Habs Daily: Players Under Pressure, Evans Steps Up, Guhle

Here are the Montreal Canadiens and NHL news items from Friday you may have missed.

Believe it or not, the Canadiens actually managed to close out a game in which they had a two-goal lead, and they did so without captain Nick Suzuki. Jake Evans took the lead on Friday versus the Chicago Blackhawks, contributing a pair of goals to the cause. [ Canadiens Highlights: Evans Delivers When It Matters Most ]

With Suzuki out of the commission for two to four weeks, the Canadiens will have to count on several players to step up in his absence. Players such as Kirby Dach, Oliver Kapanen, and Alex Newhook have no choice but to elevate their game to a new level. [ Five Canadiens Under The Spotlight Amid Suzuki's Absence ]

Evans deserves plenty of praise for his impact on Friday, but Kaiden Guhle's performance should not be overlooked. It was one of the best games of his young career, and that goes well beyond his insurance goal in the second period.

NHL Game Score Impact Card for Montréal Canadiens on 2026-10-23: — HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) October 24, 2026

NHL Game Score Impact Card for Montréal Canadiens on 2026-10-23:

HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) October 24, 2026

Owen Beck registered his first point of the season, the result of an intense forecheck that kept the Blackhawks pinned in their own zone for most of the night.

Great pressure by the fourth line leads to Evan's first point of the year. Excellent work by Beck, Dach, and Evans on the forecheck. — Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) October 24, 2026

Great pressure by the fourth line leads to Evan's first point of the year. Excellent work by Beck, Dach, and Evans on the forecheck.

Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) October 24, 2026

Prospect Luke Mittelstadt continues to enjoy a dream season in the AHL. He now has 15 points in eight games, which is good for first overall in league scoring. His fellow defenceman, Reilly Walsh, is also having a great time with the Laval Rocket. He has scored 12 points, good for third in scoring among all AHL defencemen.

Also worth pointing out all three scoring leaders are defenceman, and Mittelstadt's teammate, Reilly Walsh, is also among the top scorers in the AHL. — Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) October 24, 2026

Also worth pointing out all three scoring leaders are defenceman, and Mittelstadt's teammate, Reilly Walsh, is also among the top scorers in the AHL.

ICYMI: There was some very unfortunate news on Thursday, as captain Nick Suzuki is set to miss two to four weeks with an upper-body injury. Consequently, he will miss the first game of his career since ascending to the NHL. There's no doubt the Canadiens will be put to the ultimate test, owing to Suzuki's irreplaceable impact in all aspects of play. [ Suzuki Injury: Canadiens Face Their Ultimate Stress Test ]

Sunny Mehta made his biggest move yet as general manager of the New Jersey Devils. He shored up his goaltenidng situation considerably, acquiring star netminder Connor Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a sum-of-the-parts return. [ New Jersey Devils ]

Nothing that happens in the NHL occurs in a vacuum as it pertains to the New York Rangers. So, after the New Jersey Devils acquired Hellebuyck in a blockbuster trade with the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, of course there's going to be some effect on the Rangers. [ New York Rangers ]

The Carolina Hurricanes' 6-5 shootout loss to the Edmonton Oilers was certainly not short of action, story lines, and controversy. [ Carolina Hurricanes ]