WATCH: Juraj Slafkovsky Scores First NHL Goal

Rookie Juraj Slafkovsky scored his first goal of the season on Thursday night against the Arizona Coyotes.

The goal came following a questionable hit by Josh Brown on Slafkovsky at the blue line, but the Canadiens rookie quickly got his revenge, with a healthy stare down for good measure.

Slafkovsky takes a high hit from Josh Brown, buries his first NHL goal and stares him down harder than Shane Wright stared down the Habs at the draft. pic.twitter.com/p1Yxm6EAVW

— Scott Matla (@scottmatla) October 21, 2022

Thankfully, Slafkovsky quickly recovered from the hit, scoring a fantastic goal to become the first player of the 2022 Draft to find the back of the net in the NHL.

Slafkovsky’s quick release left Coyotes goaltender Connor Ingram no chance, as he shifted the puck slightly prior to taking the shot, thus changing the angle of attack significantly.

FIRST NHL GOAL JURAJ SLAFKOVSKY pic.twitter.com/5xxofmt1pW

— Scott Matla (@scottmatla) October 21, 2022

His large wingspan allowed him to mask his shot as well, something the Canadiens are hoping he’ll be able to do with a little more regularity in the near future.

The goal was the Canadiens’ fourth of the night, which, following the obliteration of Zack Kassian at the hands of Arber Xhekaj, electrified the Bell Centre crowd.

Crowd was on fire after his goal pic.twitter.com/Jokt2hSqW3

— Marco D'Amico (@mndamico) October 21, 2022

It took five games for Slafkovsky to finally score, but given his usage, particularly his low ice time and lack of power play usage, it’s only fair to say he hasn’t been put in an abundant number of situations that are conducive to scoring.

However, despite not hitting the scoresheet prior to the game against the Coyotes, Slafkovsky emerged as one of the best Montreal Canadiens forwards in a few statistical categories, including how many shots the team controlled when he was on the ice, as well as the number of chances the team generated during his shifts.

According to Darren Dreger, Juraj Slafkovsky is slated to be assigned to the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, but if he can continue to improve every game, as he has since the season started, he may force management to change their minds in regards to his development path.