MONTREAL -- There was a buzz around the Bell Centre on Monday night that hadn't been palpable for a while.

Ilya Kovalchuk may be 36 years old, and was released by one of the worst teams in the NHL just over two weeks ago, so everyone was curious to see how the Russian sniper was going to fare in his first outing with the Montreal Canadiens.

In the end, Kovalchuk looked pretty good. He was the second most used Habs forward, with 19:25 of ice time, had an assist, fired off five shots - four of which were on target - made six hits, blocked a shot and ended the night with a differential of plus-2.

While Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin and head coach Claude Julien had done everything to temper expectations since the signing of Kovalchuk last Friday, the man himself showed Monday night that he was able to keep pace ... at least for the moment.

The crowd even chanted "Kovy! Kovy! Kovy!" at one point late in the second period after he knocked over Winnipeg Jets defender Luca Sbisa.

"I got  chills,'' Kovalchuk said of the chants following the Canadiens' 3-2 loss to the Jets. "I appreciate the encouragement."

"The past few days have been very special," he added. "The fans' response and the guys' welcome in the locker room warmed my heart."

From his 2001-02 rookie season to his departure for Russia at the end of the 2012-13 campaign, Kovalchuk was the NHL's top scorer with 417 goals in 816 games. He returned to play in North America last season with the Los Angeles Kings. He added 19 goals in 81 games for that team.

Monday night, Kovalchuk made everyone forget about all the criticism he's received over the years. He played well defensively, was physically involved and drove to the net. With some luck, he would have scored a goal that would have helped the Canadiens tie the game 2-2 early in the third period.

He also seems to have quickly developed chemistry with Tomas Tatar and Phillip Danault.

"It's easy to play with good players,'' said Kovalchuk, perhaps throwing a jab at former coach Todd McLellan, who relegated him to the Kings' fourth line.

"When people trust you, you want to give everything for them. The coach put me in the lineup and I tried to do my best. This is just the beginning. I have to work hard and keep improving."

Kovalchuk said his power play unit made too many passes and should have taken more shots on net.

In his post-game comments, Julien also gave a positive assessment of Kovalchuk's work. But again, he was cautious.

"I liked his game, but tomorrow (Tuesday) he has another big challenge,'' he said. "We are playing a second game in as many nights. However, if he plays with the same energy and with as much conviction, he will certainly help us."

This is the only suspense that remains today. Kovalchuk has shown he can keep up with the NHL on Monday, but can he do it night after night?

The Kings threw in the towel in Kovalchuk's case. It is still too early to know if he will really be able to assert himself as an important part of the Canadiens in what is shaping up to be a difficult end of the season, as the Montreal team clings to an increasingly faint hope of making the playoffs.

 This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2020.