Slovak hockey player Juraj Slafkovský would like to perform more consistently in the current season. On the Slovak version of the NHL’s official website, he admitted that after a good match, he usually plays two bad ones, which he would like to avoid in the future. The 20-year-old winger is pleased with the current form of Montreal, which has once again reached the playoffs.
After a bad start to the year, the Canadiens got to the promotion stage in the middle of the regular season, they are currently three points behind the second wild card in the Eastern Conference, but they have played two games less than Columbus. “It’s great that we’ve been in the mix for the play-offs in recent weeks. We wanted it from the beginning of the season, then nobody believed in us and suddenly here we are fighting for the playoffs.” wrote Slafkovský in his blog.
“But at the same time, we are aware that it is only half the season. We still have more than 40 duels to go, so we try not to fly in the clouds too much. We stand with our feet on the ground and we always focus only on the next match. But it’s clear that the atmosphere is good now.”
The Canadiens have won eight of the past ten meetings. According to Slafkovski, the “Habs” started playing their hockey and it shows on the ice: “Suddenly we can play against better teams, against whom we struggled in the pastwe didn’t have the puck in the offensive zone and it was difficult. Now we are on the puck more often, we have enough shots on goal, and overall everything is more cheerful.”
The Slovak forward scored four goals and 18 assists in 37 games this year. He has been waiting for a precise intervention since December 21. He experienced weaker periods, but with the return to the first offense of Nick Suzuki and Caule Caufield, his productivity began to rise again. “However, I personally would like to perform more consistently. I play a good match and then I have two bad ones. For example, the ones in Chicago and Colorado were terrible for me. I don’t know why, it just didn’t work out somehow. I have to put my head down and keep on working,” he admitted.
“I still feel like it’s only my second year because I only played half the games in my first year and then I got injured. I believe that in the second half I will get into it and it will be good.”
The 2022 draft pick believes that he will gradually upgrade his performances and follow up on last year, in which he scored 50 points (20+30) in 82 games. “I try to eliminate bad innings because I know sometimes I have nine good innings, nine bad innings, other times it’s 12-6. I try to move it in favor of the better substitutions, so that there are as many as possible. No one is perfect, but here we strive for perfection, and it is also my goal.” said Slafkovský.
In conclusion highlighted the performances of teammate Lane Hutson, the 20-year-old defenseman already scored 30 points (3+27) in 40 games in his rookie season: “A few weeks ago, someone asked me if, as a fan, I would pay for a ticket to see a Montreal Canadiens game. Then I thought about what to say and thought, ‘Yeah, I’d pay just to see Lane play’. As a fan, I would love to go see him. All those flip flops, from behind the goal on attacking blue, that’s amazing. It’s interesting that he was so far behind me in the draft, he came as late as 62. He is a generational talent. I jokingly tell him that I would take him as a unit then.’
