NHL Results: Friday, October 23, 2026

Connor Bedard gave Chicago an early jolt when he converted a sweet feed from Patrick Kane just four minutes in, but the rest of the night belonged entirely to Jake Evans and the Canadiens. Evans answered late in the opening frame before delivering the game's defining moment midway through the second period: a ruthless shorthanded breakaway strike that sucked the air out of the United Center. He was not done there, feeding Kaiden Guhle late in the second to stretch the lead to two. Montreal dominated the physical battle with 23 hits, and Mike Matheson salted the game away with under three minutes remaining in regulation. Between the pipes, Jacob Fowler turned aside 20 of 21 shots to record a crisp .952 save percentage and anchor Montreal to a commanding 4-1 victory. It was a complete team effort that pushes the Habs to 5-3-2 on the season, while the scuffling Blackhawks sink further into the Central Division basement at 3-7-0.

Nathan MacKinnon turned a clash of recent Stanley Cup champions into his personal playground in Denver. Colorado’s superstar center orchestrated a dominant four-point night, dismantling Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Lightning in a 6-3 thriller. The Avalanche set the tone immediately. Devon Toews buried a feed just 68 seconds into the opening period, followed by a Nazem Kadri power-play strike to leave Tampa Bay chasing shadows early. Though Jake Guentzel tried dragging the Lightning back into contention with a pair of goals, including a late second-period tally that cut the deficit to two, MacKinnon slammed the door shut early in the third. Taking a pass from Artturi Lehkonen, he snapped one past Vasilevskiy before Martin Necas iced the contest with under three minutes remaining. Mackenzie Blackwood was rock solid at the other end, turning aside 31 shots to weather Tampa Bay’s heavy physical push. The Avalanche offense looks completely unstoppable when their top stars click like this, giving Central Division rivals plenty of sleepless nights ahead.