Coming off their All-Star break, the Montreal Canadiens were icing a lineup that didn’t look all that threatening on paper. Sean Monahan was traded during the break, Brendan Gallagher is still serving his suspension, and with their injured reserve already somewhat crowded, they were really reaching for depth against the Washington Capitals.
But thanks in large part to Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky, that didn’t happen, and they proved they can be excellent pieces to build around.
Fresh off his third-consecutive All-Star appearance, Suzuki played like he was angry that he didn’t get a vacation. He was flying from the first drop of the puck, with two first-period goals to help put the Habs out in front. They needed that multi-goal lead, as a lackluster second period threatened to see it evaporate nearly as quickly as it was built. With the lineup they had, it was clear the scoring would need to come from the top, and he provided it without the benefit of last change, so the Capitals were getting the matchups they wanted and still couldn’t contain him.
A lot of that had to do with Cole Caufield as well, and the return of Slafkovsky to complete their trio. As a line, they led the team in expected goals-for by a wide margin, and did precisely what they needed to do in order to overcome icing an inexperienced lineup below them.
For his part, Slafkovsky checked in with the first multi-goal game of his young career.
One of Slafkovsky’s biggest issues this season has been that he’s too tentative. He’s often granted some excellent looks thanks to his positioning, but can’t cash in because he’ll hold the puck for too long, or try to dish when a shot would be a better option. Seeing him have the confidence to execute this toe-drag release with a defender right on him is a breath of fresh air. He’s starting to figure out his timing, and what that could mean for his future production, only time will tell.
This game proved that they have a bonafide top line that they can build around. Even if you take Michael Pezzetta’s goal out of the equation, the top line alone provided enough offensive output to win the game. They did this with a supporting cast that was far less than ideal, to say the least, and it makes you wonder just how good they could be when the team around them gets better.
They put the team on their backs. Not one of them has even reached 25 years of age, so it has to make you feel good about this team’s future when the time comes that they don’t have to carry it every night.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. We have another break, albeit shorter this time, and will return after this Saturday’s matinee against the Dallas Stars.
