Montreal Canadiens: Juraj Slafkovsky suspended two games for boarding

Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky was suspended for two games.

The Montreal Canadiens take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, but they will be without Juraj Slafkovsky, who is serving a two-game suspension. The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Wednesday that Slafkovsky will miss two games.

The Montreal Canadiens’ first-overall draft pick, Juraj Slafkovsky, got himself in trouble after boarding a Detroit Red Wings forward in Tuesday’s contest. Matt Luff whiffed on a dump-in attempt, and as he got the stick on to get another whack at it, Slafkovsky came up from behind Luff and struck him.

He sent Luff into the boards head-first, leading to a scary injury. Luff had just gotten out of a visor for the Red Wings after an errant deflected shot caught him in the face, and he was forced to get 16 stitches.

Now, Luff will be out for 10-12 weeks as he undergoes surgery and gets the medical treatment he needs. Slafkovsky was awarded 15 penalty minutes after the play, being given a game misconduct for boarding.

It was likely that there was going to be a call about Slafkovsky’s hit with the Player Safety Department. Ultimately it would result in a two-game suspension. Slafkovsky was also fined $10,270.28 for the hit.

The number is a deviation from his annual salary and goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund as stated under the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The suspension is not a shock to many as it was a hit that Slafkovsky needs to peel off from.

Here’s the video of the hit.

After Tuesday’s game, I wrote in the initial piece that Slafkovsky needed to play that better. Applying the pressure and using the body is fine, but not when you see numbers. Sneak in from the side, throw a shoulder, and be physical.

As he came gliding into that spot and read the play, there were better options there for the rookie. He could have swept in board-side and tried to make a play on the puck. He could have gotten on the far side and tried to get physical from the side to prevent Luff from getting the clearing attempt off after the whiff.

At the end of the day, Slafkovsky is going to miss two games for the hit.