Here's my three takeaways from tonight's 2-1 Montreal Canadiens win over the Winnipeg Jets in the Heritage Classic, brought to you by Snap Bar Sportif in Rigaud and Biggs in Hudson. 1- Just have fun Hockey fans have to stop being so curmudgeonly. I get it. The outdoor game concept has become somewhat saturated over the years, and the novelty has certainly worn off. Most stadiums don't translate well to television for hockey, and the fans often seem miles away from the action rather than right on top of it like they are in a arena. But so what? Not everything has to be about you. For the city hosting an outdoor game, it's an event. It's an opportunity to showcase the city, create an atmosphere and give fans an experience that doesn't come around very often. For the players, it's a welcome break from the monotony of an 82-game schedule. It's also an opportunity to share some special moments with family members, many of whom sacrificed an incredible amount of time, money and energy to help them reach the highest level of the sport. And for the fans in attendance, especially the kids, it's the kind of experience that can create memories that last a lifetime. I can almost guarantee I'll remember this game more vividly than some random Tuesday night in February against a mediocre Western Conference opponent. Not because the hockey was necessarily better, but because the occasion made it different. 2- Party poopers When you're hosting an event of this magnitude, you want to put on a show for the home crowd. And from just about every standpoint, Winnipeg delivered. The introductions, the stadium setup, the atmosphere and even the entertainment during the intermissions were all first class. It looked and felt like a major event, exactly what the NHL should be striving for with these outdoor games. Unfortunately, the one thing the organizers couldn't control was the performance of the home team. The Jets gave their fans absolutely very little to cheer about. Thousands of people were waiting for that one moment to erupt, and it wasn't until there were just 4:36 remaining in regulation the Jets finally got on the board. Credit the Canadiens for playing the role of party poopers to perfection. For the second consecutive game, Montreal entered the third period protecting a lead and looked completely comfortable doing so. There was no panic, no unnecessary risk-taking and, perhaps most importantly, no prolonged stretches of chaos in their own zone. And when Winnipeg did manage to generate something dangerous, Jacob Fowler was there to shut the door. His glove save on Mark Scheifele was the perfect example. It was the type of save that can change the momentum of a game, but Fowler made sure the Jets never got that spark. It's also worth wondering whether the collapse against San Jose might eventually be remembered as an important moment in Montreal's season. Sometimes a team needs to learn a lesson the hard way, and blowing a late lead gave Martin St. Louis the perfect opening to deliver a stern message about game management, defensive responsibility and what it takes to close out games. Two games don't establish a trend, but the early response has certainly been encouraging. 3- Goals from the backend The Canadiens continue to get meaningful offensive contributions from their defence, and at this point it's becoming more of an expectation than a pleasant surprise. With goals from Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle, Montreal is now up to seven goals from defencemen this season, following a season which they finished among the NHL's top ten in that category. And it's not difficult to understand why. When you look at how this blue line has been constructed, you can really start to appreciate the vision behind it. Mobility, skating ability, puck movement and offensive instincts are clearly priorities. The Canadiens don't just want defencemen who can defend. They want players who can help dictate the pace of the game, transition the puck efficiently and become active participants in the offence. Hutson is obviously the most dynamic example, but Guhle's ability to contribute offensively shouldn't be overlooked either. When your defencemen can create offence in different ways, it becomes that much more difficult for opponents to contain your attack. Arber Xhekaj is the one player who doesn't necessarily fit the same mould, but that's not a bad thing. Xhekaj brings a physical element that complements the rest of the group. More importantly, he's been playing some of his best hockey during this first month of the season. And perhaps the most encouraging part of Montreal's situation is the depth. Both Adam Engstrom and David Reinbacher have demonstrated that they're capable of playing at the NHL level, giving the Canadiens options. But the foundation is becoming clear. @tsn690

Here's my three takeaways from tonight's 4-1 Montreal Canadiens win over the Chicago Blackhawks, brought to you by Snap Bar Sportif in Rigaud and Biggs in Hudson. 1- Night one without Suzuki was OK The Canadiens are going to have to find a way to tread water without Nick Suzuki, and tonight was a good opportunity to pick up two points to start an extended road trip. As for Oliver Kapanen filling Suzuki's spot? He was... OK. His line finished with a 47.3 per cent Corsi share, but was out chanced and surrendered more high-danger scoring opportunities than it generated. They were also on the ice for Chicago's lone goal, although that came off an unfortunate sequence when Juraj Slafkovsky attempted to dump the puck in and hit a linesman, leading to a turnover. There were also some adjustments on the power play, with Montreal using a different look that featured Noah Dobson in a two-defenceman setup. The Canadiens generated some opportunities but couldn't capitalize. All things considered, Kapanen didn't look out of place in a much bigger role. He wasn't spectacular, but he didn't need to be. Replacing Suzuki isn't something one player is going to accomplish, and expecting Kapanen to suddenly provide everything the captain brings would be completely unrealistic. But let's also keep things in perspective. This was one game against a bad hockey team. The competition is going to get tougher, the matchups more challenging, and the responsibilities more demanding. That's when we'll get a much better idea of how well Kapanen can handle the assignment. 2- Jake Evans had himself a night One of the best nights of Jake Evans' career, with three points, including what turned out to be the game-winning goal. It was the third three point game of his career. Evans is a valuable player for the Canadiens, and his value has very little to do with offensive production. He kills penalties, handles difficult defensive assignments, skates well, forechecks effectively and is the type of player a coach can trust in just about any situation. But tonight, he provided the offence too. With Suzuki unavailable, Montreal is going to have to find ways to manufacture offence throughout its lineup. There's no replacing the captain's production, leadership and all-around impact with one player. It's going to have to be a collective effort. And with an "A" on his jersey in Suzuki's absence, Evans certainly led by example. The Canadiens aren't going to get three points from Jake Evans every night. But if they're going to navigate this stretch successfully, they'll need different players to step up at different times. Tonight, it was Evans' turn. 3- They did it! It's about time. The Canadiens won a game in regulation. The Canadiens protected a third-period lead. The Canadiens took care of a team they absolutely should beat. And there were some noticeable differences in how the Canadiens approached the third period compared to games in which they've squandered leads. For starters, they simplified things. They weren't trying to force plays through the neutral zone or make the perfect pass every time they had the puck. They were content to chip pucks deep, get in on the forecheck and make Chicago work to get out of its own end. They were hungry on loose pucks, won battles and, perhaps most importantly, looked like the team that wanted it more. There's a time and place for creativity, but when you're protecting a lead in the third period, there's absolutely nothing wrong with dumbing down your game a little. It might not be the most exciting brand of hockey, but winning hockey isn't always pretty. And after the terrible collapse against San Jose on Tuesday, this was exactly the kind of response the Canadiens needed. Now the challenge is proving they can do it consistently, especially against better competition. @tsn690