RALEIGH, N.C. — Montreal has adopted the phrase “bouncing forward” as a central mantra, a turn of words Juraj Slafkovsky coined nearly three years ago while coming out of a difficult stretch. Slafkovsky used the line after scoring his first goal of the 2023-24 season in a 6-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues, and coach Martin St. Louis had placed him on the top line with Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki.
St. Louis has described bouncing forward as the simple “physics” of moving somewhere new rather than returning to the familiar. He invoked the concept again after an 8-3 Game 6 loss to the Buffalo Sabres; Montreal responded with a 3-2 overtime victory in Game 7 to reach the Eastern Conference finals against Carolina.
The Canadiens reached the conference finals via back-to-back seven-game series without consecutive losses, including a seven-game win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. Defenseman Kaiden Guhle said players know and accept their roles across the lineup, from bottom-six penalty killers to top-six power-play contributors, and that many are making impacts beyond scoring.
Guhle has seven points in 15 playoff games, nearly matching the 11 points he recorded in 39 regular-season outings. Slafkovsky has emerged as a major offensive presence, finishing the 2025-26 season with a career-best 30 goals and 73 points in 82 games and adding four goals and eight points in six games for Slovakia at the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan. He scored twice and finished with three points in Montreal’s 6-2 Game 1 win over Carolina.
Nick Suzuki became the first Canadiens player in 40 years to eclipse 100 points, and Cole Caufield was the first in 36 years to reach 50-plus goals. Those collective contributions have helped move Montreal from plucky underdogs to front-runners as the club advances in the Stanley Cup chase.
