Despite getting off to a slow start this season, Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky has been on a heater as of late.
So much so that the 19-year-old earned a spot in the Canadiens’ all-time record book on Thursday night. And considering his team is nearly 120 years old, that’s no small feat.
With his latest goal — a highlight-reel worthy snipe on New York Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick — Slafkosvky became the first teenager in Habs history to record a seven-game point streak.
And with the way he’s playing, he could very well extend it.
Juraj Slafkovsky pushes his point streak to seven straight games.
Nice shot (no hesitation) and a great play by Caufield to grab the puck. pic.twitter.com/Tbx96SfyGv
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) February 16, 2024
The record was previously held by forward Doug Wickenheiser, who netted six points in six games in the 1980-81 season
Other who came close include Alex Galchenyuk and Stephane Richer, who had five-point streaks in 2012-13 and 1985-86 respectively.
As for Slafkovsky, his ongoing scoring spell is even more impressive than it seems. The winger, drafted first overall by the Canadiens in 2022, has a whopping six goals 11 points in his last seven games.
On a league-wide scale, Slafkovsky is only one of 12 active players to reach a seven-game point streak before the age of 20. The other names on the list put him in very good company:
- Sidney Crosby
- Sam Gagner
- Clayton Keller
- Patrik Laine
- Nathan MacKinnon
- Auston Matthews
- Connor McDavid
- Ryan O’Reilly
- Steven Stamkos
- Andrei Svechnikov
- Matthew Tkachuk
With 12 goals and 29 points over 54 games, the Slovakia native has shifted gears after the holiday break, netting 16 of those points in his last 18 outings with Montreal.
Linemate Cole Caufield, who knows a thing or two about scoring goals, has taken notice, and predicts Slafkosvky only getting better from here.
“The way he plays the game it’s heavy, it’s smart and it’s skilled so he’s doing that right now and we’re only going to get better from here,” Caufield told reporters earlier this week.
Slafkovsky will get the chance to bring his hot streak to eight games when the Canadiens face the Washington Capitals at home on Saturday night.
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