How the Canadiens mastered the art of 'bouncing fo...
Key takeaways
- RALEIGH, N.C. -- Montreal has mastered the art of resiliency.
- Slafkovsky uttered the phrase while mired in a tough professional stretch.
- The coach's decision worked -- Slafkovsky gained confidence from the goal, and coined the expression that has had unexpectedly long legs.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Montreal has mastered the art of resiliency. Or, as the Canadiens call it: bouncing forward.
It's a turn of phrase Juraj Slafkovsky used nearly three years ago that has become Montreal's mantra during a roller-coaster postseason run through back-to-back seven-game series (without consecutive losses) to reach the Eastern Conference finals against Carolina.
Slafkovsky uttered the phrase while mired in a tough professional stretch. As a 19-year-old, he had just completed his 50th NHL game, and (finally) scored his first goal of the 2023-24 season in a 6-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues. There was talk going into that matchup that coach Martin St. Louis should have moved Slafkovsky down the lineup; instead, St. Louis put Slafkovsky on the team's top line with Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki.