(St. Paul, Minnesota) Juraj Slafkovsky’s learning continues, and that includes managing his relationships with referees.
Thursday night in Minnesota was the perfect laboratory to test his discipline. The referees, rather interventionist, awarded 15 penalties. The two teams bickered like Pedro Martinez and Don Zimmer in 2003. When Marco Rossi, with his teenage face and build, drops the gloves, it’s a sign that emotions are running high.
So it was a good night to test Slafkovsky’s control. And despite some not always subtle protests to the officials, the 19-year-old passed the exam.
“Sometimes the emotions… You get more angry than you should,” Slafkovsky admitted after the Canadian’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Wild. But the coaches are good at bringing us back to the present, reminding us that the game continues. I’m a guy who can get very frustrated quickly. It depends on the personalities. Perhaps I lose my patience more quickly than others! »
Not only did Slafkovsky avoid the penalty box, but he remained focused enough to deliver another encouraging performance to the right of Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.
History will remember that the 1er 2022 draft pick picked up two points on a chilly Thursday night. Points that are always important to put in context. On November 18 in Boston, Slafkovsky also collected two points, but he delivered one of his worst performances of the season.
This time, he tried several times to apply what Martin St-Louis preaches, namely to play between the faceoff circles. This led directly to two goals for the Canadian. On the first, that of David Savard, he passed through the enclave on the first wave of the attack, before returning there when Savard fired.
On the second, he himself scored a goal that we will certainly not see again in the top 10 of the best goals of his career. But if the puck shot by Savard deflected off his stick, it was because he was in the right place.
“We see how much difference trust makes,” noted Savard. He plays better and better, he brings the puck to the net, his shot passes more often to the goalie. It’s fun to see him develop. »
In fewer words, St-Louis was also delighted. “The guys see it, we are much more inside, we are more dangerous and that is an example,” added the CH head coach.
And Slafkovsky? “I don’t care how it fits. Of course I would love to cross the rink from one end to the other. But it’s a goal and it allowed us to create equality. »
An elite talent
PHOTO MATT KROHN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kirill Kaprizov scored the winning goal.
In the victorious camp, there is precisely a player capable of crossing the entire length of the ice rink. It was Kirill Kaprizov, author of the winning goal, who spoiled CH’s comeback, which was trailing 2-0, then 3-2.
“The guys tried to give it their all, but in overtime it was heads or tails. It’s a great pass that was made to an excellent player,” noted Savard.
The coin flip has generally favored the Canadian this season; this defeat was only his second in overtime in seven games. Except Kaprizov’s goal, and the night in general, was a reminder of the type of playmaker the Canadian lacks. The Russian concluded his evening three points richer and buzzed non-stop.
This type of player doesn’t grow on trees, but the fact remains that he was drafted at 135e rank. The most common way to acquire such players is to draft them early – for example in the 1er rank when an exceptional player emerges – but it also happens that a late roll of the dice favors a team, as is the case here.
There is no indication that such a player is currently in the Canadiens’ system. Maybe he is. Maybe he will be drafted next June. Maybe not. But in the meantime, the Habs will have to try to win differently.
For example by throwing himself in front of a shot, as Nick Suzuki did in the final seconds of the third period, to push the match into overtime. “You can’t start doing it when you’re in the playoffs. When you see your captain do it, you no longer have an excuse not to do it,” recalled Brendan Gallagher.
For example by rushing towards the net to score goals that are not always elegant.
On the rise: Nick Suzuki
PHOTO MATT BLEWETT, USA TODAY SPORTS
David Savard (58) and Nick Suzuki (14)
The captain played confidently. Two points, six shots, 69% success on faceoffs and a blocked shot at the very end of the 3e period to allow Montrealers to go to overtime.
Down: Jake Evans
PHOTO MATT KROHN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jake Evans
His trio spent the evening besieged in its territory, in particular because Evans won only one of his 10 faceoffs.
The number of the match: 10
PHOTO MATT BLEWETT, USA TODAY SPORTS
Matt Boldy (12) celebrates his goal scored in the first period.
The Canadian loses in Minnesota for a 10e match in a row. The other nine defeats, however, were suffered in 60 minutes.
In details
Shy start for Heineman
Emil Heineman took his first steps in the NHL. Renowned in particular for the quality of his shot, the Swede announced his colors from his solo lap of the rink at the start of the warm-up, by dropping a puck into the upper part. If we talk about the warm-up, it’s because during the match itself, we saw very little of it. Inserted into the lineup to replace Michael Pezzetta, he played to the left of Mitchell Stephens and Jesse Ylönen. However, the numerous penalties have greatly limited this unit’s playing opportunities, and Heineman is not used on the special teams. Martin St-Louis, however, tried to keep him involved by designating him for a 4-on-4 presence in the middle of the match. The check he served in the first period, however, reminds us that he can hold his own when the intensity increases. Heineman ultimately played 5:56 in 10 appearances. “It’s a dream come true,” said the young man. Too bad we didn’t win. »
The Unicorn of the Wild
The Wild have something special in Brock Faber. The team is decimated on the blue line in the absence of Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin, so new head coach John Hynes is turning heavily to Faber to raise some depth. In the last 5 games, he played an average of 30 minutes per outing, including 33 minutes on Thursday. Colleague Elliotte Friedman also recalled this week that with an average of more than 24 minutes per game, Faber threatens Tobias Enstrom’s record (24 min 28 s) for average usage time for a rookie defender. In this match, Faber showed off his versatility, scoring a goal in addition to providing a defensive presence. And to think he’s only 21 years old. Quite a find for a player claimed at 45e rank in 2020.
A dominant center
Joel Eriksson Ek may not have had a point, but he had a good night in the faceoff circle and it paid off for his team. The Wild’s two power play goals were in fact the result of their success in the faceoff circle. On Faber’s goal in the third period, the officials strangely did not give him the victory against Mitchell Stephens, but no matter, the result was good for the Wild. It was also curious to see Stephens take such a crucial faceoff in the middle of the third period, but after two periods, poor Jake Evans had lost his five duels against Eriksson Ek. The latter has 14 goals after 31 matches and shows a differential of +11. We’ll see if he ends up in the top 10 in the Selke Trophy voting for a fourth straight season.