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MONTREAL \u2014 In a game Monday billed as the Canadiens\u2019 biggest in years, it was the Blackhawks who earned arguably their biggest victory in years.<\/p>\n
Hawks rookie Frank Nazar led a valiant charge inside an electrified Bell Centre, eventually scoring a Patrick Kane-esque goal that nobody noticed in the shootout, to lift the visitors to a 4-3 victory and deny the Canadiens another opportunity to clinch a playoff spot.<\/p>\n
It was the kind of performance that, years from now, might be looked back on as a turning point in the Hawks\u2019 trajectory. Months after some soul-searching conversations about their lack of a team identity, they seem to be identifying and building one at last.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018That\u2019s probably the most momentous game that we\u2019ve had \u2014 like, a game that mattered,\u2019\u2019 captain Nick Foligno said. \u2018\u2018It was nice to be a part of it and not see our guys get overwhelmed by the moment. .\u2009.\u2009. It\u2019s really encouraging to see our group find a way to come through in a time where maybe our habits and attitude didn\u2019t allow us to in games previous.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Fifteen minutes in, the game already seemed to be a potentially rebuild-defining contest for both teams \u2014 but in a very different way.<\/p>\n
Russian teenager Ivan Demidov, who upon his arrival in Montreal this past weekend was heralded as some kind of mythical hero, fully lived up to the ridiculously high expectations in his NHL debut. He did all the work to set up the Canadiens\u2019 first goal, then scored the second one himself, deking out Hawks goalie Arvid Soderblom to make it 2-0.<\/p>\n
Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson\u2019s decision to draft defenseman Artyom Levshunov instead of Demidov with the No. 2 overall pick last summer, a controversial call at the time, will be scrutinized for years. It might become a legacy-defining moment for Davidson if Levshunov and Demidov wind up achieving significantly different levels of success.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s way too early to make any judgments about whether that will happen \u2014 and, if so, which player will be better \u2014 but that didn\u2019t stop plenty of Hawks fans from overreacting on social media Monday. It also didn\u2019t stop Canadiens fans in attendance \u2014 Davidson and Hawks chairman Danny Wirtz were there, too, it\u2019s worth noting \u2014 from expressing their jubilation.<\/p>\n
The fact the Hawks\u2019 ultra-young team pulled off what they did in the remaining 45 minutes in that kind of environment, against an opponent with so much to play for, made it all the more remarkable. It was only the Hawks\u2019 ninth road victory of the season, and they had wilted in the face of far less pressure during many of their previous 31 road losses.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the only disappointing aspect of this recent 3-1-1 Hawks surge is that it comes at the end of the season. It\u2019s not going to translate seamlessly to October. But it has begun to reveal what this new, young core might be able to accomplish, especially once they gain more experience.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018The resolve [and] the understanding of how to play as a team, I saw that tonight,\u2019\u2019 Foligno said.<\/p>\n
Nazar led the way, setting up a power-play goal by Tyler Bertuzzi in the second period and ripping another power-play goal himself in the third. <\/p>\n
He terrorized Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, a Calder Trophy candidate (and a good friend of his), on the forecheck and on the rush all night.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018[Nazar] was dynamite,\u2019\u2019 interim coach Anders Sorensen said before adding something even more pointed: \u2018\u2018I thought he was the best player on the ice [on] both teams.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Lukas Reichel temporarily gave the Hawks the lead, but the Canadiens got a late equalizer to force overtime. That\u2019s another situation in which the Hawks typically had faltered this season, but they didn\u2019t this time.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018If that\u2019s what playoff hockey is going to sound like,\u2019\u2019 Nazar said, \u2018\u2018I\u2019m really excited for that in the future.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Soderblom was brilliant in the shootout (formerly a weakness of his), stopping all three Canadiens shooters in various impressive fashions. It\u2019s Nazar\u2019s converted attempts, however, that will be remembered for years.<\/p>\n
He tucked a backhand shot into the roof of the net, but the puck lodged near Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault\u2019s water bottle. Nobody except Nazar realized it went in as he skated back to the bench, and it just so happened that he didn\u2019t celebrate enough to call attention to that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI gave everybody fist-bumps, and everybody was like, \u2018What are you doing?\u2019\u201d Nazar said. \u201cI get on the bench and go up to [Foligno] and say, \u2018I scored, right?\u2019 He goes, \u2018No, nice try, bro.\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018What?! I scored! I know I scored!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The on-ice referees didn\u2019t check the replay \u2014 and then check the net \u2014 until after Montreal\u2019s Patrik Laine was stopped on the ensuing attempt. Sportsnet\u2019s Elliote Friedman reported that the NHL situation room did alert the penalty-box officials before Laine\u2019s attempt, though.<\/p>\n
“[Nazar] was coming by and giving high-fives to everybody,\u201d Sorensen said. \u201cSome of the guys looked at me, and I\u2019m like, \u2018He must have scored.\u2019 But then we looked up, and it had an \u2018X\u2019 [on the scoreboard]. It was kind of strange. And then Laine just went at it, so we didn\u2019t have a chance to [ask], \u2018Hey, what\u2019s going on?\u2019 So, yeah, [I\u2019m glad] it worked out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The contrast in reception for Hawks rookie Ryan Greene and Demidov\u2019s consecutive \u201crookie laps\u201d at the start of warmups was comical, but Greene \u2014 a Newfoundland native who did have a sizable contingent of supporters in attendance \u2014 surely expected no different.<\/p>\n
Greene, centering the third line between Foligno and Oliver Moore, logged 12:55 of ice time in a relatively quiet NHL debut. He won three of nine faceoffs. He said the speed of decision-making required at this level was the biggest thing he learned. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to know your next play before you get the puck, so it took me a little bit to adjust to that,\u201d Greene said.<\/p>\n
Sorensen, before the game, praised his skating and described him as a center who \u201cerrs on the defensive side more than anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis, during his pre-game press conference Monday, compared Rory McIlroy\u2019s dramatic Sunday at The Masters to his team\u2019s ongoing fight to secure a playoff berth for the first time since 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much better is Rory from that experience today because he did it himself versus just winning it [by default]?\u201d St. Louis rhetorically asked.<\/p>\n
It was against a team with that sense of gravitas and urgency that the Hawks rallied. The Canadiens have now lost three straight while the Blue Jackets have won four straight, making what once seemed like a wrapped-up wild-card race interesting again. <\/p>\n
The Canadiens are four points ahead with one game left at home Wednesday against the Hurricanes; that will present another clinching opportunity. The Jackets have two games left (against the Flyers and Islanders) and could grab the tiebreaker if they win both in regulation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n