At only 20 years old, Juraj Slafkovsky continues to establish himself as an important player in the CH lineup. Without being the most spectacular on the ice, Slafkovsky is off to a very good start to the season in terms of offensive statistics. He has six points in six games so far.
In CH’s 4-3 defeat against the Islanders last night, Slafkovsky collected two other assists. He participated in both Cole Caufield goals.
With his assist on Caufield’s first goal, Slafkovsky passed the great Guy Lafleur for 6th place in franchise history for most points scored by a player 20 years old or younger. In his career, the 20-year-old forward has so far 66 points in 127 games. Last year, he totaled 50 points in 82 games. CH fans can expect great things from Slafkovsky this season. Drafted first overall in 2021, the Slovak is a key piece in the Canadian’s reconstruction.
If the Canadian squad wants to be part of the famous “mix” this season, the team will have to be much better defensively. The CH comes last in the NHL for the percentage of “expected goals” at five against five. Defensive coverage has often been lacking since the start of the season.
The players can thank their goalkeeper, Samuel Montembeault, who is having an excellent start to the season. He is currently the third best goaltender in the NHL in terms of “goals saved”. In four games so far, the 27-year-old goaltender has a goals against average per game of 2.29 and a save percentage of .932.
Canada
