NHL News

Home

Teams

Quizzes

Newsletter

Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov – (Photo by Reuben Polansky-Shapiro/NHLI via Getty Images)

Blackhawks Play Spoiler in Debut of Canadiens’ Demidov

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Ryan Szporer | Last updated Apr 14, 2025 10:29 PM ET

On the plus side, the Montreal Canadiens needn’t worry about facing the last-place Chicago Blackhawks, against whom they’re winless this season, in the playoffs. On the negative side, after a 4-3 Blackhawks shootout win over the Habs on Monday at the Bell Centre, Ivan Demidov’s long-awaited debut no less, the home side’s playoff aspirations in general remain in limbo.

Game Recap

Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar, scored the deciding goal in the shootout, which had initially been ruled a no-goal. It was only discovered that Nazar had lodged the puck in the net after Blackhawks goalie Arvid Soderblom stopped Patrik Laine’s attempt and Teuvo Teravainen was set to take his turn. Both he and everyone else, excluding Nazar, missed on their attempts, to give the Blackhawks the well-earned victory, their second of the season over the Habs, following a 4-2 victory to open the calendar year.

Soderblom was the difference in that game, making 38 saves. He made 18 in this one, while his counterpart, Sam Montembeault, made 22. Overall it was Demidov who stole the spotlight, at least until Nazar rained on all of Montreal’s Stanley Cup (Playoffs) parade.

Demidov scored a goal and an assist, both coming in the first period. Stationed in front of the net, Alex Newhook opened the scoring six minutes in by burying a feed from Demidov, who deked out defenseman Connor Murphy on the play. The 2024 fifth-overall pick added his first-ever NHL goal 7.5 minutes later when he corralled a dump-in off the end boards to outwait Soderblom for the 2-0 lead. It was short-lived, however.

Tyler Bertuzzi pulled the Blackhawks within one late in the frame, while Nazar pulled them even late in the second, each of the goals coming on the power play. Lukas Reichel gave the Blackhawks their first lead of the game early in the third on a breakaway, leaving the teeth of everyone in attendance chattering, with a Canadiens playoff berth hanging in the balance.

Needing a win of any kind to clinch, the Canadiens got a break when Murphy got called for hooking on Newhook with just under four minutes to play. On the ensuing power play, Lane Hutson proceeded to set up Caufield for the game-tying goal, which deflected in off Juraj Slafkovsky. The assist ended up being Hutson’s 65th point of the season, to set a new Canadiens rookie defenseman single-season scoring record, as he passed Chris Chelios to help send the game to overtime (which obviously solved nothing).

The 39-31-11 Canadiens remain in the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot, gaining an additional point on the ninth-place, idle Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets have 85 with two games remaining, needing wins in their remaining two games for a chance to move past the Habs.

For their part, the Canadiens conclude their regular season on Wednesday against the Carolina Hurricanes at home, in a relatively must-win affair, even if they need just a single point. The 24-46-11 Blackhawks, who are last in Central Division, play their last game on the road tomorrow night, visiting the Ottawa Senators. Both Nazar, who also had an assist, and Joel Armia (two assists) equalled Demidov’s game-high two points on the night. Blackhawks forward Ryan Greene, who went 57th overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, also made his debut in the game.