CHICAGO (AP) -- After being shut out in their previous two games, the Montreal Canadiens were focused and fired-up Wednesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Shayne Corson, Patrick Poulin and Saku Koivu scored first-period goals and the Canadiens went on to a 4-1 win over the Blackhawks.

Martin Rucinsky added a third-period goal for Montreal, which ended a two-game losing streak and moved to 8-2-0 in its last 10 games.

"Before the game, there was a sense the guys were ready," said Koivu, who skated in his fifth game after missing 40 with a dislocated shoulder. "The team played strong in the first period and then in the second and third, we played well defensively and didn't take any risks."

Jeff Hackett made 23 saves, and Benoit Brunet had two assists for Montreal.

"These two points were very important ... we needed them badly," Montreal coach Alain Vigneault said. "We prepared very seriously here the last two days."

With the victory, Montreal climbed to 62 points, three points out of the eighth and the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

Steve Sullivan had Chicago's lone goal as the Blackhawks' two-game winning streak ended.

"Sometimes when the game goes the way it did, you have to give the other team credit," Blackhawks associate coach Lorne Molleken said. "Certainly Montreal deserves some credit tonight, but the first period we weren't interested at all."

During the game, the Canadiens traded defenseman Vladimir Malakhov to the New Jersey Devils for defensemen Sheldon Souray and Josh DeWolf and a second-round draft pick in 2001.

Chicago center Doug Gilmour left the game during the second period, reportedly because of an impending trade. However, after the game, Molleken said Gilmour was ill.

Montreal took a 3-0 lead in the first period on power-play, shorthanded and even-strength goals.

Corson made it 1-0 during a power-play at 9:49 when he swept the puck past Jocelyn Thibault from the side of the net.

While Montreal was down a man, Poulin extended it to 2-0 with 6:36 left when he picked of Michael Nylander's blind breakout pass and cruised in alone down the slot.

Koivu gave the Canadiens a 3-0 advantage with 1:45 left.

Sullivan cut the lead to 3-1 with 5:45 left in the second period by completing a 2-on-1 with Nylander. Sullivan's shot from a sharp angle bounded in off Hackett's pad.

Rucinsky was credited with a power-play goal at 5:04 the third when Trevor Linden's rebound attempt apparently deflected in off him.