Juraj Slafkovsky is clearly playing through an injury

Mathis Therrien
Juraj Slafkovsky is clearly playing through an injury
Credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Pretty much all of the Montreal Canadiens' players put in a lackluster performance last night, as simply nothing was going right for the team.

There was no cohesion, no grit, no intensity, no emotion, and no desire to close out the series.

The Habs let a great opportunity slip away to reach the Stanley Cup semifinals with a home win, but once again, the Bell Centre wasn't enough.

We were treated to a dismal performance from the Habs, but on an individual level, it was the play of the pairing of Mike Matheson and Alexandre Carrier, as well as Juraj Slafkovsky, that stood out.

As for Matheson and Carrier, they had a terrible night defensively and generated ZERO offense for the Habs.

Martin St-Louis clearly needs to have a conversation with the two defensemen before Game 7, as they are too often costing their team goals and penalties.

Now, as for Slafkovsky, well, his game got off to a very bad start, with a terrible shift that ended with the first goal of the game, where Rasmus Dahlin sent Slaf flying.

And let's just say that things didn't get much better for Slafkovsky after that in this game.

He was sloppy, he turned the puck over several times, he missed shots and clear scoring chances, all while getting hit hard a few times.

In short, things aren't going well for Slaf, and clearly, it's obvious he's most likely playing injured.

Indeed, as Maxim Lapierre explained last night after the game, it's time to face the fact that Slafkovsky is playing through an injury, and that he's slowing down his line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.

Lapierre believes the Habs' #20 should be moved down a line to make way for a player who can contribute more on the top line, especially for Game 7.

Slafkovsky is clearly struggling, and has been for quite some time now—in fact, since Game 2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Slaf was completely dominating the Lightning before getting knocked out by Brandon Hagel and then picked off by Max Crozier.

It's a shame, but Slafkovsky is clearly affected in various ways, and that's hurting the Habs right now.

Martin St-Louis needs to make a change, because a Slafkovsky who's struggling this much just isn't contributing enough to the Canadiens.


In a Nutshell

– We'll see on Monday.

– He's right.

– Stay tuned.

facebook icon Share twitter icon Tweet linkedin icon Share
Copied!