Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky secured bragging rights in a clash of Slovak NHL standouts as his side defeated the St. Louis Blues 2:0 at the Enterprise Center, Sportnet reported. Despite a lopsided shot advantage for the home side, rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler turned away every puck he faced to record a shutout, backed by goals from Zachary Bolduc and Florian Xhekaj.

Jacob Fowler Sets Rookie Record With 46 Saves

Jacob Fowler anchored the Montreal victory by stopping all 46 shots directed his way, securing a shutout. According to historical club records, only Jacques Plante in 1955 with 52 saves and Sam Montembeault in 2024 with 48 saves have recorded more stops in a clean sheet for the Canadiens. Určite sa dostanete do rytmu. Po zápase som trochu unavený, ale teraz máme niekoľko dní voľna, takže budem v poriadku, Fowler stated in post-match comments reported by nhl.com, reflecting on the heavy workload.

St. Louis applied immense pressure in the final frame, launching 24 shots on goal while Montreal managed just three. Blues head coach Jim Montgomery pulled goaltender Jordan Binnington with seven minutes remaining in regulation to deploy an extra attacker, but the push fell flat. Bol dnes neuveriteľný.

Zachary Bolduc and Florian Xhekaj Seal Montreal Victory

The scoreless deadlock broke in the middle frame when Zachary Bolduc capitalized three seconds after a Montreal power play expired. Receiving a feed from Mike Matheson at 29 minutes, Bolduc fired from the right circle past Jordan Binnington. The tally marked the 23-year-old forward’s first goal against the franchise that selected him 17th overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft before trading him to Montreal in July 2025 in exchange for defenseman Logan Maillous.

Montreal extended its lead to 2:0 at the 43-minute mark through Florian Xhekaj. Following a point shot by Matheson, Xhekaj deflected the puck twice past the defense for his first career NHL goal. Sportnet noted that referees reviewed the play for a potential high stick before confirming the goal, with Matheson picking up his second assist of the evening.

Slafkovsky and Dvorsky Compete in Slovak Duel

Juraj Slafkovský skated on Montreal’s top line alongside Oliver Kapanen and Cole Caufield, logging 17 minutes and 29 seconds of ice time with two shots on goal, according to game logs. In the game’s dying moments with Binnington pulled, Slafkovský collected a loose puck and fired from distance toward the empty net, missing the target by mere centimeters.

Dalibor Dvorsky served as the third-line center for St. Louis, playing 11 minutes and 13 seconds. Dvorsky drew a two-minute minor for interference early in the first period at the 5:58 mark. Pravda and Sportnet detailed that Dvorsky had a golden opportunity to break the shutout in the third period during a goalmouth scramble, but Caufield extended his stick to disrupt the Slovak center’s close-range bid. Dvorsky finished with one shot on target, three hits, a zero plus-minus rating, and went seven out of eleven on faceoffs.

Montreal Extends Streak as St. Louis Suffers Shutouts

The result extended Montreal’s point streak to five games, four of which resulted in victories. St. Louis suffered its second shutout defeat following a 4:0 loss to Carolina, marking the first time the Blues dropped two straight games without scoring since November 2018.