The Canadian | Juraj Slafkovsky was on fire

Juraj Slafkovsky had a difficult evening Tuesday against the Coyotes. The rare times we saw him were when he held his stick too high and hit a rival in the face.

In the middle of the match, after Slafkovsky’s second infraction, Martin St-Louis had had enough; he nailed the young man to the bench for one appearance, and inserted Joshua Roy in his place, to the right of Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.

Returning to his post on the next lap, Slafkovsky looked, from the top of the catwalk, like a guy with a burning behind. With his knee on the boards about fifteen seconds before his turn arrived, he flew onto the ice, prepared a scoring chance for Cole Caufield before serving a check to the colossus Liam O’Brien.

When we checked, the 19-year-old didn’t just look like he was on fire.

“I was certainly furious,” Slafkovsky confirmed after Wednesday’s practice in Brossard. I had missed the previous presence, Roy had replaced me. I want to play all my appearances. It made me angry. Even before that, my match was not going to my liking. I wanted to get a big presence before the intermission to help me for the third period. »

Penalties pile up

Slafkovsky didn’t seem to be leading much on the ice either during Wednesday’s practice. But once in the locker room in front of the microphones, he displayed his usual candor, a candor which makes him interesting in interviews since he filters his moods less than the average hockey player.

The question of discipline came up often, since his two penalties on Tuesday brought his number of infractions to five in the last four games. Is he too complaining to the referees after a penalty? “Maybe that’s part of the problem,” he agreed, “because I’m not always nice when it happens. I should probably yell less at the referees! »

St-Louis also conceded that players, “especially young ones, I think”, can become targets for officials. “They’re going to be more patient with an emotional veteran. For the young people, it’s part of the learning process, so they will have a little less patience, said the head coach.

“He reacts like any 19-year-old,” he continued. Sometimes he reacts better. It will continue to stabilize in this department, but we must be careful, the line is thin and it is a game of emotions. When Slaf is angry and plays with emotion, he is even more tiring. »

While waiting for him to find this happy medium, let us note that Slafkovsky’s indiscipline occurs at the moment when the 1^er 2022 draft pick is experiencing a first short slump this winter. He has not collected a point in his last four games, his first such streak since his seven duels without a point from November 30 to December 13. His puck possession indicators nevertheless remain green (the Canadian controls 57.5% of shot attempts and 52.5% of expected goals when he is on the ice at 5 against 5).

We can wonder if the fact that the Canadian did not obtain a numerical advantage in the last two games hurt him; The idea that talented players build their confidence in this phase of the game is enduring.

The hypothesis was not put to Slafkovsky on Wednesday, but he rejected others presented to him. He believes, for example, that closer monitoring of his trio, in light of their successes in recent weeks, “may be a factor. But we’re good enough at making plays, regardless of rivals’ scrutiny. »

The length of the calendar is another assumption. He will compete on Thursday for his 60^e match of the season, a plateau he had not yet reached in his young professional career.

“Some nights I feel average, but I play well. Other evenings I feel very good, even though we are approaching 60^e match. It’s better this way. Last year, I didn’t have the chance to play all the matches. I hope to play 82 this year. »

The only explanation he seemed to accept is that of the level of play which increases when the twelve-sixteenths of the season are completed. “At the beginning, the teams were still looking for each other. Now the systems are fine-tuned and the games are becoming more predictable. It becomes more difficult on the ice. »

In his defense, this reality seems to be catching up with the team in general, and not just him or the youngsters, as evidenced by CH’s 4-10-1 record in the last 15 games.

In short

Dach in full uniform

If a player is training alone, but no journalists see him, is he really training? We will meditate on this question another day, but in the meantime, know that Kirby Dach skated in full uniform on Wednesday, information that we know because Radio-Canada colleague Alexandre Gascon documented it. This would be, at least in the presence of a camera, a first session in full uniform for Dach, who had been seen skating in a sports tracksuit in recent days. Dach is recovering from knee surgery and should theoretically miss time to return to action before the end of the season.

Montembeault against the Panthers

Samuel Montembeault will get a second start in a row on Thursday when the Canadian visits Florida. Montembeault will be playing a sixth game against the only other organization he has known in the NHL. With his average of 5.61 and his efficiency of .863, you will understand that he is still looking for a first victory against the Panthers. Moreover, Jake Evans and Jayden Struble, who missed training on Wednesday before leaving for Florida, were nevertheless expected to accompany their teammates for the four-game trip.