Slafkovsky Expresses Frustration After Hit by Acciari: 'I Got KO'd'

Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky is feeling fine after exiting Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he remains frustrated over the hit that knocked him out of the game.

Slafkovsky, who left the ice after a collision with Noel Acciari, confirmed that he underwent concussion protocol following the incident. "It's a good thing that my head is fine and that (there were no effects) afterwards," Slafkovsky told reporters on Monday. "I was pissed because, like, (there were) three minutes until the end of the game, and I want to be out there."

Acciari was not penalized for the hit, but Slafkovsky believes the league should have reviewed the play. "Obviously I put myself in that spot, but you expect to get reverse hit," he said. "They teach me to reverse hit with my back and my ass, not with my arm. So I was maybe expecting a different type of contact from him. ... I got KO'd and had to go take a shower."

Slafkovsky also referenced a similar incident involving Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who was penalized and fined $5,000 for a hit on Tampa Bay Lightning's Jake Guentzel in October.

"I don't know," Slafkovsky said with a shrug. "I have my opinion, but I probably can't say because it's bad."

The 20-year-old forward returned to practice with the Canadiens on Monday after missing three games earlier this season due to an upper-body injury. Slafkovsky has tallied seven assists and eight points in nine games so far this season.

As the 2022 first overall pick enters the final year of his entry-level contract, Slafkovsky signed an eight-year extension with a $7.6-million cap hit this past summer. The Canadiens will face the Calgary Flames on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.