About Last Night: Slafkovsky flashes potential in 6-2 win over Yotes

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First general decide Juraj Slafkovsky performed his greatest recreation as a Hab in his transient NHL profession as his Montreal Canadiens defeated the Arizona Coyotes 6-2 on the Bell Centre on Thursday.

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This battle between the 2021-22 cellar dwellars wasn’t shut, even when the house workforce took their foot off the fuel within the third interval. Barring a scoring adjustment, the Habs scored 4 unassisted objectives within the contest, together with one on a penalty shot by Nick Suzuki.

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However earlier than we get to the remainder: the Slafkovsky aim. It supplied every part you’d anticipate from the massive man. The Yotes didn’t clear, a well-known chorus final night time, and the 18-year-old took benefit, swinging the puck round and wristing one previous Connor Ingram. It ended with him staring down Joshua Brown, who hit him earlier within the sequence.

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He soaked within the second on the bench.

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Lastly, Slafkovsky gave his first postgame “merci, Montreal,” to the Bell Centre trustworthy.

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That wasn’t the one spotlight for Habs followers on the night time. They hit the scoreboard early and sometimes. Josh Anderson barrelled in and opened scoring beneath two minutes into the sport after Jonathan Drouin’s preliminary likelihood was denied.

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Simply over two minutes later, Cole Caufield scored his fourth of the season off a type of frequent Coyotes turnovers.

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Then it was Brendan Gallagher’s flip to snipe his first of the season. Yotes coach Andre Tourigny gave his bench an earful throughout the tv timeout.

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Veteran Zack Kassian took it upon himself to encourage his membership, however he picked the mistaken hombre to mess with as Xhekaj, who goes by both X-Man or Wi-Fi relying on who you ask, despatched the extra seasoned fighter to the ice. The Habs had been up 3-0 after their most dominant interval of the season to date.

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Slafkovsky made it 4-0 at 8:17 of the second interval, however the captain ended the body with a second of his personal. Suzuki was rewarded a penalty shot after getting dumped en path to the online shorthanded, and he beat Ingram with a prime nook changeup the Liveblog commenters referred to as Datsyukesque. The interval ended 5-0.

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Any workforce can win on any given night time (simply ask the Leafs in opposition to these identical Yotes), so it wasn’t totally shocking Arizona got here out within the third with a bone to select, particularly the highest line of Clayton Keller, Travis Boyd and Lawson Crouse. Swiss blue liner Janis Moser broke Jake Allen’s shutout bid.

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Then it was Boyd who made it 5-2.

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Tourigny pulled Ingram with simply over 4 minutes left, however Sean Monahan gave the Habs the 6-2 finisher with an empty web dump from downtown.

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It was a festive ambiance within the Liveblog feedback, regardless that it’s solely October and regardless that it’s solely the lowly Coyotes. Slafkovsky ended the night time enjoying a season-high 14:26 and it was good to see what the prospect can do, even when he’s nonetheless destined for Laval. The commenters had been arguably extra enthusiastic about Xhekaj taking good care of a troublesome buyer in Kassian. It was not misplaced on them that only a season in the past, Kassian ran Sam Montembeault and nobody got here to the goalie’s defence.

3. “Watching Arber battle Kassian, I flashed again to the scene within the first Avengers film the place Hulk rag-dolled Loki. And Zach isn’t a small man.” -Michael Approach

2. “Our goaltending seems to be a lot extra strong and confidence inspiring this 12 months.” -Derek Stevens

1. “For now, till no less than Christmas, we will simply benefit from the video games and the play of the children and never fear about subsequent years draft.” -Ryan Katz