‘Everyone in here got better’ during Canadiens’ playoff run, Juraj Slafkovsky says
Like most NHL teams, the Canadiens relied on their top line during the regular season, and it didn’t disappoint.
Cole Caufield scored a team-high 51 goals. Captain Nick Suzuki had a team-leading 101 points, while Juraj Slafkovsky reached 30 goals for the first time in his career.
But did they do enough during the Canadiens’ extended playoff run? That’s a question that will be debated throughout the summer.
“What a great question. We all wanted more out of us,” Slafkovsky said this week, when the players and management met the media for the final time in Brossard. “Some games, I feel we were almost trying to do too much, and it worked (out) less because of that. That’s how it is.
“You don’t have a lot of time to think during (each series). You can’t get mad over one game. It was kind of a roller coaster, which I don’t like. You always want to go up with your performance and, 100 per cent, it could have been better. But it made us better for next year.”
Slafkovsky had six goals and six assists in 19 playoff games, while Caufield had six goals and seven assists. Suzuki tied with defenceman Lane Hutson for the team lead in points, with 16, but 12 of those were assists.
Slafkovsky’s totals were misleading.
He scored three goals in the playoff opener against Tampa Bay and added against Carolina. That was the only game in the series the Canadiens won and Slafkovsky held without a point in the next four.
Slafkovsky also was on the receiving end of a devastating hit from Lightning defenceman Max Crozier in Game 4 of the opening round. Crozier laid a massive centre-ice check during the second period. Slafkovsky had his head down and turned into Crozier when he was flattened, causing a stir among the Bell Centre patrons.
Although Slafkovsky returned after a brief visit to the clinic, it proved to be the game’s turning point. Tampa Bay used the momentum to erase a 2-0 deficit and won 3-2, tying the series 2-2. The Canadiens defeated the Lightning in seven games.
Slafkovsky denied physical or mental fatigue played a factor in Montreal’s series loss to the Hurricanes.
“I felt good,” he said. “I don’t think we should blame anything on how our bodies felt. You’re playing against guys whose bodies feel the same. We shouldn’t blame how we feel. It’s a mindset thing.”
Selected first overall in 2022, expectations have always been high for the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Slovak. The 22-year-old winger played a full 82 games, dramatically improving over the previous season, when he produced 18 goals and 51 points in 79 games.
But more work lies ahead.
, absorbs hits in the corner when he has his back to the play, has one hand on his stick during mental lapses and appears lackadaisical at times — a common theme for players his size.
But he also should improve as he gains more experience.
“I think everyone in here got better during this year’s playoffs,” said Slafkovsky. “It was such a good experience. I think it made me better, 100 per cent. Now I know for next year how to better prepare myself, how to be better and more efficient every game. You have to be better mentally and take care of your body. Everything you do during the day goes into that.
“It’s not always going to be the way you want it to be. Sometimes you have to try less and play smarter, more simple. Sometimes when it’s not going my way, I think I should (play) more simple.”
While the Canadiens were no match for the more experienced Hurricanes — a team that endured its own struggles in recent seasons in conference finals — Slafkovsky believes Montreal was full measure for reaching the NHL’s final four.
“We’re one of the youngest teams and we made it to the Eastern Conference final. It wasn’t by luck,” he said. “We earned it with our performances. The next step is to make it to the (Stanley Cup) final. That’s what everybody wants to do.
“I think we already have so many good parts,” Slafkovsky concluded. “I think we need to add experience, which we got in these playoffs. I’m 100 per cent sure the next playoffs will be even better for us.”
