Slafkovsky's drive to be difference maker for Canadiens on display vs. Capitals

MONTREAL — Juraj Slafkovsky stood at his locker with his hands on his hips, shaking his head as his cheeks began to turn a darker shade of crimson, readying himself to unload the frustration that was building up inside of him. 

The 19-year-old had just completed a game that saw him extend his franchise record-breaking point streak to eight, a game that saw him compete harder than just about anyone on the ice — notching seven shots on net while blocking six from getting to his own over a career-high 23:12 — but he was anything but satisfied.

In his own words, Slafkovsky was “pissed.” Particularly about not burying the last of three shots he fired over the final 1:10 of play, while the Canadiens had six players to Washington’s five and were trailing the Capitals 4-3.

“Oh my God,” he said. “Had an empty net at the end, I hit the guy. [Expletive]. I don’t know what to say. Just need to [expletive] shoot next to him.”

Talk about holding yourself to a high standard. 

The clock had clicked down to two seconds remaining, there was no time to pick a spot, and Slafkvosky still put a shot up that would’ve probably hit the back of the net had Washington’s John Carlson not bravely stepped in front of it. 

Most players could accept it just wasn’t meant to be.

But Slafkovsky isn’t most players.

But why shouldn’t he expect to score there?

Going back a little over three months ago, he wouldn’t have. But with six goals and 12 points over his last eight games (or two more goals and two more points than he scored in his 39 games as an 18-year-old rookie), it seems clear now that the first-overall pick in 2022 is in a totally different headspace. 

He’s willed himself to another level by demanding more and more of himself. And now that he’s there, he wants even more.

It’s big that Slafkovsky’s confidence has risen so high in such a short period of time. He wasn’t even taking any of those shots a little over three months ago. Heck, he’d have not even been looking to take them, automatically deferring to more experienced goal scorers.

But, as goaltender Jake Allen put it, “I think he’s realized that he’s a really good hockey player.”

The best ones hold themselves to extremely high standards. And they tend to take it personally when they fall even an eyelash short of meeting them.

“I think driven players like that, they always want more,” said Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis. “They’re always hungry for more. They’re not content, they’re not complacent, and it’s a big reason why he’s reached where he’s at right now, I feel, in a short amount of time.”

This was the kid’s 94^th game in the league, he’s still six weeks away from his 20th birthday, and he appears to be reaching well beyond where most people thought he would reach up to this point.

And yet, Slafkovsky has so much more to grab onto above him. And he knows it.

“I want to be the difference maker like many guys on this team,” Slafkovksy said, “and I believe it’ll start working.”

So does Mike Matheson, who’s admired the growth of his youngest teammate both on and off the ice. 

The 29-year-old loved what he saw on it from Slafkovsky on Saturday, but was just as impressed with what he saw off of it — in the room, where the Slovakian giant was steaming after Carlson blocked his final shot.

“That’s great,” Matheson said. “I think we played a good game, but I think everybody in the room is pissed off tonight. That’s a good sign (from Slafkovsky). You don’t want a team to be feeling satisfied. We all want to get places, we all want to bring this team to another level and be in the playoffs and eventually be fighting to go deep in the playoffs. 

“It’s the only way to be at the end of a game like this. You’re not going to say maybe we’ll score; you’re saying, ‘we’re going to score,’ and you’re pissed off when you don’t.”

Allen was pissed off he didn’t make one more save. 

He made 30 in the end. But the first shot of the night, from Anthony Mantha, squeaked through him, and stopping it could’ve made all the difference.

Arber Xhekaj scored a goal and gave one back, failing to clear the puck twice before Sonny Milano finished a play from former Canadiens Max Pacioretty and Joel Edmundson, and he wasn’t happy about that.

Jake Evans was in position to stop the winning goal from Aliaksei Protas, or at least he thought he was. 

When Evans realized Protas slipped away from him, he put his head in his hands and skated back to the Canadiens bench disappointed in himself. 

He’ll leave that at the rink and get back to work on Sunday, just like Slafkovsky will.

“I’ll just work on (that shot) again,” he said, “and I’m sure it’ll start going in in situations like this.”

You can just feel there’s a determination there that won’t be stifled.