In the Habs Room: Windy City reruns with Kirby Dach star

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CHICAGO — Kirby Duck couldn’t have written a better script for his return to the Windy City.

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Duck, returning to Chicago for the first time since being traded to the Canadiens in an offseason, scored the winning goal in a shootout as Montreal beat the Blackhawks, 3-2, on a holiday matinee at the United Center. I was.

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Boos ensued as Dak stepped onto the ice, but he silenced the crowd when he pushed a shot inside the far post to knock down Arvid Soderblom and end the match.

“I heard the boos, but I was enjoying the celebration,” Duck said, putting his right hand to his ear and causing a commotion in the crowd. Yes, but I did it when I was booed as a junior, so I thought it would fit.

“There’s nothing better than coming back to where you played and doing a show like that,” Duck said.

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He was drafted 3rd overall by the Blackhawks in 2019, but was traded to the Canadiens, who were a first-round pick by the New York Islanders. His time in Chicago was marred by a wrist injury requiring surgery and a disappointing performance on the ice, but the 21-year-old Duck tried to focus on the positive aspects of the trade.

“Every time I get traded, I get a little upset,” he said. “But I’m happy to be in Montreal. The Canadiens really wanted me here.

Dach lined up after linemates Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki scored.

“He certainly showed dramatic talent,” St. Louis said of Duck. “I liked the way he played and he had the opportunity to be a player like him and to be in that position at the end. And he did a great job for us. ”

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Suzuki, who became the first NHL player to score a 3-3 shootout this season, and Joel Edmundson scored Montreal’s goal in regulation, while Sean Monaghan provided two assists. It was Edmundson’s first goal of the season, and Suzuki gave Caulfield the team lead with 12 goals.

Sam Montembaugh, who was winning in Columbus on Wednesday, had another strong performance with 30 saves along with a stop in the shootout.

“It’s a great feeling to have the coaches start for the second time in a week,” Montembaugh said. Cornelison) also lifts your spirits, and of course it’s great to win two trips.”

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“Monty deserved to have a second shot in a row, but he didn’t do it this year. He was sharp,” St. Louis said.

With the win, the Canadiens went 11-9-1, two games above the .500 batting average. Montembeault said the team has cleaned up many of the mistakes it made in the stretch leading up to the road trip.

Montambour pushed his record to 5-2-1 and lowered his average to 2.48 on target. 924 save percentage, sixth best in the NHL.

Rookie Juraj Slavkowski left the game in the third period after being hit by a high hit from Jason Dickinson along the sideboard. There were no penalties on the play, but Josh Anderson said he wouldn’t be surprised if the NHL’s player safety department reviewed the play.

“I watched it in slow motion and it looked like he had him in his head,” Anderson said.

Slavkowski was back on the bench with a minute to go, but the ice was out of sight.

phickey@postmedia.com

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