Being a number-one overall draft pick like Juraj Slafkovsky comes with a ton of expectations. Some Habs fans might have had their doubts about the 6’3” winger when he recorded just four goals and six assists in his rookie season. However, the burly Slovakian silenced critics with a very solid 23/24 season in which he scored an impressive 20 goals and 30 assists.
Slafkovsky’s 2023/24 season got off to a promising start as he recorded an assist on opening night in a 6-5 loss to the Leafs. He would then record just 2 points over the next 16 games. He finally had a breakout game of sorts in Boston on November 18th. While Les Canadiens were on the receiving end of a 5-2 beatdown, Slafkovsky enjoyed the first 2-point outing of his career. He had a few other dominant games in 2023/24, but three of them stand out above the rest.
December 21, 2023, at Minnesota
After being held pointless in 8 of his previous 9 games, Slafkovsky led the Habs into Minnesota on December 21st. If you had picked a site from a list of bookies, you would have seen that Montreal was a +146 underdog. However, the game was surprisingly close. Entering the third period with his team down 2-1, Slafkovsky dished a pass to Nick Suzuki who tied it up. However, the Wild retook the lead and held on to it until there was a little over 3 minutes left in the third.
It was then that Slafkovsky took a pass from David Savard and put it past Filip Gustavsson to tie it up again. While Montreal would end up losing in overtime, it wasn’t due to a lack of effort on Slafkovsky’s part. One of the strangest things about this particular game was that the usually physical Juraj didn’t record a single hit.
Coincidentally, the Habs took on the Blackhawks in Chicago the following evening. They won that game 5-2 and Slafkovsky once again recorded a goal and an assist. He was also credited with 3 hits and a blocked shot.
February 13, 2024, Vs Anaheim
Montreal enjoyed its second-most lop-sided win of the season on February 13th against the Ducks.
This big win coincided with Juraj Slafkovsky’s biggest game to date. The Habs were hanging on to a slim 1-0 lead halfway through the second period when Juraj fed a pass to Nick Suzuki who buried it. About 8 minutes later, Slafkovsky once again assisted on another Suzuki goal.
Juraj notched his third point of the night when he took a pass from Nick Suzuki and buried it. This was a chippy game that saw several fights and resulted in 62 total penalty minutes. Yet, Slafkovsky didn’t spend a second in the penalty box. He also recorded a couple of hits and three shots on goal. This is the type of game that fans expect out of the talented young winger.
April 9, 2024, Vs Philadelphia
By the time April 9 rolled around, Montreal was far removed from the playoff picture and the Flyers were gasping their dying breath after a brutal string of losses. Slafkovsky opened the scoring at the 1:05 mark of the first period after taking a pass from Mike Matheson. He then scored the first goal of the second period to make it a 2-0 game.
Less than a minute after Brendan Gallagher extended the lead to 3-0, Slafkovsky completed the hattrick by converting a pass from David Savard. Even though Philly would score three goals in the third, it wasn’t nearly enough as the Habs secured a 9-3 win. Juraj also had three hits, a blocked shot, and a total of six shots on goal. It was his most dominant performance of the season.
Slow Season Start — Blazing Second Half
Even though Juraj Slafkovsky didn’t do much through the first half of the 2023/24 season, he gave fans a good look at his potential with a strong second half. This includes a 9-game point streak in which he recorded 2 goals and 8 assists. He’s certainly developed chemistry with Nick Suzuki. With big number 20 being just 20 years old, Habs fans can look forward to many more dominating performances from Jaraj Slafkovsky.
