Why Juraj Slafkovsky's Role on Montreal's First Power-Play Unit Faces Scrutiny
The Montreal Canadiens struggled to capitalize on their numerous power-play opportunities during Saturday night's game.
And according to several observers, Juraj Slafkovsky will need to adjust his game if he wants to keep his spot on the first power-play unit.
The game against the Chicago Blackhawks once again highlighted a persistent problem for the Canadiens.. the power play.
"Despite a solid 2-1-0 road start, the Canadiens faced a troubling stat in their matchup against the Blackhawks: 10 power plays, but only 2 goals.
- The Sick Podcast
- The Sick Podcast
Despite the 3-2 victory, the ten power-play opportunities given to the Canadiens exposed several weaknesses in puck movement during the man advantage and in player positioning.
According to Mathis Therrien from DansLesCoulisses, Juraj Slafkovsky's situation is clear.
According to him, if he doesn't position himself in front of the net, he will no longer have a spot on the first unit.
Juraj Slafkovsky needs to go to the front of the net to be effective again with the Montreal Canadiens
Still according to Therrien, the Slovak is poorly used on the goalie's left side during the power play.
"When Slaf goes to the front of the net, it works, we even saw it last night on Kaiden Guhle's game-winning goal."
- Mathis Therrien
- Mathis Therrien
And it is precisely this "net-front presence" role that Slafkovsky must fill if he wants to continue playing alongside Suzuki, Caufield, and Bolduc on the first unit.
The journalist also points out that:
"Number 20 of the Canadiens made a few bad decisions and made several poor passes," in the game against Chicago.
- Mathis Therrien
- Mathis Therrien
I agree. I personally think Slafkovsky has the physical tools to dominate in front of the net, but he needs to assert himself more in this role.
However, it's all well and good to point fingers at Slaf, but he's not the only problem.
Even with two power-play goals from the other night, the Canadiens' play lacked so much variety and movement.
For Therrien, a better setup would be to use Slafkovsky directly in front of the goalie, with Caufield, Bolduc, and Suzuki around him, and Lane Hutson on the blue line.
And if Martin St-Louis decided instead to keep Slaf on the side, Therrien thinks it would be better to play Ivan Demidov in that position and move Slafkovsky to the second unit.
I'm really looking forward to seeing the changes, but it's clear that St-Louis is going to work a lot on his power play. With all the talent on both units, I don't think it's alarming.
