Canadiens' Johnny Kovacevic: Tallies two helpers versus Philly
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Kovacevic picked up two assists while logging a plus-2 rating in 19:28 of ice time in Tuesday's 9-2 win over the Flyers.
Kovacevic assisted on a pair of Brendan Gallagher goals in the second and third periods of Tuesday's blowout win. The apples snapped a 10-game pointless streak for Kovacevic, who is up to a meager six goals and 11 points through 59 games on the season. Despite his strong performance against Philadelphia, it wouldn't be surprising to see Kovacevic exit the lineup if and when Kaiden Guhle (upper body) is ready to return.
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Canadiens' Johnny Kovacevic: Healthy scratch Tuesday
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Kovacevic (undisclosed) will serve as a healthy scratch against Nashville on Tuesday.
Kovacevic will be replaced in the lineup by a healthy Jayden Struble, who returns from a lower-body issue that kept him out for the last four contests. For his part, the 26-year-old Kovacevic has managed just one point in his last 12 contests, so his absence is unlikely to impact the majority of fantasy players -- though he has added 14 hits and 18 blocks over that stretch.
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Canadiens' Johnny Kovacevic: Can't finish contest
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Kovacevic sustained an undisclosed injury Saturday versus the Lightning, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.
Kovacevic left the game in the third period and did not return. It's unclear what is the nature of his injury or if he'll be available to play Tuesday versus the Predators. With Jayden Struble (lower body) also questionable for Tuesday, the Canadiens may need to make a roster move to have a full complement of defensemen.
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Canadiens' Johnny Kovacevic: Enters lineup, logs assist
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Kovacevic had an assist, two blocked shots and one hit in Saturday's 4-3 loss to New Jersey.
Kovacevic initiated the offense with a two-line pass to Cole Caufield, who fed Nick Suzuki for Montreal's second goal. The assist snapped an eight-game point drought for Kovacevic, who replaced Jayden Struble (lower body) after being a healthy scratch for two games. Following a steady dose of activity to start the season, Kovacevic has been a healthy scratch in 10 of the last 25 games.
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Canadiens' Johnny Kovacevic: Lone tally in loss
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Kovacevic scored a goal on three shots and had two hits over 15:15 of ice time in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to Ottawa.
Kovacevic gave the listless Canadiens life in third period with his sixth goal of the season, but that was all Montreal could muster in its third straight defeat, two coming at the hands of the last-place Senators. Head coach Martin St. Louis rejiggered the blue line, calling up Arber Xhekaj and inserting Kovacevic, who was a healthy scratch in eight of the last 14 games, in place of Jordan Harris.
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Canadiens' Johnny Kovacevic: Returns to lineup, scores
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Kovacevic scored a goal on one shot and had one hit over 11:23 of ice time in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Lightning.
Kovacevic, who returned to the active lineup after two games as a healthy scratch, scored what may be the strangest goal in the NHL this season. Montreal goalie Sam Montembeault made a save and appeared to glove the puck, but the officials never blew the whistle. Tampa Bay skaters, believing there was a stoppage in play, skated to the bench while goalie Jonas Johansson skated out of his net toward the corner as goalies are wont to do during stoppages. Meanwhile, Montembeault dropped the puck to Kovacevic, who fired it from his own end into the net. The officials reviewed the goal, apparently listening for a whistle and never heard one. It was the fifth tally of the season for Kovacevic.
Kovacevic was a healthy scratch Thursday against Carolina.
Jordan Harris returned from a lower-body injury, and it was Kovacevic taking a seat instead of Jayden Struble, who skated with Harris on the same pair versus the Hurricanes.
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Canadiens' Johnny Kovacevic: Sets up blue line partner
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Kovacevic logged an assist, one shot on net, one blocked shot, one hit and two PIM over 20:50 of ice time in Saturday's 3-2 shootout win over Buffalo.
Kovacevic and blue line partner Jayden Struble combined to produce Montreal's first goal. Struble passed to Kovacevic in the neutral zone and continued toward the net, where he was in position to redirect Kovacevic's return feed past Devon Levi midway through the second period. The helper was the first of the season for Kovacevic, who also has four goals. He's logged all five points in the last 11 games, as Montreal's blueliners continue to be a significant source of offense.
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Canadiens' Johnny Kovacevic: Bright spot in loss
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Kovacevic scored a goal on one shot in Thursday's 5-1 loss to Florida. He added one blocked shot and two hits to his line over 16:48 of ice time.
Kovacevic moved in from the point to spoil Sergei Bobrovsky's shutout bid in the third period for his fourth goal of the season. The tally established a new career high for the defenseman, who scored three times in 77 games last year. All four goals have come in the last seven games, after Kovacevic began this season without finding the scoresheet over the first 16 contests. Montreal's blue line is responsible for 28 percent of the team's offense -- 18 of 64 goals scored.
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Canadiens' Johnny Kovacevic: Snipes another goal
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Kovacevic scored a goal on his lone shot over 11:10 ice time in Friday's 3-2 shootout win over the Sharks.
Kovacevic accepted a deft dish from Jayden Strublebefore rifling a bullet over the right shoulder of Mackenzie Blackwood. It was the third goal in four games for Kovacevic, matching last season's total over 77 contests. Third-pair defensemen don't typically score on a fifth of their shots, particularly one who had a 3.3 shooting percentage in his first full NHL season in 2022-23. As a result, fantasy managers shouldn't expect Kovacevic's offense to keep flowing.
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Canadiens' Johnny Kovacevic: Scores back-to-back
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Kovacevic scored a goal on two shots in Saturday's 5-2 loss to Boston. He also had one hit and six PIM over 16:33 of ice time.
Kovacevic took a feed from Christian Dvorak in the slot and had a couple of whacks at the puck before putting it behind Jeremy Swayman for Montreal's second goal. It was the second straight game with a goal for the blueliner, who scored in similar fashion Thursday. Saturday's game was a mixed bag for Kovacevic, however, as he was in the box when the Bruins scored their first goal. The 26-year-old has two points (both goals) and 10 PIM over 18 games.
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Canadiens' Johnny Kovacevic: Logs first point
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Kovacevic had a goal on one shot and blocked one shot over 21:27 of ice time in Thursday's 6-5 loss to the Golden Knights.
Kovacevic filled space in the slot and was in position to take advantage of a blocked shot to rifle his first goal. In fact, it was his first point since a tally Apr. 8 of last season. The stay-at-home blueliner is typically not involved on offense -- he has 16 points over 98 career games in the NHL.
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Canadiens' Johnny Kovacevic: Finishes on top pair
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Kovacevic blocked two shots and recorded a hit over 22:52 of ice time in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win against Columbus.
Kovacevic began the game on the second pair -- his usual role -- but was elevated to the top pair to play with Mike Matheson at the start of the third period. Kovacevic, a third-year blueliner, logged a season-high TOI and was entrusted to kill off a Brendan Gallagher penalty late in regulation that spilled into OT. Kovacevic is considered a defensively responsible partner that may be a better fit with Matheson than Justin Barron. With David Savard (hand) slated to be out until early December, Montreal head coach Martin St. Louis is looking for an appropriate partner for Matheson. He first tried the similarly skilled Barron but eventually landed on Kovacevic.
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Canadiens' Johnny Kovacevic: Provides team's lone tally
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Kovacevic scored a goal on two shots and added four hits over 22:18 of ice time in Saturday's 7-1 loss to the Maple Leafs.
After getting outshot 18-1 in the first period, Montreal was down 2-0 when Kovacevic lit the lamp early in the second. It was his first tally in 23 games and third of the season.
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Canadiens' Johnny Kovacevic: Logs two points in win
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Kovacevic notched two assists and had three shots over 17:53 of ice time in Saturday's 8-2 win over Columbus.
Kovacevic assisted on the final two goals for his 11th and 12th assists. He's had a respectable rookie season, staying healthy enough to play 68 of 73 games while leading Montreal's defensemen with a plus-4 rating and averaging 17:05 TOI per game.
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Canadiens' Johnny Kovacevic: Logs assist in loss
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Kovacevic had an assist and two blocked shots over 16:19 of ice time in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Senators.
Kovacevic jumped on an Ottawa turnover in his own end and perfectly fed Nick Suzuki for a breakaway goal. The rookie blueliner has points in three straight games (one goal, two assists) and is up to 10 points through 54 contests. Montreal's defensemen have picked up the scoring pace in the last week, potting five goals and dishing seven assists over the last three games.
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Canadiens' Johnny Kovacevic: Adds assist in win
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Kovacevic had an assist, two hits and one blocked shot over 19:57 of ice time in Friday's 5-2 win over the Flyers.
Kovacevic picked up the secondary helper on newcomer Chris Tierney's goal with five seconds remaining in the first period. It was the second consecutive game with a point for Kovacevic, who has nine over 53 contests.
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Canadiens' Johnny Kovacevic: Scores rare goal
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Kovacevic scored a goal on one shot in Tuesday's 5-2 win over New Jersey. He added one hit and two blocked shots over 17:18 of ice time.
It was a big night Montreal defensemen, which contributed three goals. Like Justin Barron before him, Kovacevic scored on a nearly identical sequence. He moved into the slot and one-timed a feed from Jesse Ylonen for the Canadiens' second goal. It was just his second tally of the season, breaking a 28-game drought without a goal. The 25-year-old Kovacevic has just eight points through 52 contests.
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Canadiens' Johnny Kovacevic: Snares assist in win
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Kovacevic had an assist, two shots on goal and one blocked shot over 18:23 of ice time in Sunday's 6-2 win over Edmonton.
Kovacevic helped out on the first of Jordan Harris' two goals. It was his first point in 11 games and just the seventh of the season. He and rest of the blueline crew received extra TOI due to Arber Xhekaj (undisclosed) leaving the game.
