Canadiens' Slafkovsky inspired by Suzuki's clutch blocked shot vs. Colorado

While the Montreal Canadiens might still have work to do to be considered one of the NHL’s top teams, on Monday night, they showed their ability to hang with just about anyone.

With the Colorado Avalanche coming to the Bell Centre last night with a chance to jump into first place in the NHL’s Central Division, the Canadiens had other plans.

Joel Armia’s go-ahead marker broke a 3-3 deadlock with 4:10 to go in the third period that stood as the game-winner, but it wasn’t the only big play of the evening.

One of the chances to tie the game up on the other end came from star Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar, who corralled the puck in the Montreal zone with a little over 90 seconds to play left in the third period.

But it was Montreal captain Nick Suzuki who got in the way of the shot, killing the Avalanche’s momentum after an offensive faceoff zone win.

And while the blocked shot prevented an attacking chance from one of the league’s better players, it also inspired one of the Canadiens’ up-and-coming talents.

Speaking to the media after the game, 19-year-old Canadiens forward (and 2022 first-overall draft pick) Juraj Slafkovsky touched on how he felt inspired by Suzuki’s play late in the game.

“He was great, even the shot he blocked at the end was great,” Slafkovsky said. “When you see your captain putting his body on the line, it means a lot. He was great, like he is always, so I’m used to it.”

In addition to the blocked shot, Suzuki registered two assists on the evening.

After a three-game homestand, the Canadiens are set to hit the road for three games against Eastern Conference foes in their next four days, starting tomorrow.

Montreal will visit New Jersey on Wednesday, Ottawa on Thursday, and Boston on Saturday, before returning home to host Ottawa next Tuesday.

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