Juraj Slafkovsky's hat trick in Game 1 of the playoffs was more proof he's a big-time player. The Montreal Canadiens drafted him first overall in 2022 instead of longtime projected No. 1 Shane Wright.
It was four years ago when the Montreal Canadiens shocked the hockey world and selected Juraj Slafkovsky with the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft.
The draft was held in Montreal that year. And heading in, the consensus was that Shane Wright would be the top pick. Fans even came to the event holding signs, such "Make The Wright Choice."
So when the Canadiens selected Slafkovsky — and not Wright — the reaction from a sold-out Bell Centre was a mixture of confusion.
Some fans cheered what was considered a bit of a bold choice. Others booed the 6-foot-4 Slovakian winger, who seemed to revel in the unfounded hatred.
"Hockey is their passion, as well as mine," said Slafkovsky at the time. "Maybe some of them didn't like me. But I will do whatever I can to play good for this team and they will actually maybe like me one day."
Montreal fans sure liked Slafkovsky in Game 1 against Tampa Bay Lightning.
The 22-year-old, who scored 30 goals this season, continued his breakout year with a hat trick — including the overtime-winner — in Montreal's 4-3 win against Tampa Bay on Sunday. In the process, the 6-foot-3 Slovak showed why he is at his best when the lights are the brightest.
"He's a big-time player," Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes told reporters. "I'm so proud of him. He's just proving we made a good decision (drafting him No. 1). It's what we expected of him from the first day we got him."
This was the kind of performance that Slafkovsky had promised back in 2022. It was also what Canadiens GM Kent Hughes had envisioned when he passed on Wright, who was considered the safer choice heading into the draft, and instead swung for the fences on Slafkovsky, who in 2022 had come out of nowhere and led all the players at the Olympics with seven goals in seven games to help Slovakia win bronze.
This year, with NHLers at the Olympics, Slafkovsky once again came up big, scoring four goals and eight points in six games to lead his country to an unexpected fourth-place finish. "I like being underdogs," Slafkovsky said back in February. "I like being young and just trying to prove ourselves. So far it has been working."
Against the Lightning, the Canadiens are the underdogs. But once again, Slafkovsky is proving that he is up to the task.
Montreal was down 2-1 against Tampa Bay when Slafkovsky tied things up on a one-timer on the power play. He then put the Canadiens up 3-2 with another power-play goal. And with Montreal on the power play in overtime, he beat Andrei Vasilevskiy for the third time that night.
"I found some open space there and decided to shoot it. Thankfully it went in, so we're real happy," Slafkovsky told reporters.
Of course, it wasn't just the goals that Slafkovsky brought to the table.
He also had two hits and, according to coach Martin St-Louis, "was physical, won 1-on-1 battles, and he had an active, disruptive stick. It was a big game for him."
In other words, he performed like a No. 1 overall pick. Which, for a while, was the knock on the young forward.
As a rookie, Slafkovsky had only four goals and 10 points in 39 games. A year later, he put up a respectable 20 goals and 50 points. But after managing just 18 goals and 51 points in his third NHL season, the whispers that Slafkovsky might be heading into "first-overall bust" territory were growing.
It didn't help that Utah's Logan Cooley, who was selected two spots after Slafkovsky, had 25 goals and 65 points last season. Or that Anaheim's Cutter Gauthier, who was the fifth overall pick, exploded with 41 goals this season.
But all players take different paths to get to where they are going. And for Slafkovsky, the wait has been worth it in a year where he has shown why he was deserving of the No. 1 overall pick.
"It's a good way to start. I feel like all the lines that went out there they started real physical, and it's a good way to set the tone for the rest of the series," Slafkovsky told reporters. "We're all happy, but yeah, got to focus. We still have a game in two days."
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.