2023-10-29 05:09:42
The success of the first only broadly highlights the difficulties of the second. While Kaiden Guhle shone brightly on Saturday night, Juraj Slafkovksy was sinking.
When Mike Matheson went down after the second period, the average age of the five remaining defenders was 22.6 years old. There was reason to worry for the CH who were, it is true, still in the game against the Jets then trailing by only one goal, but who were going to have to manage without their general at the back, the man who spends almost 25 minutes per game on the ice.
None of this appeared in this other victory in extremis acquired in a shootout. The Canadian played his best period of the match guided by Guhle in a state of grace. The club’s youngest defender looked the most experienced and, above all, the most talented.
Guhle played 10 minutes. 37 sec. during the third period alone. It was at the heart of a shorthanded presence at the start of the engagement that he changed the course of the match. The Albertan broke the Jets attack single-handedly, recovered the puck and rushed into the opposing zone. After spending 30 seconds defending, he was probably tired, but that didn’t stop him from seizing the opportunity in front of him.
I saw immediately that [Nikolaj] Ehlers was on defense. I don’t think he played there very often in his life. And we needed a goal, said the young man.
An evidence. So he took care of it. He crossed the ice and handed it to Joel Armia on his right. The Finn hit the target.
This game left a strong impression on Martin St-Louis.
He could have passed the puck left to Jake Evans, but I think he saw that the player was cheating to the left so he let things develop. If he had passed the puck to Evans, no one would have said it was a bad play. But is there anything better? Sometimes if you let the game evolve, there might be something better. “That’s what he did,” the coach said.
Sometimes he does things and you say to yourself: Ah, I didn’t know he could do that. Because he’s still so young and we don’t have a sample size of 500 games. A normal youngster might have felt the pressure and not made the best play. He would have just made a play. But the best players find the best plays, especially when they have space, he said. for follow-up.
Guhle finished the evening with a differential of +2, two assists, four shots on goal, three blocked shots, impeccable play on the numerical penalty, all this after an absence of four games, it should be remembered, due to a concussion , according to what he himself admitted to colleague Eric Engels of Sportsnet.
Take a few matches to regain your composure? Very little for him.
A guy who seemed like he hadn’t missed anything, St-Louis said very aptly.
Guhle’s maturity is evident. Physics, first. By his conversation afterwards. And in his simple and intelligent game.
Development and maturity remain imprecise and particularly unpredictable concepts. At the other end of the spectrum among this beautiful French youth, Slafkovksy struggled all evening. Again.
In search of landmarks
The most telling play of the Slovak’s lack of confidence came in the third period. Posted in the slot, the 19-year-old forward received a pass from Johnathan Kovacevic. He had time and space to make a play, by NHL standards.
Immediately, Slafkovsky attempted a point pass to an imaginary teammate, a move that looked more like a desire to get rid of the puck than an actual strategy.
In the first period, we saw him completely immobile on the power play in possession of the disc, as if a little paralyzed by a lack of options. In the second period, a soft play deep in its territory allowed the Jets’ third goal.
He was only entitled to two short appearances in third, like Alex Newhook in fact. In all honesty, the entire trio had a rough night.
The problem: the disturbing moments in Slafkovsky’s case outnumber the interesting jolts. He himself said he was frustrated with his start to the season after training on Friday. Since Kirby Dach’s injury, he seems disoriented. The success of one player obviously cannot rest solely on that of another.
Open in full screen mode
Juraj Slafkovsky was allowed only two short appearances in the third period of Saturday night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Ivanoh Demers
Slafkovsky has, most of the time, been placed in a situation of repeated failures since the start of the season. Can the situation be turned around by keeping him with the team?
Colleague Martin Leclerc occasionally discusses the concept of meaningful competition. Basically, it’s better to dominate at a lower caliber than to barely survive in a league that’s bigger than us.
Example: Jesperi Kotkaniemi initially stalled in the NHL while Nick Suzuki dominated in juniors. However, it was Suzuki who established himself as a force in the league before the Finn.
Guhle, for his part, spent two full seasons building confidence in the Western Junior League and the Memorial Cup before making the jump to the bigs. At the right time, one would say.
Each case is unique. One wonders if the time has come to review Juraj Slafkovsky’s.
A lot of
After the match, the Canadian announced that Matheson suffered a lower body injury. The defender’s case will be reassessed daily. He will be on the three-game trip that begins in Las Vegas on Monday.
Start of widget. Skip widget?End of widget. Return to start of widget?
1698575261
#Kaiden #Guhle #Juraj #Slafkovsky #ghosts #youth