"Already better than Bedard": Canadiens' Ivan Demidov leaves fans buzzing after scoring a goal on NHL debut

Rookie Ivan Demidov made an immediate impact in his NHL debut for the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night. The 19-year-old, who was the No. 5 overall pick in last year's draft, scored a goal and added an assist in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Demidov wasted no time recording his first NHL point, assisting on Alex Newhook's first-period goal that opened the scoring just over six minutes into the game. He streaked down the left wing before curling towards the net and assisting Newhook in front for the finish.

The Russian forward followed that up by netting his first career NHL goal later in the first period. After the puck caromed off the end boards right to Demidov alone in front of the net, he pulled off a slick forehand-backhand move to beat Blackhawks goalie Arvid Soderblom.

Fans quickly took to social media to react to Demidov's impressive debut, with one fan tweeting:

"Already better than Bedard" in reference to Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard.

Another wrote,

"2 puck touches, 2 points! This kid is something special." on X.

Here are some fan reactions:

"Wow, Ivan Demidov's first NHL goal is already a game-changer – that kind of skill from a prospect like him could mean big things for his team, stats like that early on are pure fire keep an eye on his next moves!" one fan wrote.

"THE BEST RUSSIAN PLAYER IN THE WORLD FINALLY ARRIVED IN THE NHL" another fan wrote.

"Damn Montreal got so lucky getting this kid at 5 he’s gonna be a amazing player" a user commented.

"That’s awesome and it’s his debut" another user wrote.

Alex Newhook and Juraj Slafkovsky also scored for the Canadiens. Sam Montembeault stopped 22 shots.

For the Blackhawks, Frank Nazar, Tyler Bertuzzi and Lukas Reichel scored. Frank Nazar also scored the game-winning goal in the shootout. Arvid Soderblom made 18 saves.

Canadiens miss chance to clinch playoff spot with loss to Blackhawks

Despite Ivan Demidov's impressive debut, the Canadiens fell 4-3 in overtime. With their loss to the Blackhawks, the Canadiens now hold a 39-31-11 record. They sit in the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with 89 points and just one game left in the regular season.

Trailing closely behind are the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have 85 points (38-33-9) with two games remaining.

For the Canadiens to make the playoffs, they just need to win their last game, get a point in overtime, or have the Blue Jackets lose one of their final two games.