After notching a sixth consecutive win last night by defeating the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 2-1 in overtime, it looks like the Montreal Canadiens have seized head coach Claude Julien’s messages loud and clear.

Despite a rocky start to their post-Therrien era following the bye week, the Habs were already starting to show signs of improvement, especially in the defensive zone. They were allowing less shots against, were blocking many more, and forced opponents to shoot from low percentage areas such as on the perimeter. Add to that goaltender Carey Price’s return to form and his practically impeccable rebound control, and it was clear that transitioning from the defensive to the neutral and finally into the offensive zones was going to significantly improve under Julien, thus leading to more scoring chances.

#Habs Carey Price has allowed 2 goals or fewer in 8 straight starts, going 6-2-0 with a 1.35 GAA, .951 SV% & 1 Shutout.

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) March 8, 2017

But the coach cannot solely be credited for the changes implemented within the Habs’ system. In order for players to succeed, they have to do their part and willingly adhere to the adjustments being made. With that in mind, both the players and general manager Marc Bergevin also deserve recognition for pulling in the same direction.

Nobody truly knew what to expect when Bergevin acquired Steve Ott, Andreas Martinsen, Dwight King, Jordie Benn and Brandon Davidson. Many believed that the general manager’s trade activities were a desperate attempt at making moves for the sake of making them, although not enough can be said about how much size and playoff experience was added to the roster without sacrificing speed in order to do so. All of the aforementioned have looked very good in the games they’ve played and seamlessly integrated themselves within an already tightknit locker room. Yet it’s also important to point out that formerly struggling players have regained their confidence, just as Julien and Bergevin publicly insisted they would.

- Andrew Shaw has been playing some of his best hockey recently. Last night, he was a difference-maker on every single shift he played, and he showcased skating speed that we might not have otherwise noticed before. Despite registering no shots on net through 22:01 of ice-time, he assisted on Torrey Mitchell’s first-period goal.

- Speaking of which, what a feeling it must’ve been for Mitchell to finally score after going close to 40 games without doing so. Kudos to Andrei Markov for taking an intelligent shot that Mitchell aptly deflected past a red-hot Ryan Miller.

- Brendan Gallagher continued to build off of the momentum he created for himself by scoring in the game against the Nashville Predators last Thursday. He led the team with seven shots on goal last night, while his line partner Max Pacioretty fired six of his own. In the case of Gallagher, it’s not so much a matter of whether he will produce offense or not. Rather, if he keeps playing his signature gritty style of getting in goaltenders’ faces and crashing the net, the positive results will multiply.

- Alex Galchenyuk now has eight points in his last six contests. While he deserves accolades for his offensive output, it’s his defensive game that has undergone a complete 180-degree turn. Twice he found himself tying up an opponent’s stick in the slot, preventing the forwards from receiving a pass from behind the net and potentially scoring. Moreover, four of his shots hit the net, and he was responsible for Paul Byron’s deflection in overtime to seal the deal after confidently holding onto the puck in the offensive zone.

Note: did anyone else notice that Shea Weber was headed to the front of the net on that play?

- Byron now has two goals in his last three games as he watches his ice-time and responsibilities continuously and deservingly increase with each passing game. Last night’s marker was his 16th on the year, one more than what I had initially predicted in my blog last summer.

- Nathan Beaulieu played a very strong game last night, smartly pinching and contributing to a dizzying puck cycle along the boards and behind the net. He took three shots on net, and has greatly benefitted from Benn’s solid and steady stay-at-home style that encourages Beaulieu to “cheat” while knowing that Benn will be there to bail him out if need be.

- Brandon Davidson’s debut was a strong one, and I must admit that I was reluctant to expect a strong game from him based on the comments he made about playing for the first time since prior to the trade deadline. He finished the night with a minus-1 rating, and fired two shots on goal.


Overall, the Habs played an exciting brand of hockey and dominated the Canucks in nearly every aspect. They fired 38 shots on goal to Vancouver’s 28, had only one minor penalty to their three, won 56% of their faceoffs, landed 18 clean hits and blocked 18 shots while limiting their giveaways to only 5. On Thursday, they pay a visit to the league’s hottest team in the Calgary Flames, who are 12-2-1in their last 15.

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