Nick Foligno tallies twice as Blackhawks top Habs, end skid

Field Level Media|published: Fri 3rd January, 22:57 2025

Jan 3, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Montreal Canadiens center Alex Newhook (15) moves the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Nick Foligno scored two goals and Arvid Soderblom stopped 38 shots to lift the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-2 victory against the visiting Montreal Canadiens on Friday.

Tyler Bertuzzi and Patrick Maroon also scored for Chicago, which snapped a five-game losing streak while ending Montreal's three-game winning streak.

Emil Heineman scored on a power play with 10:15 left in the game to bring Montreal within a goal, but the Blackhawks held on for their first win since Dec. 19. Their losing streak matched a season high and included three straight defeats by four goals.

Foligno provided the final margin with 4:09 to go, scoring after a shot from Alex Vlasic rattled off both posts.

Cole Caufield also scored and Mike Matheson collected two assists for the Canadiens, who got 22 saves from Sam Montembault.

Chicago capitalized on an early five-on-three opportunity, awarded when Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble committed separate penalties against the Blackhawks' Frank Nazar within a few seconds. Bertuzzi tucked in a cross-ice saucer pass from Teuvo Teravainen past Montembault at 3:21 of the first period.

Caufield tied the game with 1:36 remaining in the opening period. He gathered a pass from Mike Matheson down low, maneuvered in front of the net and sent a wrist shot top-shelf over Soderblom's right shoulder on the short side. Caufield had extra time and room with Chicago's Louis Crevier caught out of position.

The Blackhawks regained the advantage at 7:05 of the second period when Foligno's backhand redirect of a Wyatt Kaiser wrist shot from the slot beat Montembault.

Soderblom kept Chicago in the lead with a sequence of tough saves late in the second period. Montembault denied Nazar on a breakaway opportunity with just over a minute to play in the second.

Maroon netted just his second goal since joining the Blackhawks in the offseason at 3:01 of the third, scoring in transition after a turnover to put Chicago ahead 3-1. Vlasic preserved the two-goal advantage moments later when he cleared a puck off the goal line.

Connor Bedard registered the secondary assist on Bertuzzi's goal to extend his career-best points streak to six games. He has three goals and five assists over that span.

--Field Level Media