The Chicago Blackhawks snapped a five-game losing streak on Friday night, defeating the Montreal Canadiens 4–2 at United Center.
Captain Nick Foligno led the charge with two goals, while Arvid Soderblom made 38 saves to secure the victory. Tyler Bertuzzi and Patrick Maroon also scored for Chicago.
Foligno sealed the win with his second goal, delivering a much-needed boost for a team coming off a demoralizing Winter Classic loss to the St. Louis Blues.
After the game, Foligno emphasized the importance of the victory.
“Huge, huge,” Foligno said, via Bruce Miles of NHL.com. “Just for our fans. We left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, ourselves mostly, in how we played in that Winter Classic.
“We want to make sure we’re proud of the brand of hockey we’re putting out there, and that’s more the Blackhawk brand they’re expecting to see.”
The win comes days after a frustrating 6–2 defeat to the Blues at Wrigley Field, where Foligno openly lamented the team’s performance.
“It’s just embarrassing to lose 6-2 in an environment like that,” Foligno said. ‘‘On this stage, with the excitement that we had before the game, I thought this was going to be a turning point for our club. And obviously, it wasn’t.”
Teammate and young phenom Connor Bedard also sounded off on the team’s loss at such a particular event against the Blues.
“It’s a special day,” Bedard said, per NHL’s Dan Rosen. “How many teams are playing outdoors this year? Four. So, we are fortunate to be one of those picked, and we kind of get dog-walked there. It’s frustrating for sure.”
Following Friday’s win, the Blackhawks improved to a 13-24-2 record and will look to string two victories as they are scheduled to face the struggling New York Rangers on Sunday.
