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Juraj Slafkovsky becomes a cornerstone of the Habs 5-on-5 team

We often talk about the Habs’ power-play problems, but 5-on-5 play remains just as important, if not more so. As La Presse columnist Simon-Olivier Lorange pointed out during his appearance on La Presse and 98.5 Sports’ Sortie de zone podcast, 45 to 50 minutes of a game are often played at a numerical disadvantage.

You need your players to be effective in this aspect of the game, and that’s exactly what Juraj Slafkovsky is doing. Tuesday night’s game against the Dallas Stars proved Slafkovsky’s effectiveness on both sides of the rink.

We can start with his offensive contribution.

On the Habs’ first goal, he showed just how much he’s improved his puck control and vision in the opposition zone. That’s not to mention the fact that he now seems much calmer in possession of the disc, allowing him to concentrate and make great passes like this one.

Without defense, offense is useless. On the game’s third goal, Slafkovsky showed that he’s capable of standing out on defense, especially in puck retrieval thanks to his physical play. His defensive retreat allowed Jordan Harris to race through on goal.

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The Slovak didn’t pick up an assist on this game, but his play was probably more important than an assist.

He plays well enough defensively to earn Martin St-Louis’ trust. As Guillaume Lefrançois explained on the Zone Out podcast, Slafkovsky earned himself some playing time in the final minutes of the game to preserve the team’s lead. Meanwhile, Cole Caufield was unable to get on the ice.

Getting back to the offensive contribution, Juraj Slafkovsky doesn’t have a ton of points this season, but he needn’t be embarrassed about his contribution, as he’s currently the Habs’ third-highest scorer at 5-on-5 with a total of 12, just behind fellow trio Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki.

As Simon-Olivier Lorange explains, the comparisons with Logan Cooley were numerous at the start of the season when the Tricolore faced the Coyotes, but although the American has four more points than Slafkovsky in 2023-24 (18 points), he has only eight at 5-on-5.

So we’re back to Lorange’s idea that a game is played for 45 to 50 minutes at even strength.

The work is far from over for Slafkovsky, but rest assured, he’s on the right track, especially at 5-on-5.

In gusto

– He’s confident!

– Glad to see this success.

– Things are hopping in the #PWHL.

– The Americans will host the tournament.