Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Offensive surge continues
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Slafkovsky recorded an assist, three shots on goal and one blocked shot over 19:44 of ice time in Friday's 3-2 shootout win over the Sharks.
After retrieving a rebound directed to the corner by goalie Cayden Primeau, Slafkovsky fed Cole Caufield and watched him go directly to the net and beat Mackenzie Blackwood for the game-tying goal that set up the overtime/shootout. He opened the season with just two points through the first 15 games, but Friday's helper was the fourth point (one goal, three assists) in the last five games for Slafkovsky, who was on the ice for both of Montreal's regulation tallies. Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis has exhibited patience and not made any rash decisions with the 2022 first-overall pick, and it appears to be paying off.
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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Two points in loss
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Slafkovsky scored a goal and added an assist in a 5-2 loss to the Bruins.
Slafkovsky was in the bumper and finished a feed from Nick Suzuki, who was behind the net. for his first goal in seven games. So far, Slafkovsky has just six goals in 57 games over two seasons, including two in 18 appearances this campaign. That seems light on the surface, but he's still just 19 years of age. His release is like lightning, and his size is tantalizing. There's plenty of time for him to become an NHL force. Remember -- Jack Hughes had about the same number of goals in the same number of games early in his career. He's no Jack Hughes, but he has the potential to be an NHL star.
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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Records assist in loss
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Slafkovsky had an assist, one shot on goal, one blocked shot and four hits over 14:23 of ice time in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to Calgary.
Slafkovsky picked up the secondary helper on Montreal's lone goal, his first point in five games. Unlocking the 2022 first overall draft pick's offense has been a primary objective of Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis -- the coach is giving him stability in terms of TOI and linemates, but Slafkovsky has just one goal on 24 shots and three points over 16 games.
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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Best part of disappointing loss
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Slafkovsky scored a power-play goal, had four shots on net and delivered one hit over 18:06 of ice time in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Blues.
Slafkovsky scoring his first goal in 11 games is one positive to take away from a rough night for the Canadiens, who lost in regulation for the second straight game to a team that played the previous night while Montreal rested. With the 19-year-old forward's play slipping, head coach Martin St. Louis could have demoted Slafkovsky to a lower line or scratched him, but the coach opted for a promotion to the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. The decision looks like a good one, as Slafkovsky set a season high in shots and had a couple of subtle puck-touches that led to scoring chances, including one on his power-play strike. The new combination led the Habs in scoring chances and high-danger scoring chances, per Natural Stat Trick.
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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Delivers three hits in loss
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Slafkovsky recorded three hits over 14:17 of ice time in Thursday's 3-2 loss to Arizona.
Slafkovsky raised his hit total to 17, fourth on the team, but he was selected first overall in the 2022 draft for offense. One has to go back to the first game of the season to find Slafkovsky's only point, an assist. The 19-year-old, who doesn't have a shot on goal in the first two games of a road trip that heads to St. Louis on Saturday, has forced a goalie to make a save just 10 times over 10 games this year.
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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Growth without scoring
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Slafkovsky had one hit and two penalty minutes over 14:02 of ice time in Monday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Golden Knights.
Slafkovsky, who recorded an assist opening night, has gone pointless in eight games since. Despite the lack of scoring, he continues to skate on the second line and is part of the power play, as head coach Martin St. Louis is adamant about giving him regular TOI and linemates. While the points haven't been there, the coach is focusing on the 19-year-old's puck touches instead of goals and assists, per Arpon Basu of The Athletic. "Personally, I'm happy with Slaf because he's touching the puck a lot," St. Louis said prior to Monday's game. "Compared to last year, it's a big difference. So his evolution, already in 12 months, I find it very encouraging, and I'm very eager to see him in 12 months." It sounds like St. Louis will remain focused on process and ride it out with Slafkovsky, but at some point, the forward will be expected to produce offense.
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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Contributes in loss
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Slafkovsky had an assist, one shot on goal, three hits and finished plus-1 over 15:25 of ice time in Wednesday's 6-5 shootout loss to Toronto.
Slafkovsky had the primary assist on Alex Newhook's first goal, deftly slipping a backhand pass around a defender. He later kept the puck in the zone to initiate a sequence that led to Newhook's second marker. Wednesday's TOI was more than three minutes over Slafkovsky's season average as a rookie in 2022-23. Montreal head coach Martin St. Louis' plan is to give him more TOI and stable linemates in his second NHL season.
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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Notches goal in win
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Slafkovsky scored a goal on three shots and delivered three hits in Saturday's 6-4 preseason win over the Senators.
Slafkovsky gave Montreal an early lead just 33 seconds into the game. The 19-year-old set a screen in front of Mads Sogaard, then buried his second preseason goal off the rebound. Coach Martin St. Louis got Slafkovsky into a team-high five preseason games to get the 2022 first overall pick as many touches as possible. Kirby Dach has been a frequent partner, and the duo was joined by Alex Newhook on Saturday. The second-year forward will skate on the second line with Dach and another winger to be determined. St. Louis plans to give him consistent playing time and linemates, which could result in a much better sophomore season for Slafkovsky.
Slafkovsky has been on the same line with Kirby Dach three times during preseason action, Arpon Basu of The Athletic reports.
It appears head coach Martin St. Louis sees something about the combination of Slafkovsky and Dach, whose ability to create scoring chances could help elevate the 19-year-old Slovak. St. Louis believes an ideal linemate for Dach is a shooter and goal scorer, which is what the Canadiens drafted Slafkovsky to do. The Montreal bench boss also wants to give Slafkovsky more minutes this season along with a more stable role and line, which is something he did not have during his rookie season in 2022-23.
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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Strong effort Wednesday
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Slafkovsky scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's preseason win over Ottawa.
Slafkovsky, playing his first game since last season, pounced on loose puck from a net-front scramble and beat Joonas Korpisalo with snap shot to give Montreal a 2-0 lead in the second period. The 19-year-old, after whetting his scoring appetite, looked for more later in the period but shot wide or was denied. Expectations are high for the 2022 first-overall pick, whose rookie season ended with four goals and 10 points over 39 games before a season-ending knee injury in January. "I'm just hoping for him to grow this season," head coach Martin St. Louis told Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette. "And growing is not necessarily in a straight line. There's going to be some dips and stuff, but I'm pretty sure from now until the end of the season, when we connect these dots, it's going up." Slafkovsky is penciled in as a third-line winger, but his role could grow if he shows development.
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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Ready to rock
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Slafkovsky (lower body) will be available for the start of training camp, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.
Slafkovsky's rookie campaign in 2022-23 was cut short due to a lower-body injury in mid-January. In 39 outings last season, he earned four goals, six assists and 53 hits. Slafkovsky will compete for a middle-six role during camp.
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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Officially shut down
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Slafkovsky (lower body) has been officially ruled out for the remainder of the season, Eric Engels of Sportsnet.ca reports Monday.
Slafkovsky was a long shot to get back into action before the end of the campaign based on his initial three-month recovery timeline. The 19-year-old rookie notched four goals and six assists, including two power-play points, in 39 games this season. The 2022 first-overall pick will no doubt be eager to play a full 82-game season next year and should be capable of pushing for 25-30 points if he can stay healthy.
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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Likely done for the year
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Slafkovsky is expected to be sidelined for three months with a lower-body injury that won't require surgery.
Slafkovsky will almost certainly miss the rest of the regular season, and with the Canadiens sitting in last place in the Atlantic Divison, fantasy managers shouldn't expect to see the No. 1 overall pick from the 2022 Entry Draft back in action until the 2023-24 campaign. If that ends up being the case, Slafkovsky will finish his rookie season having picked up four goals, 10 points and a minus-13 rating while averaging 12:13 of ice time through 39 appearances.
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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Designated for injured reserve
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Slafkovsky (lower body) landed on injured reserve Monday.
Slafkovsky is currently stuck in a 15-game pointless streak dating back to Dec. 14 against Ottawa while also having failed to score in 21 straight outings. With Joel Armia (upper body) and Jake Evans (lower body) also going on IR, the team has recalled Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Rem Pitlick from the minors to fill out the lineup. The team hasn't provided any specifics on when Slafkovsky might be cleared to return, so fantasy players should consider him out indefinitely at this point.
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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Exits Sunday's game
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Slafkovsky suffered a lower-body injury Sunday against the Rangers, Eric Engels of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Salfkovsky posted a minus-1 rating with two PIM in 9:04 of ice time Sunday. The rookie winger will be evaluated in Montreal ahead of Tuesday's tilt with the Jets.
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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Notches assist in loss
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Slafkovsky had an assist, one shot on goal, one hit and two penalty minutes in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Senators.
Slafkovsky was the secondary helper on Kirby Dach's goal, initiating a third-period comeback that Montreal could not complete. It was his second consecutive game with an assist, and the rookie has five points over the last seven contests. Slafkovsky's offensive skills are no longer being wasted on the fourth line.
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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Logs assist in win
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Slafkovsky had an assist, three shots on goal and four hits over a season-high 15:22 of ice time in Monday's 2-1 shootout win over Calgary.
Slafkovsky cycled away from defenders in the corner, stalling until a play could be made, and found Josh Anderson at the crease for the game-tying goal in the third period. The rookie forward skated on the third line and will provide depth offense for Montreal, which is dealing with injuries to several forwards. It was the fourth point in six games for Slafkovsky, whose days on the fourth line may be over.
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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Produces helper
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Slafkovsky registered an assist in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Kraken.
Slafkovsky helped out on Josh Anderson's game-winning marker early in the second period. Over the last seven games, Slafkovsky has a goal and three assists -- it looks like he's getting more comfortable while seeing third-line minutes. The rookie winger is up to eight points, 25 shots, 19 hits, 23 PIM and a minus-1 rating through 21 outings.
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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: Logs assist on power play
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Slafkovsky had a power-play assist, one hit and one blocked shot over 14:25 of ice time in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Oilers.
Slafkovsky set up Arber Xhekaj 10 seconds into a second-period 5-on-3 advantage that knotted the score at three goals apiece. The assist was his first on the power play and third overall. After opening the season on the fourth line, the rookie has been deployed on the second line the last two games. Slafkovsky has seven points, 25 shots, 16 hits, 13 blocked shots and 23 PIM while averaging 11:16 TOI over 19 contests.
