Juraj Slafkovsky (MTL): more than 0.5 points

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February 21, 2024

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Our pick: Juraj Slafkovsky (MTL): more than 0.5 Canadian points

22.02.2024 01:07

Fans of Canadian teams in the NHL can sometimes get very impatient. When the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, lanky 19-year-old Slovak Juraj Slafkovsky, struggled in his first season, they were gloomy. He had the physique for the NHL, but he wasn’t ready. Their gloom intensified early this season, when he had just a 1+2 record in his first 17 games. Slafkovsky didn’t believe in himself. He was awfully hard on himself and the Canadiens gambled a lot by letting him continue to play in the NHL. But the Košice native was gradually figuring it out. He started using his body more, scoring some important goals. Suddenly, he found himself in the first line alongside other young stars Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, the line that fans dreamed of. And he really started to dominate.

In six games since the All-Star Game, Slafkovsky has a 5+5 record. He has 20 shots on goal. The Canadiens as a team aren’t that successful right now, winning only three of their last eleven games, but that’s not the point. It’s about Slafkovsky taking over the team. That he’s become a leader. It’s the exact opposite of what he experienced in the fall, where he would have preferred to hide in a corner. Now he’s confident that he can pull the team together, that he won’t mess anything up. Only Suzuki has more points (by just one) since Feb. 1 than he does. Now he’s the leader.

What to bet on:

Slafkovsky played almost 24 minutes in the last game against Washington. It was an outlier, but in the previous five games he never went under 19 and a half minutes. He’s playing first power play, he’s also on shorthanded. He has confidence as a top team. He should score against Buffalo tonight with that workload and confidence. The odds on him are very decent.

Trust: 6/10

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