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In Hainsight: Slafkovsky Has Arrived |
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Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
With less than 10 games left to the Canadiens’ season and no chance of making the playoffs, the Habs are playing meaningless hockey games, for them from a standing perspective at least. If you see the big picture though, those games are anything but meaningless for a rebuilding team. They are the players’ opportunity to make a statement and stake a claim on the chair they should be occupying next season.
Slafkovsky is one of the players who is grabbing that opportunity with both hands. From a complement to the Suzuki-Caufield duo, he has become an integral part of the first line. The big Slovak now has 42 points on the season which translates to 0.70 points per game. Last year, his PPG only stood at 0.26. Granted, this was based on his injury-shortened season, but still, the progression from one year to another is as obvious as Radulov’s missing front teeth. While his increased production is great, there is more to Slafkovsky than just points and it was particularly obvious in last night’s 5-3 win over the Panthers.
What struck me about the 20-year-old forward last night is how much he’s now using his big frame not just to screen the goalie on point shots, but also to get the puck in the corners and check opponents all over the ice, just ask Steven Lorenz who was caught between Arber Xhekaj and Slafkovsky on a big hit. Even Aaron Ekblad, a 6’4’’ and 215 pounds hurt himself pulling a wrestling move on the Slovak. Next season, Slafkovsky’s place is already booked on Suzuki’s wing and with more ice time from the start of the season, we could see a serious increase in his point total.
Last night and for a little while now, someone who fell off his chair at the start of the season is doing everything he can to avoid that next season. Say what you will about Joel Armia, but he’s been a consistent threat for the last month now. Don’t misunderstand me here, I’m not saying Armia will be part of this team when it’s ready to contend, but if he keeps this up, he could be a good rental for a contending team at the trade deadline. The fact his contract expires next year will also help. With the goal he scored last night, Armia now has 14 on the season which makes him the team’s fourth goal scorer after the members of the first line.
If the Panthers were favorites to win the game last night, the Canadiens decided they didn’t like the script and threw it out the window. Florida took the lead twice in the first period, but at no point did Montreal seem worried. It took Joel Armia less than a minute to tie up the game after Anton Lundell had opened the scoring. The Panthers regained the lead after Aleksander Barkov cut to the front of the net and pulled off a great deke to get the puck behind Montembeault making it 2-1 for the visitors.
When the referees gave Brandon Gallagher a goal after a video review before taking it away saying the arena’s noise had caused a communication issue, captain Nick Suzuki took matters into his own hands. He first tied up the game at 2-2 thanks to a juicy turnover in the slot which allowed him to score his 31st of the year. Suzuki was still hungry for more though and he gave the Canadiens their first lead of the game on the power play. With his 32nd goal of the season, the Golden Knights former 13th overall picked passed the 70-point mark and is now tied with 2002-2003 Saku Koivu’s season for the 4th highest total with the Habs this century. With eight games remaining, I believe it’s possible to hope Suzuki may reach the 80-point mark. Next season, if Slafkovsky produces at the same rate he is right now and Cole Caufield has a shooting percentage worthy of his talent, the captain’s offensive output could also take a significant jump.
Speaking of Caufield, he also got in on the action early in the third when his first shot on target found its way behind Anthony Stolarz giving the Canadiens a two-goal cushion. Then, as Suzuki was sitting in the box on a delay of the game call, Jake Evans broke away on the penalty killing and made it 5-2. The Panthers did get a third goal with a minute and 16 seconds left in the game, but Paul Maurice didn’t even pull his goaltender. The Florida pilot stated in his post-game comment he just wanted the game to end as soon as possible so that no one else would get hurt.
The Canadiens will be back in action tomorrow night when they’ll host the Tampa Bay Lightning. John Cooper’s men are currently 7th in the East and will make the playoffs once again, but they haven’t taken their foot off the gas pedal. They have an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games and will present yes another good test for the Canadiens.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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