The Chicago Blackhawks have been the least-played rivals for the Montreal Canadiens from the five other Original Six teams. It makes sense, as the teams have the longest distance to travel amongst the group, and the Blackhawks moved to a different conference as soon as the league expanded. The Canadiens have been dominating the all-time series against the Blackhawks, leading 359-191-105.
Montreal is also in the middle of a four-game winning streak, sweeping the season series in back-to-back years. The Canadiens played stingy defense against the Blackhawks in both games last year, winning 3-2 and 5-2.
The Blackhawks took a 2-0 lead in their most recent game, before the Canadiens rallied with five consecutive goals for the victory. Mitchell Stephens started the scoring in the second period, before Josh Anderson and Juraj Slafkofsky gave them a 3-2 lead by the end of the second period. Nick Suzuki and David Savard added the insurance markers in the third.
Canadiens-Blackhawks Playoff History
The Canadiens and Blackhawks have played each other quite often in the postseason, totaling 17 times, mostly all in the Original Six era. The Canadiens have won five consecutive series, with their recent victory coming in the 1976 quarterfinals. Montreal has beaten Chicago in five Stanley Cup Finals.
The Blackhawks' best opportunity to defeat the Canadiens in the finals was in 1971. The Canadiens were trying to win back the Stanley Cup after the Boston Bruins had won in 1970, but the Blackhawks took a 2-0 series lead in the finals. Montreal rallied back to make the series 3-2 in favor of Chicago, and the Blackhawks also had a 3-2 lead going into the third period of Game 6. However, the Canadiens mounted another comeback, then won the deciding Game 7 to steal the trophy.
Canadiens-Blackhawks Historical Trades
The most recent important trade between these teams was at the 2022 draft when the Canadiens acquired Kirby Dach for some draft picks. The Canadiens were ready for Dach to become a valuable contributor, but a mixture of injuries and slow starts have hurt his tenure.
The older Canadiens fans will remember the Chris Chelios trade as the more memorable deal between the teams. The Canadiens traded Chelios and a second-round pick to the Blackhawks for Denis Savard.