Without Connor Bedard in the lineup, the Chicago Blackhawks’ skid continued Thursday night in Montreal, falling 4–1 to the Canadiens for their fourth straight loss. Chicago struggled to generate offense, finishing with just 15 shots on goal and spending long stretches defending in their own zone. The Canadiens took control in the third period, scoring three unanswered goals to pull away after a tight opening forty minutes.
Spencer Knight did everything he could to keep Chicago in the game, turning aside 31 shots, but the pressure eventually broke through as Montreal finished with 35 shots on goal. The loss was Chicago’s sixth in its past seven games, and with Bedard sidelined, the Blackhawks are now 0-3-0 without him, underlining the team’s ongoing struggles to create offense and close out games.
Blackhawks vs.Habs: Game Summary
1st Period – Tied 1–1
Montreal set the tone early in the opening minutes, firing four quick shots on goal and generating a quality scoring chance, but Spencer Knight was sharp to keep the game scoreless. Chicago’s first real opportunity came at 4:07 when Alex Vlasic appeared to beat Jakub Dobes, but the goal was overturned after video review ruled goaltender interference, as Jason Dickinson made contact with Dobes’ left leg in the crease.
The Blackhawks regrouped and struck back at 7:27 when Frank Nazar gave Chicago a 1–0 lead. Stationed in front of the net, Nazar redirected Matt Grzelcyk’s point shot past Dobes, ending a long goal drought. It marked Nazar’s first goal since Oct. 28 against Ottawa and his first in 20 games.
After the goal, both teams struggled to generate sustained offense until the Canadiens tied the game at 14:23. Zachary Bolduc snapped a one-timer past Knight from the slot for his eighth goal of the season and his first at home this year at Bell Centre, with Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson picking up the assists.
Montreal nearly took the lead two minutes later when Brendan Gallagher tipped a pass from Alex Texier into the net, but the goal was disallowed due to an offside at the blue line following a successful challenge by Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill.
After 20 minutes, the game was tied 1–1, with Chicago managing just four shots on goal and Montreal recording seven. Neither team had a power-play opportunity in the opening period.
2nd Period – No Scoring
The second period remained scoreless, but not for a lack of pressure from the Canadiens. Montreal controlled the pace for most of the frame, forcing Spencer Knight to come up with several key saves to keep the Blackhawks level. Knight faced 16 shots in the period and stopped all of them, continuing a strong performance under heavy pressure.
Chicago struggled to generate offense, managing just six shots on goal in the second period and only 10 through 40 minutes. Montreal, meanwhile, continued to dictate play, outshooting the Blackhawks 22–10 through two periods.
The Canadiens had two power-play opportunities but failed to convert, while Chicago had one power play of its own and generated just a single shot on goal. Despite the lack of scoring, Montreal’s territorial advantage was clear. Through two periods, the Canadiens led decisively in shot attempts (49–28), shots on goal (22–10), and scoring chances (27–13).
The only reason the game remained tied heading into the third period was Knight’s performance, as the Blackhawks relied heavily on their goaltender to withstand Montreal’s sustained pressure.
3rd Period – Canadiens Pull Away from Blackhawks
The Blackhawks had no answer for the Canadiens in the third period as Montreal finally broke through after controlling much of the game. Just eight seconds after Frank Nazar stepped out of the penalty box, the Canadiens took the lead at 0:20 when Zachary Bolduc tipped Lane Hutson’s point shot past Spencer Knight. The goal was Bolduc’s ninth of the season and his second of the night, giving Montreal its first lead of the game.
Moments later, the Canadiens appeared to strike again when Josh Anderson found the back of the net just 27 seconds later, but the goal was waved off following another offside challenge, marking Montreal’s third disallowed goal of the game.
Montreal eventually extended its lead at 10:00 when Noah Dobson drove a puck from below the goal line that deflected off Knight and crossed the line. The goal stood as Dobson’s fifth of the season, with Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson credited with the assists. It marked Hutson’s third assist of the night.
Chicago had a chance to respond midway through the period with its second power-play opportunity but once again failed to convert. The Blackhawks have now gone five straight games without a power-play goal.
Nick Suzuki sealed the win with an empty-net goal late in the period, completing the 4–1 victory for the Canadiens.
Blackhawks Postgame Comments
Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill pointed to a lack of decisiveness and urgency in the offensive zone as a key issue in the loss.
“You can’t pass up a shot in a scoring area,” Blashill said. “We literally passed it out of a scoring area into a non-scoring area. That’s nonsensical. We’re going to have to simplify that part of our game and make sure we have much more of a shooting mentality.”
Blashill also questioned the overall execution level of his group, emphasizing that consistency remains a work in progress.
“I just thought too many guys had their C game,” he said. “You’re not going to have your A-plus game every night, but you’ve got to find a way to make sure that when you don’t, you still bring a B-plus game. Not necessarily just the mentality, but the actual level at which you play. That’s part of the process, and we have to figure that out.”
Despite the loss, Blashill praised goaltender Spencer Knight, who faced heavy pressure throughout the night.
“That’s unfortunate, but I thought Knight played really well,” Blashill said. “I thought he gave us a chance to win. For the most part, we defended pretty well for two periods. We contested a lot of their chances, and he did a good job.”
Forward Frank Nazar echoed the need for accountability and cleaner execution, especially following multiple overturned goals.
“You try not to think about it too much and just go out there and be better,” Nazar said. “If we’re letting up goals and relying on the officials to go back and look at it with a coach’s challenge, then we’re doing something wrong.”
Game Stats
| Category | Blackhawks | Canadiens |
| Shots on Goal | 15 | 35 |
| Faceoff Win % | 34% | 66% |
| Power Play | 0/2 | 0/2 |
| Penalty Minutes | 4 | 4 |
| Hits | 14 | 21 |
| Blocked Shots | 8 | 13 |
| Giveaways | 14 | 10 |
| Takeaways | 8 | 3 |
Blackhawks Players Highlights
Frank Nazar 1G 1PTS 2SOG
Spencer Knight 3 goals on 35 shots .912%
Ayrtom Levshunov TOI 21:58 1SOG
Matt Grzelcyk 1A 1PTS TOI 21:12 1SOG
Three Stars of the Game
⭐ 1st Star – Zachary Bolduc (MTL)
2 Goals | 0 Assists | 2 Points
⭐ 2nd Star – Lane Hutson (MTL)
0 Goals | 3 Assists | 3 Points
⭐ 3rd Star – Nick Suzuki (MTL)
1 Goal | 1 Assist | 2 Points
Final Thoughts
The lack of offense remains the biggest concern for the Blackhawks, especially without Connor Bedard in the lineup. Chicago managed just 15 shots on goal, and no player recorded more than two shots all night. Without Bedard, the Blackhawks have scored only three goals in three games, which simply is not enough to compete. It continues to highlight just how much Bedard is the engine that drives this team’s offense.
Spencer Knight was excellent once again and did everything he could to keep the Blackhawks in the game, but the skaters in front of him struggled to generate sustained pressure or control the puck. Montreal dictated the pace for long stretches, forcing Chicago to spend too much time defending.
The turning point came early in the third period, when the Canadiens scored just seconds after a penalty expired. That goal shifted the momentum completely and put the Blackhawks on their heels for the rest of the night.
Jeff Blashill now faces a clear challenge. The Blackhawks need to find offense from somewhere, and adjusting the lines may be an option worth exploring as the team looks to stop the skid and regain some confidence moving forward.
Next Game: Blackhawks @ Ottawa
Saturday, Dec. 20 at Ottawa Senators — 2:00 PM CDT
KEEP READING:
Blackhawks Weekly Recap: (Week 1)
Blackhawks Weekly Recap (Week 2)
Blackhawks Weekly Recap (Week 3)
Blackhawks Weekly Recap (Week 4
)Blackhawks Weekly Recap (Week 5)
Blackhawks Weekly Recap (Week 6)
Blackhawks Week in Review:Week 7
Blackhawks Week in Recap (Week 8)
Blackhawks Week In Review: (Week 9)
Blackhawks Week In Review: Week 10
Blackhawks October Report Card
Blackhawks: November Report Card
