Evans scores twice as Canadiens beat Blackhawks 4-1

CHICAGO – Jake Evans scored twice, including a short-handed goal, and Jacob Fowler made 20 saves as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Friday night.

Kaiden Guhle also scored for Montreal, and Mike Matheson added an empty-net goal late in the third period. Evans, who started the night without a point, also set up Guhle’s goal for his third point of the game, matching his career high, the Associated Press reported.

Connor Bedard scored his second goal of the season in the first period for Chicago. Spencer Knight stopped 24 shots in the loss.

Bedard opened the scoring at 4:23 of the first, finishing a break that started after a dump-in by Montreal’s Juraj Slafkovsky bounced off a linesman, Habs Eyes on the Prize reported. Evans tied it late in the period, converting a cross-ice pass from Kirby Dach after Owen Beck and Evans won a puck battle below the goal line.

Evans put Montreal ahead in the second with a wrist shot over Knight’s stick side while the Canadiens were killing a penalty. Guhle made it 3-1 late in the period with a shot from the left point through a screen by Josh Anderson.

Montreal outshot Chicago in the second and third periods, and Fowler faced only three shots in the third despite five Chicago power plays in the game, the AP reported. Matheson sealed it into an empty net in the final three minutes.

The Canadiens are 5-3-2 and the Blackhawks are 3-7-0, Chicago Hockey Now reported. Chicago has lost two in a row and four of its last six. Montreal is 4-1-1 in its last six games.

It was Montreal’s first multi-goal win of the season, according to Habs Eyes on the Prize. The Canadiens are playing without captain Nick Suzuki, who is out two to four weeks, as we reported. They had lost 4-3 in overtime to San Jose on Tuesday, as we reported.

The Canadiens visit the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday in the Heritage Classic. The Jets, who lost 3-2 in overtime to Dallas on Thursday, have since traded goalie Connor Hellebuyck to New Jersey. The Blackhawks host the Florida Panthers on Sunday.

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Via the Associated Press (KSL), Habs Eyes on the Prize and Chicago Hockey Now. Final score also confirmed on Fox Sports.