| June 30, 2024 |
Montreal traded Kovacevic to the Devils in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick Sunday. - Kovacevic spent the last two seasons in Montreal, totaling nine goals and 28 points in 139 contests. The 26-year-old averaged 16:31 of ice time with 83 blocked shots and 74 hits during the 2023-24 season. He should compete for a bottom-four role with the Devils. |
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| April 10, 2024 |
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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| March 5, 2024 |
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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| March 2, 2024 |
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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| Feb. 25, 2024 |
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 returned to the lineup after a two-game healthy scratch. He was back in the lineup for Jayden Struble, who was unavailable after sustaining a lower-body injury in Thursday's loss to the Penguins. 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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| Jan. 24, 2024 |
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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| Jan. 1, 2024 |
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. |
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| Dec. 29, 2023 |
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. |
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| Dec. 10, 2023 |
Kovacevic logged an assist, one shot on net, one blocked shot, one hit and two penalty minutes over 20:50 of ice time in Saturday's 3-2 shootout win over Buffalo. - Kovacevic and blueline partner Jayson 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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| Dec. 1, 2023 |
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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| Nov. 25, 2023 |
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 Struble, then the blueliner inched closer and closer while San Jose defenders held back before rifling a bullet over the right shoulder of Mackenzie Blackwood. It was the third goal in four games for Kovacevic, matching last season's tally count over 77 contests. Third-pair defensemen don't typically score on a fifth of their shots (20.0 SH%) -- particularly one who had a 3.3 SH% in his first full NHL season in 2022-23 -- so Kovacevic's offense is not expected to keep up. |
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| Nov. 19, 2023 |
Kovacevic scored a goal on two shots in Saturday's 5-2 loss to Boston. He also had one hit and six penalty minutes 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 blueliner, who scored in similar fashion Thursday when he filled an area in front of the goalie. It wasn't all good 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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| Nov. 17, 2023 |
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 and has 16 points over 98 career games in the NHL. |
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| Oct. 27, 2023 |
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 with Michael Matheson at the start of the third period. The 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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| April 9, 2023 |
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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| March 26, 2023 |
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 posting a defensemen-leading plus-4 while averaging 17:05 TOI per game. |
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| Feb. 26, 2023 |
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 (one goal, two assists) in three straight games and is up to 10 through 54 contests. Canadien 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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| Feb. 25, 2023 |
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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| Feb. 22, 2023 |
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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| Feb. 13, 2023 |
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. |
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| Dec. 16, 2022 |
Kovacevic had an assist, one hit and one blocked shot over 17:33 of ice time in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Ducks. - Kovacevic's blast from the blue line went wide of the net, but Cole Caufield was well positioned below the line for a wraparound goal that tied the game early in the third period. It was the 25-year-old defenseman's fifth point and fourth assist over 27 games. |
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| Dec. 6, 2022 |
Kovacevic scored a goal on two shots and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Kraken. - Kovacevic's first NHL tally opened the scoring at 12:56 of the first period. He wouldn't be the only player in the game to achieve that milestone, as Shane Wright responded less than three minutes later. Kovacevic now has a goal, three assists, 33 shots on net, a plus-5 rating, 26 hits and 24 blocked shots in 23 appearances this season. He'll likely continue to see bottom-four minutes, though it seems he's mostly solidified a place in the lineup. |
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| Dec. 4, 2022 |
Kovacevic had an assist, one shot on goal and three hits over 18:06 of ice time in Saturday's 5-3 loss to Edmonton. - Kovacevic was the secondary helper on Evgenii Dadonov's second-period goal. It was the third assist of the season for the blueliner, who skates on the third pair. |
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| Nov. 10, 2022 |
Kovacevic had an assist, one shot on net and two blocked shots over 17:08 of ice time in Wednesday's 5-2 win over Vancouver. - Kovacevic registered his first point of the season on what looked like a harmless hockey play. He swung the puck along the boards in the Montreal end, and it eluded Jack Rathbone at the point, where a streaking Mike Hoffman got to the loose puck and led a 2-on-1 rush before beating Thatcher Demko low to the stick side. Kovacevic is one of several young blueliners gaining experience and skates on the Canadiens third pair. In addition to his one point this season, the 25-year-old has 17 hits, 14 blocked shots, 21 shots on net and two PIM over 13 games. |
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| Oct. 8, 2022 |
Montreal claimed Kovacevic off waivers from Winnipeg on Saturday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. - Kovacevic could be land a spot with the Canadiens out of training camp after it appeared as though he would be starting the year in the minors. He skated in four games with the Jets last season. |
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| Oct. 7, 2022 |
Kovacevic was waived by the Jets on Friday, Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reports. - Kovacevic only drew into four games with Winnipeg last season, going scoreless over that span, so he was always expected to begin the 2022-23 campaign in the minors. The 2017 third-round pick picked up 30 points through 62 AHL appearances in 2021-22. |
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| July 22, 2022 |
Per PuckPedia, Kovacevic signed a three-year contract extension with Winnipeg on Friday. - Kovacevic spent most of the 2021-22 season in the minors, picking up 11 goals and 30 points through 62 appearances with AHL Manitoba, but he also drew into four games with the Jets, going scoreless over that span. The 25-year-old defender will likely once again spend the majority of the 2022-23 campaign with Manitoba. |
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| Feb. 15, 2022 |
Kovacevic was demoted to AHL Manitoba on Tuesday. - Kovacevic logged 9:01 of ice time and was held without a point during the lone appearance of his recent NHL stint. The 24-year-old will rejoin AHL Manitoba, looking to build upon his 14 points over 33 games this season. |
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| Feb. 2, 2022 |
Kovacevic was demoted from the active roster to AHL Manitoba on Wednesday. - Kovacevic will rejoin AHL Manitoba, where he has recorded seven goals and seven assists over 32 games this season. The 24-year-old has averaged 11:24 of ice time and been held without a point over the last three NHL games. |
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| Feb. 1, 2022 |
Kovacevic was promoted to the active roster and will play Tuesday versus the Flyers, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports. - Kovacevic will start the game in a third-pairing role alongside Josh Morrissey, who is returning from COVID-19 protocols. The 24-year-old Kovacevic has yet to record a point in two appearances this season. |
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| Jan. 29, 2022 |
Kovacevic was recalled from the taxi squad to the active roster Saturday. - Kovacevic skated for 10:21 and was held without a point in his NHL debut Thursday. He is a candidate to see semi-regular NHL opportunities while Dylan Samberg (upper body) and Dylan DeMelo (lower body) remain on injured reserve. |
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| Jan. 28, 2022 |
The Jets reassigned Kovacevic to the taxi squad Friday. - The defenseman continues to bounce between rosters. Kovacevic logged 10:21 of ice time and one shot on goal in his NHL debut Thursday versus Vancouver. |
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| Jan. 27, 2022 |
Kovacevic was elevated from the taxi squad to the active roster Thursday. - Kovacevic could make his NHL debut as soon as Thursday's game against Vancouver. The 24-year-old has logged 14 points over 32 appearances this season for AHL Manitoba. |
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| Jan. 26, 2022 |
The Jets reassigned Kovacevic to the taxi squad Wednesday. - As expected, Kovacevic was a healthy scratch versus Florida after joining the active roster Tuesday. The 24-year-old doesn't appear likely to make his NHL debut this season. |
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| Jan. 25, 2022 |
Kovacevic was added to the Jets' taxi squad Tuesday. - Kovacevic has spent the past three seasons playing in the minors for AHL Manitoba for which he has registered seven goals and seven helpers in 32 games this year. Selected by the organization in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft, the 24-year-old blueliner would be making his NHL debut if added to the active roster prior to puck drop of Tuesday's clash with Florida. |
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