Scoring two goals in Tuesday’s win against the Washington Capitals, Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky logged the first multi-goal game of his career. And with the way he’s been playing recently, his appearances on the scoresheet are not a fluke.
Since being promoted to the Canadiens’ top line alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, Slafkovsky has been on a roll, showing positive signs of progression all around the board.
Along with an increase in awareness and physicality, the young Slovakia native has seen a significant boost in offensive production after a slow start to the season. Picking up 15 points in his last 21 games, and five in his last five, Slafkovsky now has nine goals and 22 points over 50 games.
Projected to finish the year with approximately 40 points, the 19-year-old, who went first overall in the 2022 Draft, is relieved to see his hard work paying off.
“It’s just nice to see, gain a little confidence. I’ll just keep shooting, I guess,” Slafkosvky told reporters after Tuesday’s game.
He credits head coach Martin St. Louis with playing a key role in his development, revealing that the bench boss and many of his teammates have been encouraging him to shoot more.
Among them is centre Jake Evans, who foresees the rookie becoming a “lethal” force going forward.
“You can see the confidence he has now with his shot — both of them were total snipes!” Evans told reporters in Washington. “I think that’s huge for him because when you get a guy like that with his shot, having that confidence is pretty lethal. It’s going to help our team a lot.”
As for St. Louis, the Canadiens coach is not totally surprised to see the young winger getting on the board.
“His shot is something we’ve been working on through 50 games. It’s a progression. As a player, he’s going to keep evolving in that department,” he explained. “It’s nice to see him getting rewarded.”
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