Zachary Bolduc, Lane Hutson lead Canadiens past Blackhawks 4-1

Montreal Canadiens' Zachary Bolduc (76) celebrates his goal with teammates Alexandre Carrier (45) and Lane Hutson (48) during first period NHL hockey action against the Chicago Blackhawks in Montreal on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (The Canadian Press/Christopher Katsarov)

Zachary Bolduc scored twice and Lane Hutson produced three assists as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Thursday night.

Noah Dobson also scored for Montreal (18-12-4), while Jakub Dobes stopped 14 shots. Nick Suzuki added an empty-net goal and one assist.

Frank Nazar scored the lone goal for Chicago (13-15-6) in the team’s second game without injured star centre Connor Bedard.

Spencer Knight made 32 saves as the Blackhawks lost for the fourth straight game.

Nazar opened the scoring on Chicago’s first shot, redirecting a pass behind Dobes after a Canadiens defensive breakdown at 7:27 in the first period.

Bolduc cranked a one-timer from the slot off a Cole Caufield feed to tie the game at 14:23 with his eighth of the season, and first at the Bell Centre.

The 22-year-old Bolduc from Trois-Rivières, Que., added his second of the night with a deflection 20 seconds into the third period, before Dobson made it 3-1 at the 10-minute mark after chasing down a rebound.

It was a successful night for coach’s challenges. The Canadiens had two goals overturned for offside, and one Blackhawks goal was brought back for goalie interference.

Takeaways

Canadiens: Dominated the shots 35-15 in a game that wasn’t as tightly contested as the score indicated much of the night. Hutson led the team with 26:19 of ice time in its second straight game without injured defenceman Mike Matheson (upper body).

Blackhawks: Nazar pretended to throw a monkey off his back after ending a 21-game goalless drought. Knight kept the Blackhawks alive for much of the game while the Canadiens drove the play.

Key moment

Bolduc — acquired from St. Louis last summer — let out a huge cheer and pumped his fists as the crowd erupted after his first goal in the Canadiens’ home jersey.

Key stat

With his assist on Bolduc’s first goal, Hutson became the first defenceman in Canadiens history to record 60 in a calendar year.

Up next

Canadiens: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

Blackhawks: Visit the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 18, 2025.