Jake Evans leads 4-1 win in Chicago: Canadiens morning report

The Canadiens finally earned some breathing room on the scoreboard in Chicago. Montreal downed the Blackhawks 4–1, securing what Eyes on the Prize describes as their first multi-goal win of the season.

Evans steps up, Fowler steady in goal

With Nick Suzuki out, Jake Evans seized the moment. La Presse reports that Evans scored twice in the 4-1 victory, while Sportsnet adds that he also picked up an assist to cap a three-point night. Jacob Fowler did his part in net, turning aside 20 shots according to Sportsnet.

Sportsnet notes that all four Canadiens centres delivered the kind of reliable, predictable game the team needs in Suzuki’s absence, helping stabilize things in the middle. La Presse calls it a first test without Suzuki that the Habs managed to pass, even if there’s still room to tighten up details.

At the other end, Sportsnet shows Connor Bedard opening the scoring with a quick, accurate snap shot. Evans answered back, including a short-handed marker on an odd-man rush that was confirmed after video review, as highlighted by Sportsnet. Eyes on the Prize also frames this Chicago outing as the Canadiens’ first multi-goal victory of the young season.

Big O not in NHL plans, Rocket surging, Suzuki praise

Off the ice, La Presse reports that even after renovation, Montreal’s Olympic Stadium would not be seen as an option by the NHL to host games, despite the links mentioned with the Canadiens, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Anaheim Ducks.

Down in Laval, the Rocket are rolling. Eyes on the Prize writes that Laval has rattled off a seventh consecutive win and climbed to first place in the AHL, doing so after Owen Beck’s recall and while Alex Belzile and Samuel Poulin are both dealing with an unspecified situation.

In another Eyes on the Prize roundup, Arber Xhekaj is said to admire Alexandre Carrier’s stout defensive style. The same piece notes Carrier is looking forward to his first outdoor game, and that Doug Jarvis is a big fan of Nick Suzuki, recognizing how tough it was for the Canadiens’ captain to miss time with an injury.

Standings and what’s next

In the Atlantic Division, the Canadiens sit fifth with 12 points in 10 games (a 5-3-2 record), a solid platform coming off the win in Chicago. Montreal’s next opponent had yet to be confirmed at the time of writing, but the immediate challenge is clear: build on this first encouraging outing without Suzuki and turn a single strong performance into a consistent trend.