Juraj Slafkovský scored his 25th goal of the season on Wednesday, but the Montreal Canadiens couldn’t secure a win, falling 3-1 to the Detroit Red Wings.
Meanwhile, defenseman Erik Černák contributed with two assists in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 6-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, bringing his season point total to nine (1+8).
Pavol Regenda saw action in the third line for the San Jose Sharks, who suffered a 5-0 defeat at home against the Buffalo Sabres.
VIDEO: 25th goal by Juraj Slafkovský
Slafkovský: “It Doesn’t Really Make Me Happy”
Slafkovský opened the scoring in the 38th minute during a power play, giving Montreal a narrow lead heading into the third period. The Slovak forward capitalized on a rebound, firing a shot from the slot past John Gibson and into the top of the net.
“It’s nice to score 25 goals, but it doesn’t really make me happy because team points matter more at this stage of the season than at the beginning and I’m disappointed with the loss,” Slafkovský told the club’s website.
The Red Wings took control in the final frame, with J.T. Compher tying the game at 43 minutes, Alex DeBrincat putting Detroit ahead at 57 minutes following a costly turnover by Mike Matheson, and Andrew Copp sealing the victory with an empty-net goal at 3-1.
“We played pretty well, but we didn’t capitalize on the chances we had in the second period. It was a good game, I just wish we could have won,” added Slafkovský, who played 19:52 minutes, registered two minus points, five shots on goal, two hits, and one blocked shot.
Through 68 games this season, Slafkovský has recorded 57 points (25 goals and 32 assists) and is currently on a five-game point streak (2 goals, 3 assists). Montreal currently holds fourth place in a competitive Eastern Conference, just one point ahead of the ninth-place New York Islanders.
Černák Records First Multi-Point Game of the Season
Černák played 20:05 minutes against the league’s lowest-ranked team, finishing with a plus-one rating, one shot on goal, and one block.
The Slovak defenseman notched his first multi-point game of the season, his first since February 8, 2025, against Detroit where he had a 1 goal, 2 assist performance.
Tampa Bay, led by three-point performances from Nikita Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli (both with 1 goal and 2 assists), sits third in the Eastern Conference, four points behind Montreal. Kucherov is second in the league scoring race with 114 points (38 goals, 76 assists), one behind Edmonton’s Connor McDavid.
The Lightning will face the Oilers on the road Saturday night.
“The Goalie Was the Foundation of Our Success,” Says Buffalo Coach
Regenda played 14:16 minutes in the Sharks’ loss, recording a minus-one rating, three hits, and winning one faceoff. San Jose has lost three straight games and is two points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The Sabres won their second consecutive game with a shutout, as Alex Lyon made 23 saves. Buffalo has extended their road winning streak to ten games, having won 2-0 in Vegas on Wednesday night.
Buffalo leads the Atlantic Division by four points over Tampa Bay and is on the verge of securing their first playoff berth in 15 years. Sam Carrick scored two goals after joining the team in a trade from the New York Rangers, and Rasmus Dahlin had a goal and an assist.
“We didn’t start well, the opponent had more of the game. But our goalie held us in there, and that was the foundation of our success,” said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff.
