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Juraj Slafkovsky and Marshall Rifai fought in the second period of Saturday night's game between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. The game became tense after Leafs defenseman Cedric Pare had a knee-on-knee collision with Canadiens forward Patrik Laine, who left with an injury and is expected to be out for a while.
Emotions remained high as the game continued, leading Slafkovsky and Rifai to fight. Slafkovsky aimed to get an edge by grabbing Rifai's hair, but the unexpected move didn’t work out well for him. Rifai quickly countered with a solid punch, sending Slafkovsky down.
Here's the video:
Rifai has stood out during the Maple Leafs' training camp, impressing coaches and teammates, including captain Auston Matthews.
"You can just see (Rifai) wants it and just continues to progress, and I've been pretty impressed with him and just the way he plays hard on both sides of the puck," Matthews said.
Despite his good performance, Rifai faces competition for a roster spot due to new veteran signings like Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jani Hakanpaa. His physical play and willingness to engage in fights, like the one with Juraj Slafkovsky, make him a valuable player.
The Canadiens and the Maple Leafs getting ready for the regular season show the strong competition in the league.
Juraj Slafkovsky signed eight-year contract following strong NHL season
On July 1, 2024, Kent Hughes, the general manager of the Montreal Canadiens, announced a new contract for Juraj Slafkovsky. The deal is for eight years and worth $60.8 million, averaging $7.6 million annually.
Slafkovsky, 20, had a strong 2023-24 season, scoring 20 goals and adding 30 assists for 50 points in 82 games. He was third in goals and hits on the team and fourth in assists and points. He made history by being the first player in Canadiens' history to score 40 points before turning 20.
This season, Slafkovsky celebrated several milestones. He played his 100th NHL game on March 2 and achieved his first hattrick against the Flyers on March 28.
After the NHL season, Juraj Slafkovsky played for Slovakia at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, where he recorded eight assists in eight games. He was selected first overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. He leads his draft class with 121 games played, 24 goals and 36 assists for 60 points.
