SCF Spotlight: Jaccob Slavin (Game 6)

In case you forgot

Credit: NHL.com

Long deemed the cream of the NHL’s defensive crop, Jaccob Slavin faced unprecedented criticism this spring. Nagging injuries had the once-bulletproof stopper looking vulnerable for the first time in a decade, and placed under the postseason’s microscope, his performance had many questioning whether he was running low on his shutdown reserves.

He chose the perfect stage to prove that he still has something left in the tank.

With a chance to win his first Stanley Cup on Sunday night, it was as though vintage Slavin was beamed in from 2023. The 32-year-old’s emphatic bounce-back effort centered around the phase that tripped him up at times throughout the playoffs: transition defense.

His side of the ice was a no-fly zone once more:

The timing that had begun to fail him returned in Game 6. So did his confidence. As a result, he hounded every single Golden Knights entry he could find. Perched in his backskate, his well-disguised length and inside-out positioning smothered Jack Eichel. On east-west designs, he flipped his hips to glue himself to the puck-carrier/pass recipient before locating the optimal stick-checking angle.

To say he refused to give up any ground would be an exaggeration, though. In fact, setting a slightly less aggressive depth than usual was the adjustment he needed to corral Vegas’ pace.

Taylor Hall’s first-period marker, the eventual GWG, offered a prime example:

An OZ faceoff win lands awkwardly between Slavin and wrecking ball Ivan Barbashev (VGK 49). The blueliner considers challenging the winger early as he normally would, but in order to manage his dip in mobility, he chooses to fight another day. After turning away for a reset, he skates forward to hem the puck-carrier outside the dot lane and set his new boundary at the red line. He squeezes Barbashev to the wall, enters his backskate to maximize his stick’s disruptive potential and affects the short pass to Brett Howden (VGK 21).

Since Vegas can’t access the top of the circle on a 3-on-2, Slavin’s recovery (aided by Jackson Blake, CAR 53) catches the opposition’s back line by surprise.

Stretch pass —> partial breakaway —> cash.

Slavin was equally stout in the DZ. Here, his play recognition combined with his pesky stick work to build a brick wall in Carolina’s end. He got the jump on Vegas’ offense over and over again:

He extinguished Eichel’s triangle attack on a 1-on-1 rush. He flexed out to clog the flanker’s shooting lane on the PP. When the Golden Knights pushed Carolina against the ropes late in the opening frame, he and netminder Brandon Bussi dug their heels in on the goal line.

John Tortorella’s men couldn’t escape his clutches in Game 6, as all of his hallmarks were out in full force.

Brilliant solo defending? Here you go:

These NZ quick hitters for speed differentials gave Slavin fits over the past two series. On Sunday night, he was in total control vs. the postseason’s leading scorer (Howden). Watch how he systematically consumes the winger’s real estate:

• Early cushion to keep the winger in front of him.

• His depth and leverage cut the rink in half.

• He waits for Howden to lower his shoulder before pivoting to match speeds.

• On both the backhand drive and the turn back to the forehand, Slavin’s stick placement maintains interiority.

• Stick on puck to the wall —> low-quality rim stolen by the Canes.

What about his inhuman closing speed?

Slavin stumbles in the corner with Mitch Marner (VGK 93) climbing up the boards. Against man-to-man defense, Vegas’ most potent postseason threat is free to wheel into Grade A territory. Well, he was for a second:

This almost looks like it’s playing in fast-forward. The speed with which he re-enters the frame, alongside clever prioritization of the shooting corridor over the shooter himself (i.e. his line on the puck), helps him pull off a white-knuckle kick save and a beauty. Knowing that he has this explosiveness in his bag bodes well for his short-term future too:

While Slavin excels in man coverage, his penchant for breaking off to put out his teammates’ fires is part of what’s made him such a special defender. He can blanket a star player one moment, then zoom over to defuse a high-danger opportunity elsewhere the next.

Got any of those sequences left?

A minute into the third period, Vegas engineers a 2-on-2 rush. Mark Stone (VGK 61) notices that Taylor Hall (CAR 71) is his mark and decides to try his luck vs. the lone forward back. Good call. He dances right through a defender who isn’t accustomed to holding inside leverage in his backskate. Unfortunately, Slavin is the secondary defender—and that recovery ability is something else.

He primes himself to intervene by pivoting forward, sprints to push Stone outside the hashes and crouch-blocks the pass after the Canadian Olympian no longer likes his shooting odds. Sensational stuff.

Slavin was…the real Slavin again on Sunday night. Even when he didn’t break up plays himself, his mere presence served as a major deterrent. Vegas worked itself into some favorable buildup situations only to sputter at the finish line:

With the extra man, the Golden Knights countered Carolina’s pressure via high middle-to-bumper dishes. They manufactured the setups they wanted on a number of occasions but balked at the sight of Slavin’s timing and body orientation. His you-shall-not-pass talents killed multiple points of attack on their own.

Few—if any—defenders are better at just getting in your way. The Canes therefore had theirs when it mattered most. After the contest, Conn Smythe winner Jordan Staal (I’ll refrain from commenting) gushed about Slavin’s contributions to the team’s 3-0 shutout:

“He was remarkable tonight. My goodness, his stick -- he stopped like four or five Grade-A chances. It was nonstop, every shift really. And he was a massive reason why, you know, it stayed at zero.”

By now, you probably realize that Rod Brind’Amour is more flexible than he appears. The rush has revamped Carolina’s formerly blue-collar offense. Shayne Gostisbehere’s second stint with the club has added freelancing back to the blue line’s menu as well. What hasn’t changed over the years is Slavin’s steadiness on the back end. It feels appropriate, then, that this regime’s one constant laid the foundation for its biggest win to date.

On the night, Slavin registered 1 primary assist and a 67.7 xGF%. Vegas didn’t register a single scoring chance during his EV TOI vs. Eichel and Marner. An absurd defensive performance by the best of his generation.

Here are the full highlights:

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