Late into the third period last night during a Montreal powerplay Juraj Slafkovsky, the first overall pick of the 2022 draft, dropped the gloves with Sabres defenseman Connor Clifton.
In his rookie year, Slafkovsky looked like a fish out of water and eventually was sidelined for half the season with an injury. Through his first 39 career games, Slafkovsky only managed to register 10 points.
This season he is beginning to come into his own with 7 points through the first 27 games of the year. Slafkovsky has also seen an uptick in ice time averaging over 15 minutes a night, three minutes more than last year. He has also gained more trust from his coaches as they put him out in the shootout last night where he won it all with the game on his tape.