Slafkovsky, Slovakia pitch shutout against Poland

MONTREAL – Juraj Slafkovsky was the only member of the Canadiens organization in uniform at the 2024 IIHF World Championship in Czechia on Wednesday.

Team Slovakia shutout Team Poland 4-0 and moved into second place in Group B with their third win in four games at the tournament.

Slafkovsky earned a primary assist on Slovakia’s third goal of the game. The 20-year-old was deployed for 17:22 by head coach Craig Ramsay and registered four shots on goal on Day 6 of the championship.

Here’s a brief summary of the game:

SLOVAKIA 4 – 0 POLAND

The Slovaks wasted no time getting to work on the Poles, breaking the deadlock 2:03 into the contest. Moments after the midway point of the opening frame, former Hab, Tomas Tatar, doubled his team’s lead.

A scoreless second period set the stage for the final stanza, where Slafkovsky got involved offensively. The Habs forward powered his way into the slot and fired a wrist shot that was cleaned up by Peter Cehlarik to make it 3-0 Slovakia.

P3 17:22 [3]-0 Cehlarik (Slafkovsky)

Twelve seconds later, Lukas Cingel added another for the Slovaks, and that’s how Wednesday’s affair ended.

What’s next?

Thursday calls for a much busier day overseas, as four members of the organization are scheduled for game action. Prospects Oliver Kapanen and Vinzenz Rohrer go head-to-head when Finland and Austria meet at 10:20 a.m. ET in Prague (TSN1). Then, at 2:20 p.m. (TSN1 and RDS), Kaiden Guhle and Canada look to stay undefeated against Norway. Meanwhile, in Ostrava, Cole Caufield and the United States seek a bounce back effort following their loss to Slovakia when they square off with France. Puck drop for that game is also setfor 2:20 p.m. (TSN3).

Cover photo: Matt Zambonin/IIHF