Slafkovsky Playing Like A Man On a Mission

While, he wasn’t able to score during the season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Slafkovsky was everywhere on the ice and led everyone on both teams in shots on Wednesday. Sure, he may have fanned on a few of his shots, but he was placing himself in the right areas to get those chances. 

The reality could be that last year, right after the Four Nations tournament, was the real breakout for his career. He seems to finally be understanding his role as a power forward who will get in the dirty areas and create havoc in front of the net. Over time, he’ll get more skilled with the rebounds he picks up in front of the net, but Slafkovsky was definitely ready for the season when the puck dropped on Wednesday. Not only is he hitting everyone that he can and winning his board battles, but Slafkovsky is also carrying the puck into the offensive zone more often than his linemates at 5-on-5.

This could be traced back to a discussion last year after the Four Nations tournament that Slafkovsky had with Adam Nicholas, who told the young Slovakian forward that he would be a more successful player if he could somewhat model his game after Brady Tkachuk. It seemed like Slafkovsky really took this to heart, as ever since that happened, he has progressively started playing more like a modern-day NHL power forward.

Of course, he may still have a few nights where he’s less physical or may not go to the net as much as others, but there has been serious progression since then. Slafkovsky also received video clips to study over the summer in Slovakia from Nicholas, so that he would be ready for this season; this likely also had a huge impact on Slafkovsky’s change of play.

Despite the loss on Wednesday, he was by far the most noticeable on the Habs’ top line and was again on Thursday night against the Red Wings. Unfortunately, his linemates Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield are nowhere near playing as well as they should. 

For his play in the first 4+ periods of the Habs season, Slafkovsky was finally rewarded with a goal when he buried a Caufield rebound for the Habs’ first power-play goal of the season. When it comes to Slafkovsky’s game it isn’t as much about points as his other two linemates, which is why even though Suzuki has more points after the first 2 games, he is currently outplaying the captain in terms of all-around play. 

If Slafkovsky can continue down the path that he is surely heading towards this season, the first line, which is already among the top lines in hockey, will only be better. This would be because instead of having the beast version of Slafkovsky for only half a season, it can be over a full year. Not to mention, both Suzuki and Caufield will get back to their games soon enough, as they are both prone to sluggish starts to the season in their own right.

One thing is for sure: Slafkovsky is no longer just a player who plays on the first line, but he now plays like a first-line power forward.

How have you liked Slafkovsky’s last two games?