Habs Highlights: Juraj Slafkovsky Bounces Back In Key Win

The Montreal Canadiens were in Columbus on Wednesday night, facing the Blue Jackets in the second leg of back-to-back games for Martin St-Louis’ team.

Prior to puck drop St-Louis made a few changes to his lineup, with Juraj Slafkovsky joining Christian Dvorak and Brendan Gallagher on what we’ll call the second line for the time being. Kirby Dach, the other player who was demoted to the fourth line against Utah, was used on the third line, with Josh Anderson and Joshua Roy serving as his wingers. Alex Newhook once again received an audition on the top line, while Jake Evans was relegated from the second to the fourth line.

The lines were not all that consistent, as Slafkovsky did play some of his shifts alongside Cole Caufield or Nick Suzuki, which led to two points for the 20-year-old forward and his best game in a very long time.

Backup Cayden Primeau made just his third start of the month in a hard-fought battle that needed overtime to settle the score.

The  Habs emerged with a 4-3 overtime win, and there’s a lot to discuss, so let’s dive into those highlights!

If you’re still interested in discussing the Canadiens once you’re done reading the recap, make sure to join me for a live stream with other great Habs fans by following this link.

Rookie Mistakes

With all due respect to Justin Barron, there’s no reason to abandon your coverage in the defensive zone, especially during a situation in which the player you’re covering is clearly designated as shooter on the play. He also can’t afford to get hypnotized by the puck, that’s minor-league stuff.

The opening goal of the game wasn’t solely Barron’s fault, but there’s no doubt he needs to make better decisions in high-danger areas, an issue that has plagued him since he entered the league in 2022-23.

Justin Barron knows better than to abandon his guy at the goalmouth. Early Blue Jackets lead, 1-0 via Mathieu Olivier. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/GrWuZWsevC

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 28, 2024

Take Your Shot

The Canadiens responded a few minutes later, and the goal came via an unlikely source, as Slafkovsky scored his second goal of the season by taking a very nice shot off the rush.

The rest of his game is progressing nicely, but we all know the biggest issue holding back Slafkovsky’s goal production is his hesitance to shoot. Some of that has to do with his usage, but it’s difficult to ignore he’s shooting less often than most defencemen. His decision to take a shot in that situation was greedy to a certain extent, and that’s exactly what the doctor ordered for a player who needs to improve his shot output by a significant margin.

Let the greed flow through you, Juraj.

We also have to give a stick tap to Jayden Struble, as he’s the one who stopped the Blue Jackets breakout, allowing Slafkovsky to take advantage of an odd-man situation.

Juraj Slafkovsky scores his second goal of the year off the rush.

Always more shots, Juraj. Always. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/fSotELVqgN

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 28, 2024

Every Piece Counts In A Jigsaw Puzzle

The Barron and Struble pairing were once again on the ice as the Blue Jackets scored their second goal. You can’t expect miracles from the third pairing, but it’s a good reminder that it’s still an important part of any team, which is why I never hesitate to shoot down the idea that Arber Xhekaj’s good numbers in that exact situation are to be ignored. It’s not as easy of an assignment as some assume.

Multiple players before and since Xhekaj have struggled on the team’s third pairing, which means for 15 minutes per night the Montreal Canadiens are essentially guaranteed to be outshot, outchanced, and outscored.

Of course, making poor defensive plays, as we saw from both players prior to the second Blue Jackets goal, makes the assignment that much more difficult. It’s particularly frustrating as the third pairing did fairly well from a statistical standpoint on Tuesday, and we haven’t seen that in a while, but their strong effort was wasted due to a few bad reads.

Another rough shift for the Struble & Barron pairing. 2-1. Chinakhov’s goal. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/vylmty7TnA

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 28, 2024

Playing Pool

The Habs responded immediately, and it was once again Slafkovsky that drove the offensive charge. His hard work in the defensive zone led to a Blue Jackets turnover, not to mention a very smart bank pass to a streaking Cole Caufield, who scored his 13th goal of the year, and his 13th since changing his jersey to honour Johnny Gaudreau.

There was no way Caufield was going to keep up his 30 percent shooting percentage that he established in October, but I  don’t necessarily expect a big regression, either. He’s like to maintain a shooting percentage well above 10 percent going forward, and given his shot rate, that should lead to many more goals.

A very nice play by Juraj Slafkovsky leads to Cole Caufield’s 13th goal of the year. 2-2. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/de8eeZYVwg

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 28, 2024

Taking Matters Into Your Own Hands

Gallagher ended up getting involved in a fight with Zach Werenski, and though it seemed like it was the Blue Jackets defenceman who initiated things, shockingly, Gallagher was the one who made the opening move. He speared Werenski miles away from the puck, which led to a series of slashes from the frustrated blueliner, not to mention the fight itself.

A classic heavyweight battle between Gallagher and Werenski. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/opzKMNCJ8s

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 28, 2024

Underrated Impact

The Canadiens managed to earn their first lead of the night when a quick breakout, not to mention fantastic speed by Emil Heineman through the neutral zone led to his fifth goal of the year. We’ve discussed this topic a few times, but it’s worth noting Heineman has played quite well in a restricted situation for the Habs this season.

He’s maintained solid underlying numbers, too, which is quite rare for a player in this lineup. I’m not quite convinced he’s the type of player you could use consistently in the top six, but if he continues to use his speed, physicality, and great shot as often as possible, it’s not out of the question.

Full marks to Evans and Joel Armia, as they provided the quick breakout necessary to generate scoring chances off the rush, an area of weakness for the Habs.

Great speed through the NZ leads to this Emil Heineman goal, his 5th of the year. A very nice goal, to boot.

Habs have their first lead of the game. 3-2 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/5Mw3U0N1if

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 28, 2024

The hockey gods were awakened by the Montreal Canadiens holding a lead in a hockey game, something they rarely let happen if they have their say. With that in mind, Werenski did a great job ditching Josh Anderson before he banked his pass off Kaiden Guhle’s skate to tie the game with a little over eight minutes left to play in the third period.

Zach Werenski burns Anderson and then banks the puck off Guhle’s skate. Tie game. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/9kyeHblnhx

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 28, 2024

The good news for Montreal is that Lane Hutson and Suzuki combined for a morale-boosting overtime goal, marking the seventh win a row versus the Blue Jackets. It was Suzuki’s second career overtime goal.

Lane Hutson drives the play down to the OZ and Nick Suzuki, as per usual, gets things done. Habs win in OT. 4-3. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/L8KTQ1oTbb

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 28, 2024

The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action immediately, facing the Rangers in New York on Saturday, with the puck drop scheduled for 1 pm ET.

All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.