that Canadiens players ramped up the battle level in the second period and his squad had no answer.
It was key for Montreal to go into the break on a positive note and it will be equally important to maintain their momentum when they return to play.
Game Statistics
Canadiens (14-13-5)
Shots: 28
Face-off %: 56.9
Power play: 0/3
Penalty minutes: 7
Hits: 9
Blocks:17
Blackhawks (14-13-4)
Shots: 21
Face-off %: 43.1
Power play: 0/1
Penalty minutes: 11
Hits: 22
Blocks: 22
Scoring Summary
Canadiens Scorers
1st period: --
2nd period: Stephens (1), Anderson (5), Slafkovsky (4)
3rd period: Suzuki (10), Savard (3)
OT: --
SO: --
Blackhawks Scorers
1st period: Donato (6)
2nd period: Dickinson (10)
3rd period: --
OT: --
SO: --
Goaltenders
MTL: Primeau (W) 4-3-0
CHI: Mrazek (L) 8-11-0
Canadiens Players of the Game
Nick Suzuki
Juraj Slafkovsky
Video Highlights
Post-game Quotes
Nick Suzuki
"We weren't happy with our start for sure, the first half of the game wasn't great. But we know that (with) style that we play, we can come back in games."
"Guys are confident, guys want to be pushing for those (playoff) spots."
Juraj Slafkovsky on playing with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield
"I feel so much better just playing. Not every period is the best, but I generally feel better making plays. Being with these players, they make incredible plays."
Up Next
The Montreal Canadiens will now take some time with their families over the Christmas break. They will resume their road trip with a practice in Raleigh, NC. on Wednesday afternoon as they prepare to face the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.
Be sure to bookmark THN.com/Montreal for year-round coverage of the Montreal Canadiens, Laval Rocket, and Habs prospects playing in leagues around the world.
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