Canadiens’ Slafkovsky not happy with play in rookie tournament loss

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BUFFALO — Juraj Slafkovsky got here up quick in his bid to dominate in his North American debut Thursday.

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“I used to be perhaps making an attempt too laborious and I made errors, too many turnovers,” the No. 1 total decide on this NHL entry draft stated after the Canadiens dropped a 4-3 choice to the host Buffalo Sabres within the opening sport of the 2002 Prospects Problem.

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“But it surely’s the primary sport and I’ve to prepare for an additional sport tomorrow,” he added.

It didn’t take lengthy for Slafkovsky to get on the scoreboard. He arrange fellow Slovak Filip Mesár for a shorthanded objective that gave the Canadiens a 2-0 lead halfway by the primary interval.

“We work properly collectively,” he stated of his on-ice relationship with Mesár. “I do know him and he is aware of me.”

Emil Heineman, the Swedish prospect whose rights was thought of a key add-in to the first-round draft decide the Canadiens acquired after they despatched Tyler Toffoli to the Calgary Flames, opened the scoring when he took a move from Jordan Harris and put a 45-footer move to the far prime nook towards Beck Heat.

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Heineman additionally supplied an help on Owen Beck’s objective halfway by the third interval.

Heineman stated he had a little bit of a bonus as a result of he performed eight video games in Sweden earlier than arriving in Montreal Monday evening. When requested whether or not he’ll stay in North America or return to Sweden, he replied “I’ll see.”

The Sabres received targets from sudden sources. Josh Passolt and Nolan Burke, a few undrafted fourth-liners, scored within the first interval to tie the sport and Tyson Kozak, a seventh-rounder, gave Buffalo a 3-2 lead early within the second interval and added an unassisted objective within the third.

There have been some fisticuffs with six minutes to go when Lucas Condotta, who spent a while in Laval final season after wrapping up his faculty profession at UMass Lowell, traded punches with  Zach Berzolla. It was a little bit of a shock as a result of they each performed U.S. faculty hockey the place combating is a no-no.

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Joe Vrbetic, a seventh-round draft alternative in 2021 who might be heading again to North Bay within the  OHL, went the space within the Montreal internet and made 23 saves.

Heat performed the primary half of the sport for Buffalo and stopped 22 of 24 pictures. Czech Tomas Suchanek changed him and gave up one objective on 16 pictures.

The Canadiens prospects are again on the ice Friday towards the New Jersey Devils and wrap  up the camp Sunday with a day sport towards the Ottawa Senators.

phickey@postmedia.com

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