Panthers 3 – Canadian 5 | When Slafkovsky dreams of series

Juraj Slafkovsky is always candid and he offered new proof on Tuesday. Brother Arpon Basu asked him if he had been suspended during his years in the Finnish Liiga.

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” Oh yes. Six games. An elbow directly to the chin,” recalled the new twenty-year-old, after the Canadian’s 5-3 victory against the Florida Panthers.

“Six match suspension and it was your first offense?

– Yes. They hate foreigners there. Martin Pospisil’s brother [des Flames de Calgary] was playing there too, he got into a fight and was suspended for four games. They hate foreigners there. It’s my opinion. »

That has the merit of being clear.

That said, his suspension does not mean that the teenager then a member of TPS Turku was robust. “The rink was bigger, so I was always late. Here it’s smaller, so I get there quicker and I don’t have to raise my elbow when I punch! », detailed Slafkovsky.

Fast forward two years and here is Slafkovsky, in an NHL locker room, with a few scratches on his face, probably from his spat with Aaron Ekblad.

Robustness, however, is not just about fights. Stupidly, body checks are the most quantifiable element; he distributed three on Tuesday, and since his breakthrough in mid-December, he has totaled 79 in 44 games, the second total among CH attackers. It can also be a physical involvement that allows him to leave with the puck, which he did against the big Niko Mikkola (6 ft 5 in, 206 lbs) in the middle of the match.

“I look at my presences, I notice when I can hit or not. Sometimes it’s Martin [St-Louis] or Adam Nicholas who tell me I can finish more body checks and when it comes up in a game, I remember it. »

“He’s a young guy who is learning to play to his strengths,” added St-Louis. When to use what, how. I’ve been around several players who have all their strengths, but they have a hammer when they need a screwdriver. He has reached a point where he initiates more than he receives. He takes a hit if necessary. His physical game serves him in forecheck [échec avant] to win pucks. He covers a lot of ice with his physique. »

For the third year in a row, the Habs begin the spring by playing matches with no stakes – for them – in the standings. The famous “significant matches” will be for next year, at best. We understand that Slafkovsky is eager to get there. Twice rather than once, he made a link between the style of play he is learning and the series.

“When I’m tough, it creates more space for me too,” said the first pick in the 2022 draft. “If they know I’ll be tough, maybe they won’t come as close and I’ll have more space on the ice rink. It was quite a game and that’s what I like, when it feels like a playoff game. »

Then, a few answers later: “In my first matches, I was not robust at all. I learned from playing here, because you have to be tough in this league. This is what makes the difference in the playoffs. And we want to play every game as if it were in the playoffs. »

This bodes well for the day when CH will regain its place among the good teams in the NHL.

Montembeault eclipses Stolarz

The Panthers may have been without Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe, but Montreal’s bete noire, and more specifically Samuel Montembeault, was there: Aleksander Barkov.

The great Finn was true to himself. He served a superb feint to Montembeault to score a 6^e goal in 21 shots on the Quebec goalkeeper.

Except that Montembeault generally had a strong night of work, which he finished with 37 saves. But this victory was special because it was his first, after six attempts, against his former team. His record against the Panthers before the game: 0-4-1, average of 5.04, efficiency of .871. He was well versed in statistics.

“It’s the first time I’ve won against them. The guys played really well. They gave me five goals. I am really happy.

“I was taken out of a game twice last year and both times it was against them. But it’s fun to see that we compete with them. »

Behind his appearance as a very relaxed good guy lies visibly an athlete who is more proud than one might think. “This is the team that drafted me. I still want to beat them. In previous years, maybe I was trying to do too much against them,” he notes.

Montembeault has just put together three solid performances against three powers: Florida, Carolina, Colorado, clubs which also have in common that they represent a state rather than a city. All this at a time when his assistant, Cayden Primeau, is moving up the ranks. Primeau was awarded the prestigious March installment of the Molson Cup before the match.

The famous internal competition also applies in front of the net.

In details

The goal is good, but not really

Exaltation at the Bell Center at the start of the second period: during a stoppage in play, the referees go to the timekeeper’s bench to review a sequence that occurred a few moments earlier. On TV, pixelated replays suggest that a puck shot by Brendan Gallagher may have crossed the red line of the Panthers’ goal. Explosion of joy when referee Eric Furlatt announces that the goal is good. Confusion, then: the same official speaks again and announces that no, it is ultimately the opposite. On the players’ bench, we saw Brendan Gallagher laughing heartily at the absurdity of the moment. Martin St-Louis explained after the meeting that Furlatt, due to the noise in the amphitheater, had misheard the decision made by the league authorities in Toronto, and that he apologized for it. The head coach did not take offense at the situation – “They did their job!” » –, especially since Nick Suzuki scored a few minutes later to tie the game 2-2. “The response was excellent,” said St-Louis. A bit like in Denver, when we allowed a goal on our first shift, emotions weren’t low for too long. »

Massacre in Florida

The Panthers began their trip to the northeast of the continent with a full roster. However, at their first stop, Monday in Toronto, they lost the services of Carter Verhaeghe for a few weeks, and we wonder if he will play before the playoffs. Sick, Matthew Tkachuk was unable to face the Canadian on Tuesday. And now Aaron Ekblad fell in battle in Montreal. At the very end of the first period, he attacked Juraj Slafkovsky, and the two big men bickered after a whistle, to the point where they were sent off for roughness. The Slovak returned to the game in the second period, but not his opponent, whose evening of work was summed up in 7:16 on the ice. No update was provided on his condition after the match. If he were to be absent for a long period, it would be a big blow for the Panthers, especially if his replacements struggle as much as Brandon Montour (-3) did against the Habs.

Maurice didn’t want to hurt anyone

Unusual situation at the end of the match: with 76 seconds left in the last period, when the Panthers had just reduced the gap to two goals, head coach Paul Maurice neither called a timeout nor withdrew his guardian. He didn’t either, seconds later, when his club was offered one last numerical advantage. It must be said that the visitors, despite some good chances to score, put on a sad spectacle in the third period, notably showing a lot of indiscipline. Colleague François Gagnon, from RDS, therefore asked Maurice if he wanted to send a message to his troops. His astonishing response: “The way things were going, someone would have shot a foot [d’un coéquipier] and broke a bone. I didn’t want to take that risk. I wanted us to get off the ice as quickly as possible before anyone got hurt. » A passionate and sometimes fiery trainer, Maurice visibly rowed hard to contain his emotions. It must be said that his club has lost 8 of its last 10 matches. Nobody panics, his players insisted in unison. However, for several weeks now, the misery has been no less painful in the sun.

Rising

Joel Armia

Now a regular in this column, so much so that one wonders if it’s not “On the Rise” who is Joel Armia. Its 14^e goal of the season in the victory, and solid shorthanded play.

Falling

Jesse Ylonen

He remains as invisible as ever, even in the top 9. He received a penalty in the second period and his soft pass on the power play gave the Panthers a chance to score late in the game.

The number of the match

5

With his two goals, Nick Suzuki now has 71 points. He is only the fifth CH player to reach sixty since the 2005 lockout.