Alex Galchenyuk Cemented Status As Montreal Canadiens First Line Center

Since Alex Galchenyuk was drafted third overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2012 NHL Draft, he was often referred to as the team’s future first line center.

Well, you can’t say that anymore. After last night’s three goal performance from the 20 year old budding star, it will be a long time before Galchenyuk is not lining up as the Habs top center.

Playing between the Habs top goal scorer Max Pacioretty and their most tenacious player Brendan Gallagher, Galchenyuk had a breakout performance as the top pivot against the Carolina Hurricanes last night.

Dec 16, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk (27) skates over a hat after scoring his third goal of the game against the Carolina during the third period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

With the Habs leading 1-0 midway through the second period, Galchenyuk joined the rush with Andrei Markov and Max Pacioretty on a three on two. Markov made a pass from the middle to Pacioretty who immediately fired a perfect pass across the ice to Galchenyuk. The newly minted first line center made no mistake firing home a one timer behind a hopeless Cam Ward.

Late in the third with the Hurricanes down 2-1 and pushing for the tie, Pacioretty forced a turnover at center ice and fed a breakaway pass to Galchenyuk. Once again, Galchenyuk made no mistake on his scoring chance, picking a corner on Ward’s blocker side and giving the Habs a 3-1 lead.

Just over a minute later, Pacioretty beat Tim Gleason to a loose puck deep in the Hurricanes zone. Once again, Pacioretty made a perfect pass to Galchenyuk who blasted another one timer behind Cam Ward to complete his first career hat trick and give the Canadiens a 4-1 victory.

Dec 16, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk (27) reacts after scoring his second goal of the game against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

The Habs youngest player now has nine goals and 21 points in 32 games this season. The first 29 games were played as a second line left winger, with the last three games coming as Pacioretty’s middle man.

It was assumed that Galchenyuk would be the setup man for Pacioretty, who scored 39 goals last season, but it worked in reverse last night. On all three Galchenyuk goals, Pacioretty had the first assist. It was all Pacioretty’s work and nice passing skills that led to Galchenyuk’s scoring chances.

The difference between having Galchenyuk on a line with Pacioretty as opposed to David Desharnais who regularly skated with Pacioretty for years, is Galchenyuk’s goal scoring ability.

Dec 16, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk (27) reacts with teammate Max Pacioretty (67) after scoring his second goal of the game during the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Desharnais is a good playmaker who can create offense for Pacioretty, but he is a one trick pony who rarely shoots the puck and never scores goals. Desharnais played 29 games on the first line, including top power play time, and had two goals in that time. That is one less goal than Galchenyuk had last night.

If you look at Pacioretty’s stats last season, he scored 39 goals, but only had 21 assists. He is more of a shooter than a passer, but the fact that Desharnais had just 16 goals certainly led to a lower assist total for his left winger.

Having Galchenyuk on his line, will make Pacioretty an even more dangerous player, as his playmaking abilities will be rewarded far more often than they have been in the past. Pacioretty will continue to score his goals, but don’t be surprised to see him set a career high in assists if he stays with Galchenyuk for an extended period of time this season.

The Montreal Canadiens will still have a tough decision to make when Lars Eller returns from injury. Eller could be back as soon as tomorrow night against the Anaheim Ducks, meaning a regular center will have to be moved to the wing.

However, after last night’s performance, we know Galchenyuk’s spot in the lineup will not be changed for a very long time.