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Habs powerplay comes alive to defeat the Devils 3-1 |
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The Montreal Canadiens got back into the ‘Win’ column Friday night as they defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-1. While it was not necessarily a statement game, the victory could certainly be considered a step in the right direction. Al Montoya stopped 16 of the 17 Devils shots for his fourth consecutive win. The Canadiens top powerplay unit led the way scoring all three Canadiens goals on the man advantage. The chemistry between Alex Galchenyuk, Alexander Radulov and Max Pacioretty were undeniable as they combined for seven points. Shea Weber scored with his patented blast from the point and Nathan Beaulieu continued to contribute on the first unit as well.
Puck Props and Flops:
Alex Galchenyuk - Head coach Michel Therrien had removed Galchenyuk from the top line in order to get him back into game shape and away from the Canadiens opponent's top lines. However on the powerplay he was reunited with Pacioretty and Radulov and demonstrated how elite his skills are with that extra time and space as he scored and had two assists. His passes were crisp, especially his extraordinary backhand one to Pacioretty on which he scored his 21st goal of the season. On Galchenyuk’s own goal his release was perfectly timed. It will not be long until he is permanently back on the top line.
Alexander Radulov - After a rough game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Radulov broke out with three assists against the Devils. He was his usual aggressive self, protecting the puck along the boards like no one else can. Radulov and Galchenyuk have a special bond on the ice and when the two of them are ‘on’ the results are almost magical.
Max Pacioretty - He also had a tough game against the Penguins, finishing that night minus three. Against the Devils he kept his feet moving and drew two penalties, not to mention scoring his goal.
Jeff Petry and Nathan Beaulieu - Reunited on the second defensive pairing, the duo looked much better and performed more like they had when the two had at times dominated games on the Canadiens holiday road trip. They both looked more engaged and in sync with one another. The next step will be to see if they can keep it up and be consistent together.
Jacob De La Rose - It has been a rough road back to the NHL for De La Rose but his game against the Devils was likely his best game since he was a 19 year old rookie. Although he played less than 12 minutes, he made the most of them with two shots, five hits, a takeaway as well winning all three of his faceoffs. Therrien alluded to De La Rose being called up for his penalty kill and left handed face off skills. He played 1:45 on the penalty kill and looked good on the fourth line with Brian Flynn and Torrey Mitchell, hitting the crossbar for the Canadiens best chance to score at even strength. Now the test for him will be to perform like that night in and night out in order to stay in the NHL.
Flops:
I could nitpick and put Paul Byron as a flop. It the truth is he was not terrible. He simply seems to be a little off since he took a big hit against the Dallas Stars and had to miss the following game. He is a half step slower which still means he is very fast, just not explosive as we are use to seeing…
The Canadiens return to the Bell Centre to host the Buffalo Sabres tonight. Carey Price gets the start in net.
Cheers and follow along!
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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