The Montreal Canadiens fanbase had to be enjoying the 2026 Winter Olympics. Not only does Team Canada look like the favorites to win the gold medal once again, but Canadiens fans are watching Juraj Slafkovsky shine for Slovakia. The young forward's play helped Slovakia win Group C and earn a first-round bye, and his six points in the group stage were tied for second-most among all players. Next up for them was the quarterfinals, where they took on Germany.
During the Wednesday morning game, Slafkovsky was knocked into the boards on a hit by Germany defenseman and Detroit Red Wings star Moritz Seider. Slafkovsky skated to the bench, where he held an icebag to his neck. The good news is, Slafkovsky wasn't ruled out for the game, as he did return during Slovakia's dominant 6-2 victory.
After the game, Slafkovsky downplayed his fall into the boards after the Seider hit, saying that he was okay. Slafkovsky said, h/t Mollie Walker of the New York Post, "not the first time I hit my head. It’s probably not the last time.”
Juraj Slafkovsky avoids injury after hit into boards vs. Germany
This is great news for Canadiens fans and Slovakia. From what it seems like, Slafkovsky will be good to go for the semifinals on Friday. As of Wednesday morning, there is no firm idea on who Slovakia will face off against, since their quarterfinal win over Germany was the first game scheduled for the Wednesday slate.
Of course, fans will be keeping an eye on Slafkovsky's status before puck-drop on Friday. Slafkovsky's participation in practice is certainly worth monitoring. But, Slafkovsky indicates he should be good to go.
In the win over Germany, Slafkovsky didn't have the dominant outing for Slovakia, but he did notch an assist on Tomas Tatar's empty net goal in the third period to increase their lead to 6-2. Now, Slafkovsky has a point recorded in all four of Slovakia's games.
Back in 2022, Slafkovsky was part of the Slovakia team that secured a bronze medal, a run in which he scored seven goals in seven games. Now, Slafkovsky and Slovakia are just two more wins away from winning a gold medal in the Winter Olympics for the first time ever.