Younger Canadiens shine with Samuel Montembeault in 3-2 win over Devils

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Historical past was made on the 2022 NHL Draft when the Canadiens chosen Juraj Slafkovsky with the No. 1 total choose after which the New Jersey Devils took the three-year, US$9.45-million contract extension Hughes signed him to on Dec. 1 will seem like a fantastic discount. The mixed worth of that contract is lower than the US$10.5 million injured Canadiens goalie Carey Worth averages every season on his eight-year, US$84-million contract that also has two extra seasons remaining with him on long-term injured reserve.

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Montembeault shut the Devils out by the primary two durations, stopping all 22 photographs he confronted, whereas the Canadiens took a 2-0 lead. Slafkovsky scored at 12:48 of the primary interval on a good looking setup from Caufield, who batted a cross out of mid-air from behind the web to Slafkovsky in entrance.

“It’s a fairly nasty play,” Slafkovsky advised reporters in New Jersey after the sport about Caufield’s cross. “He’s a particular participant and he could make performs like these. I’m simply joyful that I used to be in the appropriate time and the appropriate spot. I don’t even know the way it went in, so don’t ask me about it.

“(The puck) was sort of bouncing and I simply sort of whacked it and noticed it at the back of the web,” Slafkovsky added.

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Roy scored at 14:45 of the second interval, finishing a good looking two-on-one with Sean Monahan.

With 45 seconds left within the second interval, Suzuki was given a four-minute penalty after by chance high-sticking Kevin Bahl within the face and drawing blood. After the intermission, the Devils took benefit of a contemporary sheet of ice, getting power-play targets from Hughes and Holtz within the first 1:38 of the third interval. It marked the third straight sport the Canadiens have allowed a power-play aim and so they rank twenty ninth within the NHL in penalty-killing with a 72.7 per cent success fee.

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Montembeault shut the door after the 2 power-play targets and Caufield scored the game-winner with 4:31 left on the clock, banging within the rebound off a shot by Jordan Harris. The Canadiens at the moment are 11-0 this season when main after two durations.

This was the twentieth straight sport Slafkovsky has performed on the No. 1 line with Suzuki and Caufield and coach Martin St. Louis’s determination to place them collectively and go away them there’s actually beginning to repay because the Canadiens’ rebuilding course of continues. Caufield has six targets within the final 10 video games, whereas Suzuki has 4-11-15 totals within the final 16 video games.

At age 23, Caufield was the oldest of the three goal-scorers towards the Devils. Slafkovsky and Roy — who was taking part in in his third NHL sport after getting referred to as up from the AHL’s Laval Rocket — are each 20. It will be fascinating to see what the Canadiens would seem like now if they’d injured forwards Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook — who’re each 22 — within the lineup.

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Slafkovsky and Nemec had an opportunity to have dinner collectively Tuesday evening. Nemec performed final season with the AHL’s Utica Comets and he additionally began this season there earlier than making his NHL debut on Dec. 1. The 19-year-old defenceman logged 21:53 of ice time towards the Canadiens and had a minus-3 differential whereas selecting up an help

“He’s a fantastic participant offensively,” Slafkovsky advised reporters in New Jersey Wednesday morning. “He can create quite a bit and he’s actually good, too. I’m positive his sport will solely develop as a result of he has solely like 20 video games within the NHL, I believe. He’ll solely get higher. I can’t wait to see him progress and it’s good that you’ve somebody you grew up with and might push one another to be higher.”

Slafkovsky headed into Wednesday evening’s sport with 82 video games of NHL expertise below his belt — the equal of 1 full season. He now has 10-17-27 totals in 83 video games.

“It goes by quick,” Slafkovsky advised reporters Wednesday morning. “I really feel so a lot better, truthfully. It’s solely (82) video games, however I can see the progress and I’m positive I’ll solely develop and the following 82 can be even higher.”

Recreation No. 83 was undoubtedly a memorable one for Slafkovsky.

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