A three-game winning streak against playoff contenders has vaulted the Montreal Canadiens into the postseason hunt and buoyed their self-confidence.
Montreal will aim to keep its good fortunes rolling Friday on the road against the skidding Chicago Blackhawks, a foe that will take any positive vibes it can get.
Chicago totes a season-high-tying five-game losing streak into the contest, with the past three defeats all coming by four goals. The Blackhawks hadn’t lost three straight games by at least four goals since 1987.
The Blackhawks’ morale arguably plummeted to a new low Tuesday night. Skating on de facto home ice in the NHL Winter Classic at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, they were buried 6-2 by the rival St. Louis Blues, falling to 0-5-0 all-time in the league’s regular-season showcase event.
“I’m shocked at how we played,” Chicago’s Taylor Hall said. “Just really disappointing. Our fans, they’ve been through so a lot this year and they came to support us so much … For us to lay an egg like that, I’m really sad for the people that support us, and for us in here, it’s got to be a huge wake-up call, just how hard we have to play.”
Along with looking inward, the Blackhawks can examine Montreal’s recent surge for motivation for a turnaround.
Five games below .500 after being outscored 13-4 in consecutive mid-December losses, the Canadiens have responded by winning six of seven.
Montreal entered Thursday three points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot. The Canadiens’ past three victims all would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. They include the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights.
“We’re finally starting to see results for the work we’ve been putting in and the kind of grind that we’re going through as a team,” Montreal’s Kirby Dach said. “It’s nice to be rewarded.”
Added Emil Heineman: “We know we’re a good group and a good team out there. So sticking with it and … never giving up. We believe in ourselves out there.”
Dach scored the game-winner at Vegas on Tuesday as the Canadiens rebounded from an early two-goal deficit to win 3-2. After losing 5-4 at Columbus to begin a six-game road trip, Montreal has prevailed by a combined count of 12-4 over the past three games.
“I think it’s an evolution a bit, it’s a progression,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “Our team recently really believes in what we’re doing. It’s not a magic trick. We’re doing simple things consistently. On the other side of that, there’s magic that happens if you have consistency.”
Chicago has been outscored 27-12 during the losing streak, which matches a five-game skid from Nov. 29 to Dec. 7.
Leading scorer Connor Bedard has provided much of the attack during the most recent slide, carrying a five-game point streak that includes three goals and four assists.
Chicago on Thursday recalled Dach’s younger brother Colton from AHL affiliate Rockford in a bid to spark the offense. Colton Dach has six points in his last four games and 25 points in 30 games overall. In a corresponding move, Joey Anderson was assigned to Rockford.
–Field Level Media
