Four games with just three assists between Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk and Alexander Radulov was enough for Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien to pull the plug on the top line and go back to the drawing board. The trio had excelled against the Blackhawks when they were matched up against Jonathan Toews and company but against the Ottawa Senators they had difficulty creating quality scoring chances while against the Detroit Red Wings they just looked like they simply did not have ‘it’. The chemistry that they had experienced back in late November of 2016 could not be recaptured and with just nine games left in the regular season, Julien can no longer afford to wait to see if they are able to rekindle their earlier magic.
The new lines at practice on Wednesday morning were:
The biggest change is not that Galchenyuk was taken off of the top line but that he is back to playing on the left wing while Andrew Shaw will center him and Artturi Lehkonen on the second line. While it seems as though it is a never ending debate as to if Galchenyuk is a true number one center or winger, this moves comes at a time when Julien is only trying to get the best out of every one of his players and have them ready for the playoffs. Now is the time to experiment and try new, at least for Julien, things.
There is little doubt that when Galchenyuk is at the top of his game he has the ability to dominate as a first line center. We saw this in the Spring of 2016 when he eventually earned the opportunity to center the Canadiens first line when David Desharnais injured his knee and again from the beginning of the 2016-2017 NHL regular season right up until he injured his knee. Up until that moment he was leading the team in scoring and was on pace for a career year. Perhaps at the wing Galchenyuk will be able to bring consistency back to his game and the Canadiens can have an offense in which the top six can be counted on to contribute on a regular basis.
By all indications, this is a lineup change that everyone is on board with. Julien spoke to Galchenyuk before practice and it seems as though everyone is on the same page.
Julinen on Galchenyuk from Canadiens.com:
“Alex is very comfortable at both positions, so we had a good chat this morning. He's very open, and he wants to win. When you have guys with that attitude, there really are no issues."
And Galchenyuk on the meeting and change courtesy of Canadiens.com:
“We had a good talk -- it was all positive -- and he decided it would be good for me to be on the wing. I'm excited to play with Shawzy and Lehky tomorrow -- I'm going to go out there and try to create something."
With Shaw and Lehkonen, Galchenyuk will be playing with two of the Canadiens best forwards as of late. They have been relentless on the forecheck and rarely gives up the puck, at least not without a fight. Shawk and Lehkonen’s aggressiveness and nose for the net should compliment Galchenyuk well as they will create space for him to find the open seams. Shaw has been demonstrating why Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin traded for him as his play only gets bigger as the playoffs approach. As for Lehkonen, fans would do well to recall that he led his former club Frolunda to the SHL championship with 19 points in 16 games as a 20 year old. This young man knows when to step up and find another gear.
It appears that a smaller lineup change will have Andreas Martinsen and Michael McCarron get back into the lineup while Dwight King and Steve Ott will likely be healthy scratches. McCarron played well against the Senators on Sunday but was left to the sidelines against the Red Wings as Ott drew back in to face his former team. King has been a bit of a disappointment thus far with the Canadiens whil Martinsen has impressed in his few opportunities.
Carey Price practiced but it was revealed that he may not start the game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night as he is battling through a minor injury. Julien said it was not very serious and one has to imagine that Price would not have practiced had there been any risk of further injuring himself. The Canadiens will not risk Price getting truly hurt, especially with less than three weeks to play in the regular season.
Cheers and follow along!
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»