The Canadiens Hits Leader May Not Be Who You Think
If you watch most Montreal Canadiens games, you know that Arber Xhekaj normally brings plenty of physicality. That's what he likes to do and is part of his job description. After Saturday night's game against the Florida Panthers, the gritty defenseman is no longer the Habs' hit leader.
3 Takeaways From The Canadiens' Best Game This Season
Another Exploit For Lane Hutson
Canadiens: Caufield Can Score Anywhere
Thanks to a 5-hit performance against the defending Stanley Cup Champions, Juraj Slafkovsky has taken the lead with 162 hits to Xhekaj's 160. Surprisingly, the two players have played the same number of games. The former was made a healthy scratch a few times earlier this season while the former dealt with a minor injury in the early weeks of the season.
Of course, Slafkovsky has more minutes on the ice, he's averaging 17:06 while Xhekaj only skates an average of 15:02, but the former first-overall pick still plays a much more physical game this season than he did in the past. Last year, he had a total of 151 hits in 82 games. This season, he still has 16 games to improve on his 161 total.
In his rookie season, he only had 53 in 39 games for an average of 1.36 hit per game, compared to 2.57 this season. It shouldn't come as a complete shock, since the big Slovak was drafted with the hope he would become a real power forward and be able to use that big frame of his, but as Slafkovsky said himself after the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, he aspires to play like Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk.
As luck would have it, Tkachuk and the Sens are the next visitors at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night, we'll see how Slafkovsky measures up. Right now, the Sens' leader has 211 hits on the season in 64 games with 53 points. As things stand, the Habs' winger only has 41 points, but he has picked up the pace of late with the top line looking unstoppable. He's currently on a 53-point per 82 games season, which would beat his 50-point total from last year.
This is what you want to see from Slafkovsky. Hard on the forecheck coming on after a line change, put a hit on someone, immediately creates a scoring chance. pic.twitter.com/j6K2iozEBx
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) January 19, 2025
Slafkovsky is improving and he's doing it in a lot of ways, when the Canadiens are ready to contend, I fully expect him to be a big factor, just like Kent Hughes hopes and hoped he would be when he made him his first pick overall.
Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
-
3 Takeaways From The Canadiens' Best Game This Season
The Montreal Canadiens welcomed the Florida Panthers Saturday night at the Bell Centre for the first of three duels in three weeks. The Stanley Cup champions came to town without elite defenseman ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Here's how you can watch Saturday's MSU-Wisconsin basketball game
Here's how you can watch Big Ten Tournament matchup between Michigan State and Wisconsin on SaturdayYahoo Sports - 2d -
Canadiens: Taming The Panthers
If the Montreal Canadiens have any hope of qualifying for the playoffs, they’ll need to tame the Stanley Cup Champions Florida Panthers since they are playing three of their remaining 17 games ...Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Cellist Rendition Of "O Canada" Creates Harmony On Ice Before Kraken Game.
Seattle, WA - If you missed the start of Wednesday night’s Kraken game at Climate Pledge Arena, where they hosted the Montreal Canadiens, you missed something truly special. Instead of the usual ...Yahoo Sports - 3d -
Caufield powers Canadiens to 3-1 victory over Panthers
Cole Caufield scored his team-leading 33rd goal and added an assist to help the Montreal Canadiens beat the Florida Panthers 3-1 on Saturday night. Patrik Laine and Christian Dvorak — with his ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Here's how you can watch Saturday's MSU-Notre Dame Big Ten Tournament hockey game
Michigan State hockey battles Notre Dame on Saturday in the Big Ten Tournament - here's how you can watch this matchupYahoo Sports - 2d -
One of Death Stranding 2's Fanciest In-Game Timepiece Is Real, But It'll Cost You $1,600
It's going to be a few months before Death Stranding 2: On the Beach arrives, and if you really want to feel like you're part of that game world, then you can start saving up some cash for a ...GameSpot - 6d -
I’m a psychologist who studies couples—if you say 'yes' to these 4 questions, your relationship is stronger than most
Psychologist Mark Travers has spent most of his career studying what makes marriages successful. If you answer “yes” to each of these questions, he says, there’s no doubt that your relationship ...CNBC - Mar. 9 -
'Let's think OTAs': LSU football announces changes to annual National L Club Spring Game
LSU football is changing the format of the annual National L Club Spring Game. Here's what you need to know.Yahoo Sports - 1d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
5 women's NCAA Tournament players to watch who aren't JuJu Watkins
Everyone knows JuJu Watkins can single-handedly blow up a game. Here's five other players to watch entering the 2025 women's NCAA tournament.Yahoo Sports - 6m -
Vote now: Who is the Daily Advertiser Reader's Choice Girls Basketball Player of the Year?
We want to hear from you! Vote now for the first ever Daily Advertiser's Readers Choice Girls Basketball Player of the Year for 2024-25.Yahoo Sports - 7m -
Jaguars GM James Gladstone on what free agent WR Dyami Brown adds to offense
Jaguars' GM James Gladstone highlighted what free agent WR Dyami Brown can bring to the offense.Yahoo Sports - 10m -
Mid-Atlantic Sportswatch Daily Listings
Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Michigan Sportswatch Daily Listings
Yahoo Sports - 12m
More in Sports
-
Lunardi: The one big thing the selection committee got wrong
The decisions to include both Texas and North Carolina has stumped our resident Bracketologist.ESPN - 4m -
5 women's NCAA Tournament players to watch who aren't JuJu Watkins
Everyone knows JuJu Watkins can single-handedly blow up a game. Here's five other players to watch entering the 2025 women's NCAA tournament.Yahoo Sports - 6m -
NCAA bracket predictions: Model releases surprising March Madness 2025 tournament picks
SportsLine's model nailed 13 of the teams in the Sweet 16 last season and simulated the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket 10,000 timesCBS Sports - 6m -
Vote now: Who is the Daily Advertiser Reader's Choice Girls Basketball Player of the Year?
We want to hear from you! Vote now for the first ever Daily Advertiser's Readers Choice Girls Basketball Player of the Year for 2024-25.Yahoo Sports - 7m -
Newcastle's Carabao Cup glory, Barcelona's epic comeback, boring Arsenal-Chelsea, more
From Newcastle ending their nearly six-decade trophy drought to Barcelona's comeback for the ages at Atletico Madrid, it was another brilliant weekend across Europe. Gab Marcotti has what you need ...ESPN - 9m