The Montreal Canadiens' first trio led Tuesday night's game against the Washington Capitals.

Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield combined for four points in five-on-five play and added two more to their tally on the power play. The first two scored two goals each in a 5-2 win.

“It’s good to have these two guys back,” Suzuki said after the game. We're getting better. We talk a lot, which is great. We're trying to figure out where we are on the ice and find our chemistry again [après la pause du match des étoiles]. I think we had a good game overall.”

However, it would be a disservice to the Habs captain to believe he is completely satisfied with his unit's work.

“There are still many things we need to address, including implementation. We missed several games. The balance sheet looks good, but we can do even better.”

“We love playing together and have a lot of fun on the ice,” the center added. We need to get more reps. We hadn't played together in about two and a half weeks. […] It was a good first game, but we have to keep improving.”

A good first impression for Gignac

After signing a National League contract with the Canadiens on Sunday, forward Brandon Gignac played his first game with the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge. The Quebecer was used by head coach Martin St-Louis for just under 15 minutes. He won 50% of his faceoffs and blocked two shots.

“He has strengths and is trying to prove himself,” said the CH driver about the newcomer. He didn't seem to be feeling badly this evening. [mardi]. We saw his speed, his tenacity and his fighting spirit.

The Laval Rocket's leading scorer so far in 2023-2024 seemed quite happy with his first round.

“I think it went well,” analyzed Gignac. My legs were fine and so were my throws. That’s all I asked.”

The Repentigny native also said his family and friends are waiting to hear if he deserves a second audition to encourage him on Saturday when the Dallas Stars visit the Bell Center.