MONTREAL, Q.C. – The Canadiens scored early in the second period against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night, followed by a second one late in the third and an empty-netter to shutout New Jersey.

The Devils dropped their second preseason game and first on the road, 3-0 in Montreal.

The Devils’ roster was dominated by players trying to make an impression on the coaching staff while also dressing several NHL regulars, who were tasked with another preseason game gearing up for Wednesday night at Prudential Center. Most of the Devils stars remained back in New Jersey. The Wednesday night roster will likely be very close to the NHL roster starting the season in Prague.

Jake Allen and Nico Daws shared the net on Tuesday night, and both goaltenders let in a single goal each.

Michael Pezzetta had a two-goal night, including the late empty-netter, and captain Nick Suzuki also scored for Montreal.

Here are some observations from the game:

• Jonas Siegenthaler and Curtis Lazar were given the A’s on their jerseys tonight in Montreal.

• The line of Paul Cotter, Curtis Lazar and Nathan Bastian absorbed an abundance of minutes, as the only full NHL line on the night’s roster. All three were tasked with a combination of 5-on-5, power play and penalty killing time. By the second period, Cotter had accumulated over 14 minutes of ice time.

This game was particularly special for a trio of Slovaks. Only a few years ago, Simon Nemec, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Filip Mesar were all drafted in the Bell Centre in a historic draft for Slovakia. Nemec was taken by New Jersey with the 2nd overall pick, while Slafkovsky went No. 1 to Montreal. Mesar was drafted 26th overall by Montreal.

Tonight, on the ice, the trio recreated their draft photo together.

Time flies. pic.twitter.com/assKGOyvGu

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) September 24, 2024

• Seamus Casey played the first preseason game of his pro career, suiting up against the Canadiens. Casey, just two nights ago, was on the ice for warmups in New Jersey, although he didn’t play. Tuesday night against Montreal he was tasked with playing the blueline on the second power-play unit, along with his regular 5-on-5 duties, paired with Topias Vilen.

In the third, Casey was given the opportunity to work with the night’s first power play unit with Justin Dowling, Paul Cotter, Kevin Labanc and Nathan Bastian.

• The Devils killers got in some extra work against the Canadiens, including a four-minute minor to Kurtis MacDermid.

The penalty didn’t deter MacDermid one bit. On his first shift out of the box, he laid a big hit in the neutral zone on Montreal defenseman Logan Mailloux on his way back to the bench.

• Montreal thought they had built a two-goal lead with 11:57 to play in the second period but the play was immediately called off with Xavier Simoneau interfering with Allen’s ability to make the save.

• Allen played just under half the preseason game, as scheduled. Nico Daws took over the netminding duties with 11:57 to play in the second. Allen finished with 12 saves on 13 shots, including all six he faced on the Montreal power play.