More and more, the National Hockey League is evolving. Gone are the days of fourth line grinders whose sole mandate is to police the ice in search of a fight. Hard work combined with little to practically no skill on the bottom-six forward lines of any team have become a thing of the past, something I’ve maintained thoroughly for years now. You need not look any further than the Montreal Canadiens to further understanding the reality of current times.
Last night, the Habs were in Boston and convincingly earned themselves two points with a 4-2 victory over the Bruins. The usual suspects played their parts- Alex Galchenyuk, Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher each had a point as did defensemen Shea Weber and Andrei Markov. While 18-year-old Mikhail Sergachev took the game in from the press box, Greg Pateryn was inserted into the lineup and finished the evening with an assist and a plus-1 rating in 14:16 of ice time.
But there’s something different about this edition of the team. Anyone who spends any amount of time around the Habs knows that the atmosphere within the locker room has drastically improved, and there is presently a sense of unity that seemed to dissipate with every mounting loss last season. This year, everyone is pulling their weight in the same direction, and scoring depth is coming from all four lines.
The fourth line made up of Torrey Mitchell, Phillip Danault and Brian Flynn posted two goals and almost added a third last night but Flynn touched the crossbar on a deflected passing play. To date, Mitchell has three goals in five games and Danault boasts a goal and three points. It’s when you look at the team’s third line that a better picture is furthermore painted.
Paul Byron and David Desharnais each have four points in five outings, and Andrew Shaw and Daniel Carr (a healthy scratch of late) each have a point. Only two players have none: Mikhail Sergachev and Brian Flynn, both of whom have featured in only three games.
This is quite telling of what direction the team is headed in.
It’s perfectly in line with the rest of the NHL, where fighting is down almost 50% from five years ago, according to CBC Sports.
What this tells me is simple: there’s no more room for enforcers in this league, as they’re slowly making way for scoring bottom-six players who can still provide energy by skating quickly and getting pucks behind opposing defensemen in an attempt to wear them down. The 2015-2016 Stanley Cup champions Pittsburgh Penguins are the prime example of what I’m alluding to, as four to five of their top-10 playoff scorers happened to be bottom-six guys.
I can’t say that I’m all that surprised. Last summer, I wrote multiple articles regarding the bottom-six forwards of the Canadiens, and had a feeling that Byron, Desharnais and Carr would feature on the third line while Danault would play left wing to (center) Mitchell on the fourth. I didn’t think Flynn would necessarily stick around, and I thought Michael McCarron was better-served playing bigger minutes in the AHL. I did not expect Carr to have a shaky start to the season although there’s a nice chemistry that’s been established on the third line with Shaw in his place.
And it’s a good thing the “role” players are lighting up the lamp, because Tomas Plekanec seems lost on the ice. He still has three assists to his name, as Artturi Lehkonen has two goals and Alexander Radulov has a goal and an assist, but that line’s chemistry continues to come into question. Until they start clicking on a regular basis, they can rest assured knowing their teammates have helped the team earn nine out of a possible 10 points.
For the first time in a long time, the Habs’ best line and its number one defenseman are leading the way in terms of scoring. They’re first in the league for goals scored (4 GPG) and first in goals against (1.6 GAA) but still need to work out certain kinks on the power play (19th overall). Perhaps giving the second line more time with the man advantage would help them break out of a certain funk, as all three players are most effective when space is cleared for them to maneuver and handle the puck in order to create plays. After all, Plekanec leads the team with two points on the power play and Radulov has a point to his name in a similar situation.
In all, Habs fans are being treated to a much-improved version of their club. When the always-under-fire team captain Pacioretty is fifth on the team with eight hits – Alexei Emelin is second in the league with 21- it goes to show just how implicated every individual player truly is.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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