Juraj Slafkovsky gave the Bell Centre crowd a highlight-reel finish early in the second period Tuesday, slipping through the San Jose Sharks’ defense before tucking a backhand-to-forehand chance past Alex Nedeljkovic.
Key takeaways
- Slafkovsky scored his second goal of the season in the Canadiens’ game against San Jose.
- The Montreal winger also picked up his fifth assist on Nick Suzuki’s first-period goal.
- His second-period marker put the Canadiens ahead 2-1.
- San Jose defenseman Darnell Nurse was beaten by Slafkovsky’s puck move at the blue line.
- Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic was unable to stop the close-range finish.
Slafkovsky turns a neutral-zone touch into a goal
Only a minute had elapsed in the middle frame when Slafkovsky took possession near center ice and carried the puck toward the San Jose line. With Nurse set up in front of him, Slafkovsky pushed the puck through the defenseman’s skates, skated around him, and recovered it on his backhand.
He then pulled the puck to his forehand and beat Nedeljkovic cleanly, giving Montreal its 2-1 advantage. The play was a sharp display of hands, patience and reach from the young Canadiens forward.
Two-point night for Montreal winger
Slafkovsky had already made his mark in the opening period, setting up Suzuki for Montreal’s first goal. The assist was his fifth of the campaign, while the second-period finish moved him to two goals on the season.
For the Canadiens, the sequence provided both the go-ahead goal and another sign that Slafkovsky can turn a routine puck touch in open ice into a problem for opposing blue lines.
