TAKEAWAYS: Blackhawks Lose Lead in 5-2 Defeat Against Canadiens 

In the first period, Ryan Donato helped set the tone for the Chicago Blackhawks and scored the first goal to build some momentum. From there, the team carried it to the second period until the Montreal Canadiens found their rhythm. 

Despite a 2-0 lead in the first half of the second period, the Blackhawks dropped in a 5-2 final against the Canadiens on Friday night. Jason Dickinson, who notched his 10th goal this season, noticed that the team simply lost control of their game. 

“We didn't get in their zone, we didn't create anything, we didn't get enough shots,” Dickinson said. “So, it's hard to win games when they control the whole third period, and you're down a goal.” 

After Montreal’s Mitchell Stephens notched the Canadiens’ first goal of the night, the team went on to score four more after they found their chances.

Isaak Phillips described Montreal’s contest as a “run-and-gun game” due to the way they found their opportunities. Instead of adding more pressure from the defense, the Canadiens took advantage of the open spaces. 

“We don't want to get into that with them going back and forth, back and forth with chances and we kind of let that seep into our game,” Phillips said. 

Head coach Luke Richardson agreed with Phillips’ statement because he felt that his players simply did not follow their game plan. He also noticed the way that the Blackhawks left open chances for the Canadiens, who entered their second straight game. 

I think we didn't forecheck hard enough on a team that maybe is tired,” Richardson said. “When we did, we kind of went at them not smartly or had two guys going at the same guy and then they broke out pretty easily.” 

The team entered the matchup coming off a 3-2 victory against Colorado on Tuesday night and looked for their second back-to-back victories but came up short. Dickinson described the team’s frustration with finding more wins but also noted that some changes might need to be made in their game.

The Blackhawks play one more game against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night before the NHL holiday break. 

“The intentions are there,” Dickinson said. “We want to do the right things, we want to win, we want to battle but execution isn't there all the time.”