Juraj Slafkovsky received a warm welcome from Montreal fans on his first outing at the Bell Center since being drafted from the same arena this summer, but he didn’t give them many chances to cheer him on afterwards.
The one the Canadiens drafted first overall on July 7 was engaged in the game and didn’t look bad in his first preseason game involving NHL veterans, far from it. However, he was rather quiet offensively and the Habs lost 2-1 to the New Jersey Devils on Monday night.
Slafkovsky’s only shot, at the end of the game when the Canadian was playing with an extra striker, was stopped.
It is rather the third player selected by the Canadian last summer who continues to hold the attention. After Slafkovsky and Filip Mesar, at 26e rank, general manager Kent Hughes chose Owen Beck at 33e rank.
Beck found himself in the center of Cole Caufield and Mike Hoffman. He also evolved on the first wave of powerplay.
The Ontario center notably hit the post with full force in the third period. He also shone in the face-off circle.
On defense, Kaiden Guhle and Jordan Harris continued to earn points. Veteran Mike Matheson was employed in all situations and played with aplomb.
Caufield scored on the power play in the first period.
In front of the Canadian net, Jake Allen was perfect against 18 shots in a period and a half. Cayden Primeau took over and conceded two goals on 13 shots.
In the Devils’ camp, Jesper Boqvist stood out thanks to some good offensive momentum, just like Jesper Bratt. Tomas Tatar hit the target on the power play in the second period, while Graeme Clarke took advantage of a lucky jump to break the tie with 5:57 left in the third period.
Mackenzie Blackwood and Nico Daws shared the work in goal. Blackwood allowed one goal on 16 shots, while Daws stopped five shots.
Striker Nico Hischier left the game as a preventive measure in the second period due to cramps.
The Canadiens are off on Tuesday. The players will be back at work on Wednesday when they play an exhibition game against the Maple Leafs in Toronto.