Juraj Slafkovsky has been playing on a different level since the Olympics and continued that on Sunday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Montreal Canadiens forward would tie an NHL record and be the 13th player in league history with three power play goals in a playoff game.
Slafkovsky, in the regular season, had a career-high 30 goals with 15 of those goals coming on the power play. However, he didn't score a power play goal in the final eight games of the regular season, and the Canadiens as a team were struggling down the stretch with only four power play goals on 31 opportunities.
That all changed against the Lightning as Slafkovsky had a power play goal in the second period, third period, and then finally in overtime to send Montreal home with a win in Game 1. What was impressive more than anything, and why he is so effective on the power play, is that Slafkovsky had one goal on the right side, one on the left, and then finally his third goal right from the slot.
While 13 players have accomplished this feat, Juraj Slafkovsky is only the second player to do it since the 1996-97 season. The last player to score three power play goals in a game was Jonathan Toews with the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Juraj Slafkovsky's development is a big reason the Canadiens could get past the Tampa Bay Lightning
When Juraj Slafkovsky was drafted first overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, there were certainly some questions about whether or not he could live up to the expectations that come with being the first overall pick.
He didn't make an immediate impact but has steadily improved each season until this season, when he became a difference maker for the Canadiens with 30 goals and 43 assists, both career-highs.
While it has been only one game, Slafkovsky is showing what he can bring to this team, especially as part of the top line next to Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, but also to the power play. He finished the game leading the team in shots, accounting for seven of the team's 19 shots.
It was a remarkable performance from Juraj Slafkovsky and just another example to show why the Montreal Canadiens were smart to draft him first overall a few years ago.
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