Heartbreak in Chicago: Canadiens Edge Blackhawks 3-2 for Hawks’ Third Straight Defeat

The Chicago Blackhawks are still searching for their first win of the season, falling to the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in their centennial home opener. The loss on Saturday night was the Blackhawks’ third straight defeat, despite flashes of offensive brilliance from their top prospects. Sam Rinzel, playing in just his 12th NHL game, electrified the United Center crowd with his first career NHL goal, and the young duo of Frank Nazar and Connor Bedard teamed up for a power-play goal to knot the score at 2-2 in the second period. However, Montreal’s Kaiden Guhle netted the decisive goal with under 16 seconds to play to secure the victory for the Canadiens.

Montreal Canadiens Lineup:

Caufield – Suzuki – Slafkovsky
Bolduc – Dach – Gallagher
Newhook – Kapanen – Demidov
Andersen – Evans – Laine

Matheson – Dobson
Guhle – Hutson
Xhekaj – Carrier

Montembeault
Dobes

Chicago Blackhawks Lineup:

Dach – Bedard – Burakovsky
Teravainen – Nazar – Bertuzzi
Donato – Greene – Mikheyev
Foligno – Reichel – Lafferty

Vlasic – Rinzel
Grzelcyk – Murphy
Kaiser – Crevier

Knight
Soderblom

After a scoreless first, Cole Caufield got it started when he put Montreal ahead 1-0 at 17:15, scoring on the man-advantage after the Canadiens went 0-for-4 on the power play in the opening frame. He batted the puck into the net past Spencer Knight after Zack Bolduc shot from the left face-off circle. The goal had been upheld after replay review determined Caufield’s stick was not above the crossbar. Sam Rinzel, finding his first NHL career goal, tied it 1-1 at 15:26 right off the face-off when he moved into the right circle, snapping a wrister over Sam Montembeault’s right shoulder. Not long after Chicago’s first goal, Bolduc put the Canadiens back in front 2-1 when he struck on the power play on a rebound of Caufield’s shot, poking the puck into the net from the crease at 14:15. Connor Bedard picked up his second goal of the season, his second straight in the past three games, when he deflected in a shot by Frank Nazar. Teuvo Teravainen, who was in the left face-off circle, fed the puck to Nazar, who was on the right.

Kaiden Guhle put home the game-winner with only 15 seconds left to play in the third period on a shot from the high slot and through traffic, Juraj Slafkovsky in front of the net.

Notes:

– Frank Nazar and Teuvo Teravainen each picked up a pair of assists.

– This was Chicago’s home opener, and their 100th anniversary season.

– Spencer Knight made a total of 25 saves for Chicago.

– After playing in the Blackhawks’ first two games of the season, Artyom Levshunov was a healthy scratch.

– Zack Bolduc scored for the third straight game and picked up an assist, Nick Suzuki collected three assists, and Cole Caufield picked up both a goal and an assist. …Bolduc, in his first three games with the Canadiens since being traded from the St. Louis Blues on July 1, has four points (three goals, one assist). …Bolduc became the first Montreal Canadiens player since Yanic Perreault in 2001-02 to score in each of his first three games with the franchise.

– Sam Montembeault made a total of 20 saves for Montreal.

– Montreal had 10 power plays, scoring on two of those. The teams combined for 56 penalty minutes, 39 against the Blackhawks.