Juraj Slafkovsky has been the Canadiens' best player in December

It seems all it took was a pair of new linemates to get Juraj Slafkovsky to become the dominant power forward the Canadiens envisioned.

Slafkovsky, the first overall draft choice in 2022, benefited from playing on the Canadiens’ top line with captain Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. But he has been the driving force on the team’s second line, since being teamed with rookies Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen.

Although Slafkovsky, now in his fourth NHL season, is only 21, he has assumed more responsibility and appears to be guiding his linemates, leading by example. While Kapanen is 22 and played 18 games with Montreal last season, he’s considered a rookie because he didn’t meet the 25-game criteria. Demidov, who played two regular-season games with the Canadiens last season and five more in the playoffs against Washington, is only 20.

“He (Slafkovsky) is getting more puck touches in the offensive zone,” defenceman Noah Dobson said after Sunday’s 5-4 shootout loss in Tampa. “Suzuki holds onto pucks really well and makes a lot of plays. Maybe (Slafkovsky) is at the net more with that line. He’s controlling the play.”

Heading into Tuesday night’s game at Florida (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM) against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, Slafkovsky has 13 goals and 28 points and has yet to miss any of the Canadiens’ 38 games.

If those statistics seem underwhelming, consider what the 6-foot-3, 225-pound winger has done recently. He has 15 points in 14 December games, including three goals and seven points in the last three along with a plus-4 goal differential.

Slafkovsky paced the Canadiens’ third-period comeback against the Lightning, erasing a 3-0 deficit, with two goals and an assist. He scored the tying goal at 19:56 and had five shots on net. He could have ended the game in overtime but for Jonas Johansson’s pad save.

Slafkovsky was the Canadiens’ best player on Sunday. He has also arguably been the team’s best player this month. On Monday, the NHL named him the third star of the week.

“It could be one of the better (games) for sure,” he said in Tampa. “I felt good out there. It was a tough second period for us. I felt like I had to come back and push. The first shift of the third (setting up Demidov for Montreal’s first goal) already was decent. I felt good throughout the third.

“I want to have an impact,” Slafkovsky added. “I’m just trying to work every day and get better. I want to help the team to be successful. It’s always good to put a couple of goals in. I feel like I’m going in the right direction. I just have to keep working.”

Slafkovsky’s dominant play hasn’t been lost on Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis. Or many of his teammates.

“I think the game has slowed down for him, and that happens gradually,” St. Louis told the media in Tampa. “But sometimes it jumps a big, big, big step. I find the game has really slowed down for him. His reads are so much clearer. He’s using his body, using his shot more, and it’s a major evolution for him. It’s fun to see him play like that.”

Added Dobson: “First of all he’s a specimen. He’s massive and so strong on the puck. When you combine that with good vision, just the skill set to make plays, it’s tough to handle. As a defenceman playing against him a little (while with the New York Islanders), he’s no fun down low. He’s holding onto pucks. Those guys (Demidov and Kapanen) really work off each other well. He (Slafkovsky) is playing some great hockey.”

Kapanen, who also had five shots against Tampa Bay, has a goal and four points in his last four games and is a plus-5, as is Demidov, who has three goals and six points in his last three games.

While Suzuki (11 goals and 42 points) and Caufield (a team-leading 18 goals along with 37 points) remain two of the Canadiens’ leading offensive threats, their line’s production has decreased marginally of late and they’ve not meshed well with Zachary Bolduc.

With Montreal struggling to score through two periods against Tampa Bay, St. Louis replaced Bolduc with Alexandre Texier in practice Monday and planned to keep that line together against Florida.

“We’re down three and didn’t quite generate enough in the second,” St. Louis said post-game. “As a coach, you follow your gut. I know Texier has elite IQ. He can play. He has a strong stick, too, to win battles. You just follow your gut.

“I think they (Suzuki and Caufield) have to do a better job of playing in tight spaces, winning battles. Once they get the stuff in space, they’re elite at it. It’s to create more instances. It’s not just one guy, it’s as a line. I think they can do a better job at keeping pucks alive and probably winning some of these battles to extend the offensive zone possession. I just feel they lack instances of that. They’re getting pressured a bit. The answers are everywhere. We’ll find them.”

Samuel Montembeault is making his first start since Dec. 2. He last played on Dec. 9, when he allowed three Lightning goals on 13 shots after coming on in relief of Jakub Dobes.

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com

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