Within the Habs Room: ‘I believed it was Slaf’s finest recreation,’ Martin St. Louis says

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ST. LOUIS — Juraj Slafkovsky liked Christian Dvorak’s celebration after finishing his first NHL hat-trick within the Canadiens’ 7-4 win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night time on the Enterprise Heart.

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Truly, it was Dvorak’s lack of a celebration after scoring into an empty internet on the 18:25 mark for his third purpose of the third interval — and his third purpose this season.

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“That’s loopy,” Slafkovsky mentioned about Dvorak’s cool response after his third purpose. “I don’t know what’s higher … the hat-trick or the celly. Most chilly celly I ever seen simply standing within the nook and nothing. I’d have fun, however that’s Devo. I like that, actually.”

Dvorak did have a little bit of a smile on his face within the locker room after the sport.

“It positively felt good,” he mentioned. “I used to be getting chirped by the blokes for not smiling or something. In order that they’re throughout me.”

The Canadiens have been all around the Blues most of this recreation — particularly on the ability play, going 2-for-3. Cole Caufield and Slafkovsky scored the power-play targets. Caufield’s was his second purpose of the sport. Nick Suzuki additionally scored for the Canadiens.

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Heading into the sport, the Canadiens have been 1-for-24 on the ability play of their first eight video games.

Slafkovsky had a a lot larger celebration than Dvorak with an enormous fist pump after scoring his second purpose within the NHL. Slafkovsky had missed the three earlier video games with an upper-body damage and this was the primary recreation that head coach Martin St. Louis had used him on the second power-play unit.

“I believed it was Slaf’s finest recreation,” St. Louis mentioned. “Not as a result of he scored, not as a result of he performs on the ability play. I really feel like each shift he received like he received on base. Each shift he received he received on base and he had his home-run ball on that energy play and he took benefit of it and he scored.

“He performed very sturdy bodily tonight,” the coach added. “Like I mentioned, it’s a course of with Slaf at 18. He’s received a pleasant expertise bundle, however he’s received to determine what sort of participant he’s going to be on this league, what fashion he’s going to should play. He’s going via that proper now and tonight we noticed what we all know we’ve got in an enormous boy for an 18-year-old and he performed like an enormous boy tonight.”

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Slafkovsky’s power-play purpose was a depraved one-timer blast from the highest of the faceoff circle.

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“To me, the ability play’s all about the place’s the benefit?” St. Louis mentioned “Clearly, we’re five-on-four, however the place’s the benefit on the ice and that modifications on a regular basis. So can you determine the 5 guys, the place’s the benefit now? As a result of in three seconds, 5 seconds, it is perhaps completely different the place the benefit is and it’s important to acknowledge that and play into the place the benefit is. I believed we did that tonight.”

Caufield mentioned the ability play executed properly. When requested what the Canadiens did to lastly execute with the person benefit on this recreation, he mentioned: “The sport plan. I’ll depart it at that.”

Caufield’s power-play purpose got here off an unbelievable seeing-eye move from Suzuki. Caufield described it as “Spooky Suzuki.”

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“I do know he’s over there someplace,” Suzuki mentioned about Caufield, who now has seven targets in 9 video games this season. “He’s all the time able to shoot. His shot radius is fairly massive for a way massive he’s. Simply get it over to that aspect. Noticed him coming downhill. Had a pleasant seam with just a little choose in entrance. It’s a superb power-play purpose.”

Suzuki added getting two power-play targets towards a crew that ranked fifth within the NHL in penalty-killing final season with an 84.1 per cent success fee ought to give the Canadiens a lift transferring ahead.

The three targets for Dvorak must also present him with a lift.

“Generally the puck doesn’t bounce your approach,” he mentioned. “You’ll be able to’t get annoyed when that occurs. Keep it up and issues will flip.”

Now, Dvorak simply must work on his purpose celebration.

scowan@postmedia.com

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