Juraj Slafkovsky will always hold a place in his heart for this game on October 20, 2022. If the Arizona Coyotes are anything but a memorable team, Slafkovsky had a night impossible to forget.
• Read also: Moments to savor
• Read also: A new retro jersey for the Canadiens inspired by the Expos uniform
Two days ago, Slafkvosky expressed the following wish.
“I have no choice now, I will have to score my first NHL goal in Montreal. I want to know this feeling. »
He now knows that feeling.
“It’s the best feeling of my life,” said Slafkovsky in the Canadiens locker room following the convincing 6-2 win.
In the second period, he beat Connor Ingram with a powerful shot under his mitt. Number 20 then celebrated in style. He touched the CH logo, hugged his teammates Jake Evans, Mike Hoffman, Arber Xhekaj and Chris Wideman and whispered sweet words in the ears of Josh Brown. The big Coyotes defender had tried to overthrow him with a check a few seconds earlier.
Xhekaj the bully
At the presentation of his goal by Michel Lacroix, the voice of the Bell Centre, Slafkovsky greeted the crowd with his glove. There was a lot of happiness in the 18-year-old’s smile and face. Brendan Gallagher, who found himself at his side, was just as proud to share this moment with his young teammate.
“It’s nice to play with the kids,” Slafkovsky said at center ice with Marc Denis following the game. It’s even more fun to play with Arber since he can kill anyone! »
Xhekaj added to his reputation as a bully by winning a fight once morest Zack Kassian and getting a big hit once morest Brown before Slafkovsky’s goal.
The fourth youngest
Slafkovsky hit the target in his fifth NHL game. At 18 years and 204 days, he became the fourth youngest player in team history to score.
Mario Tremblay (18 years and 75 days) still holds the record ahead of Jesperi Kotkaniemi (18 years and 118 days) and Claude Lemieux (18 years and 204 days).
two in a row
In the morning, Martin St-Louis confided that he had challenged his players to repeat the intensity of the last game once morest the Penguins. They got the message.
The Habs manhandled the poor Coyotes by signing an easy victory of 6 to 2. There were six different scorers and no player obtained two points. It is the sign of a team victory.
On his first start since the birth of a third baby girl, Jake Allen did not suffer too much from fatigue.
We will remain calm, but the Canadian now has a record of three wins and two losses at the start of the season. We would not have predicted such a departure.
+
Juraj Slafkovsky
There were several candidates, but we give it to the one who scored his first NHL goal He finished the game with three shots and an playing time of 14min 25s With his endearing personality, he will quickly win the hearts of fans
–
Coyotes
For the first two periods, the Arizona players put on a horrible show. They committed several turnovers, they had no intensity and goalie Connor Ingram did nothing to calm the storm.
First period
1-Mon: Josh Anderson (2) (Drouin, Dach)1:58
2-Mon: Cole Caufield (4) (Unassisted)4:13
3-Mon: Brendan Gallagher (1) (Savard)7:17
Punishments: Kassian (Ari) (May) 12:21, Xhekaj (Mon) (May) 12:21, Slafkovsky (Mon) 15:17
Second period
4-Mon: Juraj Slafkovsky (1) (Sans aide)8:17
5-Mon: Nick Suzuki (3) (penalty shot)18:27
Penalties: Penalty: Guhle (Mon) 17:57
Third period
6-Ari: JJ Moser (1) (Boyd, Crouse)6:21
7-Ari: Travis Boyd (1) (Crouse, Keller)8:18
8-Mon: Sean Monahan (2) (Sans aide)FD-16:36
Penalties: Moser (Ari) 0:54, Savard (Mon) 11:48
Shoot to the net
Arizona 5 – 11 – 11 – 27Montréal 11 – 12 – 7 – 30
Guardians:
Ari: Connor Ingram (P, 0-1-0) Mon: Jake Allen (G, 2-1-0)
Numerical advantages:
Ari: 0 in 3, Mon: 0 in 1
Referees:
Eric Furlatt, Reid Anderson
Linesmen:
Derek Nansen, Andrew Smith
ASSISTANCE:
20 691
Brendan Gallagher
★★★
What we noticed…
The Xhekaj Tree
In October 2015, Zack Kassian had ended his career in Montreal, even before his first game with the Canadiens, by hitting a tree while he was inside a big truck in the early morning. Seven years later, Kassian hit another kind of wall in Arber Xhekaj. In his first NHL fight, Xhekaj won decisively once morest a much more experienced rival with 614 games on the clock.
great art
There were many smiles inside the Bell Centre. The cameras captured the reactions of the team’s reserves, Joel Armia, Mike Matheson, Michael Pezzzetta and Corey Schueneman, following Nick Suzuki scored on a penalty shot in the second period. They mightn’t help laughing at their captain’s little magic trick. Suzuki beat Connor Ingram with a low lob over his mitt.
The disgruntled bear
André Tourigny did not inherit the nickname “The Bear” by chance. It sometimes has a boiling character. In his only visit of the season to Montreal, Tourigny let out a bit of his frustration with his players during a commercial break in the first period. It was already 3-0 for CH. Winner of the Maple Leafs 4-2 in Toronto on Monday, the Coyotes looked like a team that had spent too much time on Montreal soil. Acquired from the Nashville Predators on waivers, Ingram did not have a dream start. He allowed three goals in his first four.
Two accomplices for Dach
Kirby Dach scored the winning goal in overtime in his last game once morest the Penguins. Number 77 still played a good match alongside Jonathan Drouin and Josh Anderson. The three attackers spent a lot of time in “Yotes” territory, especially during the first two periods.